Orca (1977)

“Like human beings, they have a profound instinct… for vengeance!” says the trailer of this 1977 Jaws knockoff.

This time, it’s personal… because the killer whale, or orca, of the film, has been struck first, and seeks to satiate its instinct for vengeance against the human who killed his pregnant mate, Captain Nolan (Richard Harris). Rachel Bedford (Charlotte Rampling) encourages Nolan to man up (pretty much her exact words) and embrace the challenge of man against whale. It features a whale taking down a seaside house, and a final showdown on ice.

The whales look great, in part because the film used actual whales — orcas trained at Marineland of the Pacific and Marine World Africa — though it also used some doubles. It was a moderate box office success.