Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws

Lore & Background

Ghost Shark 2 originated as a faux trailer in the vein of Hobo with a Shotgun, released on YouTube on 14 August 2010. Several websites and blogs took notice, and the trailer was posted on sites like Cinefantastique, SlashFilm, Premiere.fr, and CBSSports.com. The online attention prompted the directors to turn the faux trailer into a feature film, and production began in Auckland in October 2010, with further shooting in Christchurch. A second teaser was released on Christmas Day 2010, and a third trailer on 14 August 2013. The film is a direct sequel to SyFy's Ghost Shark (2013) and was produced by SyFy.

Reader's Guide

Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws is notable for its unusual production history, beginning as a YouTube faux trailer that gained enough online attention to be expanded into a full feature film. Despite its title, it is not related to SyFy's Ghost Shark, and the sequel designation was made for narrative reasons. The film maintains a serious dramatic tone despite its seemingly parodic subject matter. One scene originally featured actors from three so-called 'Best Worst' movies—George Hardy (Troll 2), Juliette Danielle (The Room), and Alan Bagh (Birdemic: Shock and Terror)—performing together for the first time. That scene was eventually deleted, leaving only a separate cameo with Danielle. The film represents a unique intersection of internet culture, low-budget horror, and meta-referential filmmaking.

Did You Know?

• The film originated as a faux trailer released on YouTube on 14 August 2010.
• A scene featuring actors from Troll 2, The Room, and Birdemic was filmed but later deleted.
• The film was shot entirely in New Zealand (Auckland and Christchurch), not in Los Angeles.

From Faux Trailer to Feature Film

The story of Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws begins not on a studio lot but on YouTube. In August 2010, directors Andrew Todd and Johnny Hall uploaded a faux trailer styled after the viral Hobo with a Shotgun video, and the internet took notice. Blogs and entertainment outlets like Cinefantastique, SlashFilm, Premiere.fr, and even CBSSports.com picked up the clip, giving it a level of visibility the pair had not anticipated. That wave of online attention became the catalyst for something far larger: the decision to develop the concept into a full-length feature. By October 2010, principal photography was already underway in Auckland, with additional scenes captured later in Christchurch. The momentum continued online as well—a second teaser dropped on Christmas Day 2010 alongside behind-the-scenes imagery on the film's official site, and a third trailer followed on 14 August 2013, keeping audience curiosity alive through the long production stretch. What started as a joke for the internet ultimately became a 2015 New Zealand supernatural horror film.

A Serious Drama in a Parodic Costume

At first glance, a film about a supernatural shark terrorizing a city sounds like pure camp. Yet Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws deliberately commits to a serious dramatic register, treating its outlandish premise with the gravity of a conventional thriller. The narrative follows Auckland's mayor, Jack Broody, and an "expert ghost shark hunter" as they race to protect the city from the creature known as Ghost Shark. The title's "2" might mislead viewers into expecting a connection to SyFy's earlier Ghost Shark, but the two productions share no creative lineage. The sequel branding was a purely narrative choice made by the filmmakers to serve the story's internal logic. This tonal commitment—playing a fantastical monster threat completely straight—gives the film a distinctive identity within the supernatural horror space, setting it apart from both the SyFy original and from the mock-horror tradition that inspired its faux-trailer origins.

The 'Best Worst' Crossover That Almost Was

One of the most talked-about production details surrounding Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws involves a scene that brought together three actors from what are colloquially known as "Best Worst" movies. George Hardy, best remembered for Troll 2, Juliette Danielle from The Room, and Alan Bagh from Birdemic: Shock and Terror were all cast in small roles for a single sequence. It marked the first time performers from all three films shared screen time in any production. That scene was shot in Los Angeles by second-unit director Doug Dillaman, separate from the main New Zealand unit. However, the sequence was ultimately cut from the final edit. The only remnant that survived into the released film is a separate cameo appearance by Danielle, who also holds a credited role as Elsie Grey in the main cast. The rest of the ensemble includes Campbell Cooley as Mayor Jack Broody, Johnny Hall as Tom Logan, Steve Austin as Tony Palantine, Kathleen Burns as Emily Morgan, Roberto Nascimento as Marco Guerra, Isabella Burt as Martina Guerra, Stig Eldred as Sean Logan, and David Farrier appearing as himself.

A Three-City Production

Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws is a New Zealand production, but its filming footprint stretched well beyond a single location. The primary shooting took place in Auckland, the city that also serves as the story's setting, where the mayor and the ghost shark hunter battle the supernatural creature. Additional scenes were captured in Christchurch, giving the production a second New Zealand base. A third leg of the shoot occurred in Los Angeles, where second-unit director Doug Dillaman handled the "Best Worst" crossover sequence involving Hardy, Danielle, and Bagh. This multi-city approach reflects the film's origins as a project that grew organically from an online stunt into a full feature with ambitions that outgrew a single location. The project was helmed by the dual directing team of Andrew Todd and Johnny Hall, who also appear in front of the camera—Hall in the role of Tom Logan. The film was ultimately released in 2015, carrying the New Zealand supernatural horror label, and its production timeline spanned from the initial October 2010 shoot in Auckland through to the final release, a period of roughly five years from first camera to screen.