- December 4, 2025
Joey Malheiros of Palm Coast has been a fan of the iconic Steven Spielberg movie, “Jaws,” for 25 of his 31 years. He estimates he has seen the movie 1,000 times including one year when he watched it everyday.
Last month, he and his friend Hannah made a pilgrimage to Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts, where Jaws was filmed, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the shark thriller.
“The town was Oak Bluff where our ferry took port and as soon as I stepped on the island it was like stepping into a dream,” Malheiros said. “It was a regular living, breathing town. But what was a normal town to some was a timeless set to one of the greatest films in cinema history. They played the film at the local theater on Friday night (June 20) to start off the festivities.”
The Wharf Pub in Edgartown on the island was a hub for the celebration bringing in actors from the movie who signed autographs. The owner of the Wharf Pub, Jeffrey Voorhees, was one of the actors himself. The Martha’s Vineyard native played Alex Kintner, a boy who was devoured by the shark. One of the Wharf Pub’s sandwiches is called the Alex Kintner.
Malheiros said he didn’t set foot on the beach, but he did walk on the “Jaws Bridge,” seen in the movie.
After the Jaws celebration, Malheiros and Hannah drove up to Maine to see prolific horror writer Stephen King’s home.
Malheiros said he felt he was “right back in the movie. It was too surreal and probably the best vacation I could have asked for.”
