Horror fans can treat themselves to a ‘guilty pleasure’ offering from an iconic franchise, as it lands on BBC’s schedule tonight.

BBC4 will broadcast Jaws the Revenge this evening, part of the legendary Jaws collection that began with the groundbreaking 1975 original, followed by Jaws 2 in 1978 and Jaws 3 in 1983.

This fourth chapter, unleashed in 1987, follows Ellen Brody (Lorraine Gary), a bereaved widow whose family has been terrorised by shark encounters, including her son who becomes victim to a massive great white.

In her grief, Ellen travels to the Bahamas to visit her surviving son Michael (Lance Guest), where she meets the charming Hoagie Newcombe (Michael Caine) and finds unexpected romance.

Yet as Ellen and Hoagie’s bond deepens, an enormous shark surfaces near the island’s shores, rekindling Ellen’s war against these apex predators.

The picture hardly enjoys a reputation for artistic brilliance, with numerous film aficionados labelling it a ‘guilty pleasure’.

Rushed into production within less than nine months, reviewers highlighted an apparent absence of screenplay during its initial phases and considered it inferior to the triumph and recognition of its forerunners.

Regardless of its tepid welcome, Michael Caine allegedly earned a substantial $1.5 million for his performance.

Nevertheless, certain movie lovers still maintain it deserves attention. One viewer gave it three stars on Rotten Tomatoes, writing: “One of my biggest guilty pleasures. Its a film that is soo fascinatingly bad that it needs to be studied, and at the same time its concept is so batshit insane that I can’t look away. And it’s moments of insanity just add to its “so bad, its good” entertainment value.”

Another said: “While it has Flaws, Jaws the Revenge has emotional and fun moments for everybody in the family.

“This film is not that bad. I liked it,” noted a third viewer.

Another added: “Always felt this was treated on unfairly… it better then Jaws 3.”

However, some cinema enthusiasts warn that it doesn’t live up to the other instalments in the iconic franchise.

One critic penned: “If there is any movie out there that proves what will happen if we continue franchises past their prime, it’s this movie.”

Another said: “Horrible film. This sorry chapter in the franchise is easily the worst. The plots dumb, the actors or bad, and the shark just follows everyone around. How was this even made?”.

“Why does this movie even exist. Why a shark would seek revenge,it’s trash. It’s not even so bad it’s good,” observed another reviewer.

Jaws 2: The Revenge is on BBC4 at 11pm on December 31.

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