Sharknado

Sharknado

Year: 2013

Runtime: 86 mins

Language: English

Director: Anthony C. Ferrante

HorrorActionComedy

A massive hurricane unexpectedly strikes Los Angeles, unleashing a bizarre and terrifying phenomenon: sharks are caught in the tornado winds and deposited into the city along with floodwaters. Surfer and bar owner Fin Shepard embarks on a perilous mission with his companions Baz and Nova to locate and rescue his estranged wife April and their teenage daughter Claudia, battling the shark-infested chaos threatening to engulf the city.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Sharknado (2013)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Sharknado (2013). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Present day

Set in contemporary Southern California, the events unfold during a sudden, hurricane-strength storm that unleashes sharks onto the coastline. The timeline moves from coastal chaos to inland rescues, compressing escalating disaster into a rapid succession of life-or-death moments. The setting evolves from beachside bars to flooded streets and eventually inland neighborhoods.

Location

Santa Monica Pier, Van Nuys

The story centers around the iconic Santa Monica Pier where Fin runs a bar on the water's edge. As a massive storm hits, streets flood and sharks flood the coast, forcing the action inland toward the San Fernando Valley. The journey shifts from coastal entertainment to inland evacuation, culminating in Van Nuys as survivors seek safety.

🏖️ Beachfront 🌊 Ocean 🚗 Los Angeles area

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 09:58

Main Characters – Sharknado (2013)

Meet the key characters of Sharknado (2013), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Finley 'Fin' Shepard (Ian Ziering)

A former champion surfer who now runs a bar on the Santa Monica Pier. He’s protective of his ex-wife and daughter, a natural leader who stays calm under pressure and will risk everything to save others.

🏄 Surfer 🛡️ Leader 🗡️ Courageous

Nova Clarke (Cassie Scerbo)

A tough, resourceful survivor with a leg scar who wields weapons without hesitation. She partners with Fin, displaying loyalty and blunt, practical thinking amid the chaos.

🔫 Sharpshooter 🛡️ Survivor 💬 Bold

Baz Hogan (Jaason Simmons)

Fin’s loyal ally who improvises plans and helps drive a powered Humvee through flooded streets. He takes bold risks for friends and remains dependable in a crisis.

🚗 Driver 🧭 Loyal ⚔️ Brave

April Wexler (Tara Reid)

Fin’s ex-wife and Chloe’s mother. She starts skeptical but gradually recognizes the danger and joins the group’s inland retreat.

🏠 Family 😡 Skeptical 🧭 Practical

Matt (Chuck Hittinger)

A flight student with helicopter experience who helps craft a plan to defuse the aerial shark threat. He forms a bond with Nova as they work the skies and stay hopeful.

🛩️ Pilot 💡 Inventive 🧭 Strategic

George (John Heard)

A bar regular who provides humor and a steady presence at the Santa Monica bar. He becomes a casualty in the chaos, highlighting the stakes of the disaster.

🥤 Bar Regular 😂 Comedic 🛡️ Protector

Captain Carlos Santiago (Israel Sáez de Miguel)

Captain involved in illegal shark capture whose actions foreshadow the crisis. He faces the consequences as nature escalates the disaster.

⚓ Captain 🐟 Predator 🛑 Villain

Chloe Shepard

Fin’s teenage daughter who endures the peril of the flood and shark attacks and travels with the group toward inland safety.

👧 Daughter 🧭 Dependent 🛡️ Survivor

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 09:58

Major Themes – Sharknado (2013)

Explore the central themes of Sharknado (2013), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🛡️ Heroism

Fin embodies selfless courage, risking his life to protect family and strangers. The group improvises weapons and makes bold rescues, turning ordinary people into frontline defenders. The film frames bravery as a collective effort under extreme pressure.

🌊 Survival

Characters must adapt quickly to a rapidly changing threat landscape, battling storms, flooding, and airborne sharks. They rescue others, navigate dangerous terrain, and improvise strategies to stay alive in both coastal and inland environments. The disaster-driven chaos drives relentless action with moments of dark humor.

🧭 Unity

Despite personal tensions and past relationships, the ensemble bands together to protect loved ones and strangers alike. The cross-city journey requires trust, quick thinking, and collaboration across diverse characters as they move from beach to inland shelters.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 09:58

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Absurdly Tense Survival Movies like Sharknado

High-intensity stories that mix genuine tension with bizarre, over-the-top threats.Explore more movies like Sharknado that combine high-stakes survival with bizarre, over-the-top threats. If you enjoyed the chaotic tension against a ridiculous disaster, this thread features similar action-packed thrillers and comedies where characters battle the impossible.

tenseabsurdchaoticthrillinghigh-stakesrelentless

Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically follow a linear survival mission against a sudden, often ludicrous, threat. Characters are thrust into immediate chaos, moving rapidly from one perilous set-piece to the next, using ingenuity and grit to overcome escalating dangers.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped together because they share a specific tonal cocktail: the pacing is breakneck, the intensity is sky-high, and the central conflict is inherently absurd, creating an experience that is both thrilling and knowingly ridiculous.

Chaotic Disaster Family Rescue Stories like Sharknado

Families and friends reunite and fight together against apocalyptic-scale dangers.Find more disaster films like Sharknado centered on family rescue missions. These movies feature characters battling apocalyptic events to reunite with loved ones, blending high-octane action with emotional stakes of sacrifice and reunion.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves an estranged family unit separated by a cataclysmic event. The protagonist embarks on a direct, often linear quest through the disaster zone to locate and save their family, facing extreme dangers that test their bonds and resolve, culminating in a bittersweet reunion.

Why These Movies?

They are linked by the core plot engine of a rescue mission driven by familial love, set against a backdrop of large-scale, destructive chaos. The emotional journey of reconnection and sacrifice unites these films, regardless of the specific disaster.

Unlock the Full Story of Sharknado

Don't stop at just watching — explore Sharknado in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Sharknado is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Sharknado Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Sharknado, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Sharknado Summary

Sharknado Timeline

Track the full timeline of Sharknado with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Sharknado Timeline

Sharknado Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Sharknado that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Sharknado Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Sharknado

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Sharknado: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Sharknado