What Horror Icon Brinke Stevens Can Teach Us About Shark Conservation

Most people know Brinke Stevens as one of horror cinema’s most beloved scream queens.

For decades, she has appeared in films filled with monsters, suspense and the supernatural, becoming one of the genre’s most recognizable and respected personalities.

What many fans don’t know is that before Hollywood called, Stevens was studying marine biology.

That little-known part of her life makes her participation in the “Sharks Aren’t So Scary” campaign especially meaningful.

It also reminds us that our passions often have deeper roots than people realize.

More Than a Movie Monster

For me, this project was also an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend.

Brinke and I first worked together back in the mid-2000s when she appeared in a project connected to my band, Freak 13. We’ve stayed in touch a little over the years, and it was great reconnecting through this campaign.

When I asked if she would consider recording a public service announcement encouraging people to rethink sharks, she immediately understood what we were trying to accomplish.

Chester and Brinke together in San Antonio in the spring of 2026.

Knowing her background in marine biology, it wasn’t surprising.

Perceptions

One of the biggest challenges facing wildlife conservation today isn’t always habitat loss or pollution.

Sometimes it’s perception.

People often decide whether an animal deserves protection long before they ever learn anything about it.

Sharks may be the greatest example.

Movies have turned many species into symbols of fear, even though most sharks pose little threat to people and many are struggling to survive in a rapidly changing world.

Changing that perception begins with education.

When people discover that whale sharks filter plankton instead of hunting swimmers or that great whites are far less common than Hollywood suggests, fear begins to give way to curiosity.

That curiosity often becomes conservation.

A Different Kind of Scream

Brinke Stevens built a remarkable career entertaining audiences.

Today she’s helping encourage those same audiences to take another look at one of the ocean’s most misunderstood animals.

There’s something fitting about that.

Someone known for horror films is now helping remind people that the real world is often less frightening—and far more amazing—than fiction.

The Journey Continues

Throughout October, we’ll be sharing stories celebrating sharks and the important role they play in healthy oceans.

If you’d like to dive deeper into the science behind the “Sharks Aren’t So Scary” campaign, including Brinke Stevens’ public service announcement and additional educational features, visit the Gulf Great White Shark Society.

There you’ll find the research, history and conservation information that inspired this campaign.