After a decade-long silence, Sean Byrne resurfaces with Dangerous Animals, a savage and stylish return to form that proves the Horror auteur has not lost his bite. Known for 2009’s The Loved Ones and 2015’s The Devil’s Candy, Byrne once again blends psychological torment with visceral Horror—this time, at sea. When Zephyr, a savvy and free-spirited surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his drifting boat, her fight for survival becomes a desperate race against time. With a ritualistic feeding looming and the ocean teeming with hungry sharks below, Dangerous Animals turns the predator-prey dynamic on its head.
A gripping aquatic nightmare hitting theaters Friday, June 6, 2025, through IFC Films and Shudder, Dangerous Animals feels as though we have entered an era of relentlessly bleak Horror storytelling, where despair, isolation, and the breakdown of humanity take center stage. Perhaps it is a reflection of the collective unease bubbling beneath the surface of our cultural psyche: climate anxiety, societal fragmentation, and a growing fear that the real monsters are not supernatural, but human. Dangerous Animals fits squarely into this trend, offering a stripped-down survival nightmare that is as psychologically harrowing as it is physically brutal.
Starring Hassie Harrison (Yellowstone series, Quasi 2023) as the strong-willed heroine Zephyr and Jai Courtney (Terminator Genisys 2015, Suicide Squad 2016) as the maniacal Tucker, the film unfolds as a relentless cat-and-mouse game, thrilling in its execution yet deeply soul-crushing in its sense of hopelessness. Courtney brings a captivating blend of brash charisma and cunning menace to Tucker, making him both magnetic and chilling while elevating every scene with unpredictable intensity.
Amid the unyielding darkness, the story offers one unexpected glimmer of hope: the sexy and unexpectedly romantic Moses, played by Josh Heuston (Thor: Love and Thunder 2022, Dune: Prophecy series). After being ghosted before breakfast by Zephyr, Moses decides to investigate. It may take a slight suspension of disbelief to buy that he would go searching for a girl he just met. Still, this narrative leap serves as a necessary catalyst for what’s to come—and injects a much-needed spark of warmth into the film’s otherwise relentless tone, even if it occasionally veers toward the saccharine.
While Dangerous Animals may not offer the most compelling dialogue, it makes up for it with a fast-paced narrative and gore that recalls the Saw and Hostel franchises. The writing rarely pauses for levity and seldom digs deeper than surface thrills. This approach keeps the story moving and ensures a tense, adrenaline-fueled ride, but it also means the film misses a chance to fully explore its underlying theme—that man himself is the true predator. Still, the film does not shy away from some truly harrowing scenes of savage violence. Horror fans who crave inventive and gruesome kills will find plenty to feast on here.
One of the film’s greatest strengths is its use of setting. Dangerous Animals expertly leverages its cramped quarters and isolated location to escalate suspense, trapping the characters near danger both above and beneath the water’s surface. Just when it seems the victims might slip away from Tucker, the vastness of the open ocean—and the smallness of the boat—reminds the audience how few options remain, keeping the tension taut and the stakes relentlessly high.
The film’s finale will have audiences on the edge of their seats, masterfully sustaining the uncertainty that has been building throughout. By this point, Dangerous Animals has made it clear that both hope and Horror remain equally possible, and the outcome feels genuinely unpredictable, keeping viewers hooked until the very last moment. It is exciting to see a fresh take on the serial killer Horror genre, proving that the genre still has plenty of terrifying stories left to tell—and plenty of nightmares left to inspire. This is why Cryptic Rock gives Dangerous Animals 3.5 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment