Dangerous Animals

''Dangerous Animals'' is a 2025 survival horror film directed by Sean Byrne and written by Nick Lepard. The film stars Hassie Harrison, Josh Heuston, Rob Carlton, Ella Newton, Liam Greinke and Jai Courtney.

''Dangerous Animals'' is a co-production between the United States and Australia. It had its premiere at the Directors' Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2025, and was released in the United States on June 6 by Independent Film Company and Shudder, and in Australia on June 12 by Kismet Movies. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Tourists Greg and Heather visit Tucker’s Experience, a shark cage tourist attraction run by the eccentric boat captain Tucker. While riding out into the ocean, Tucker remarks on how he survived a shark attack as a child, which scarred him and changed his view of the species. After the two participate in a cage dive, Tucker suddenly kills Greg and abducts Heather.

At the Gold Coast, American drifter Zephyr reluctantly helps real estate agent Moses start his car. The two bond over their love of surfing and later have a one night stand. Although Moses hopes their relationship turns into something romantic, Zephyr drives away later that night without him to surf. There, she encounters Tucker who abducts her. Moses arrives at the surfing spot the next morning but finds no sign of Zephyr. Zephyr awakens chained to a bed in a room where Heather is also being held. Upstairs, it is revealed that Tucker is holding the pair captive in his boat. Zephyr discovers he has done this to other women and is unsuccessful in attempting to lockpick her cuffs.

That night, Tucker drugs Zephyr and Heather. The two awaken on deck. Zephyr is strapped to a chair and watches helplessly as Heather is hoisted into the air by a harness and hovered over the water, which is filled with sharks lured by chum. Tucker sets up an old camera to record as Heather is lowered into the water and devoured by sharks. It is revealed Tucker is a serial killer who has done this to multiple tourists. The next day, Zephyr’s van is towed away causing Moses to be suspicious of her whereabouts and he begins to start looking for her. Zephyr manages to escape the room. While being chased on the deck, she throws his camera overboard in the scuffle before being recaptured. Furious, Tucker returns to land and docks his boat before going out to buy a new camera.

Recognizing Tucker's van on a CCTV feed of the beach Zephyr vanished from, Moses goes to visit him, unaware he has left. He sneaks onto the boat, and he hears Zephyr’s screams and discovers her. Zephyr instructs him to call the police. As he does so, Tucker returns and attacks him. The two fight before Moses is knocked unconscious by Tucker's neighbour Dave who has been sending tourists to his cage experience, unaware of the murders. When Dave hears Zephyr’s screams, Tucker kills him. Tucker drives the boat out to the ocean and puts Moses in the harness. Moses follows Zephyr's advice to stay still and is unharmed by the sharks. Tucker stabs Moses repeatedly in the stomach to lure more sharks but is forced to get everyone back inside the boat when a lifeguard helicopter passes by.

While Tucker waits for the coast to be clear, Zephyr makes another escape attempt after biting her thumb off. She and Tucker have a scuffle with Zephyr getting drugged in the process. She jumps into the water and attempts to swim to shore, where a wedding reception is taking place. However, she is pursued by Tucker on a dinghy and brought back to the boat. She and Moses awaken on deck, with Zephyr now in the harness. As she is lowered into the water, a huge great white shark arrives, scaring off the other sharks and starts prowling the area. Zephyr frees herself from the harness and falls into the water. There she comes face to face with the great white and it swims off. Zephyr then climbs back aboard Tucker's boat. On the boat and with Moses near death, Zephyr shoots Tucker with a harpoon. Tucker falls in the ocean and is devoured by the shark. Zephyr signals a passing boat for help and she and Moses affirm a future together.

Cast

* Jai Courtney as Tucker
* Hassie Harrison as Zephyr
* Josh Heuston as Moses
* Ella Newton as Heather
* Liam Greinke as Greg
* Rob Carlton as Dave

Production

In May 2024, it was reported that Sean Byrne would direct the film from a screenplay by Nick Lepard, with Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney and Josh Heuston set to star. Film financing and sales company Mister Smith Entertainment presented the project during the 2024 Marché du Film. On 30 May 2024, it was reported that production had begun on the Gold Coast, Queensland, which contributed more than $10.7 million to the state's economy.

Release

''Dangerous Animals'' had its world premiere on 17 May 2025 at the Cannes Film Festival during the Directors' Fortnight section, becoming the first Australian feature film to screen at the program since Zak Hilditch's '' These Final Hours'' in 2014.

In February 2025, IFC Films and Shudder acquired U.S. distribution rights.

It was theatrically released in United States on June 6, 2025, followed by the Australian release on June 12, by Kismet Films.

Reception

Box office

, ''Dangerous Animals'' has grossed $2.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $2.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $5.2 million.

Critical response

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

Peter Debruge of ''Variety'' wrote that the film "is startlingly sleek and quite artful in its appearance." Brian Tallerico of '' RogerEbert.com'' gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "Sean Byrne's ''Dangerous Animals'' is sharp in all the right places. It's an efficient, clever genre mash-up that works because of how well Byrne blocks its action, employs an old-fashioned score, and directs his actors to visceral performances." '' Paste''s Jim Vorel wrote that the film was "better than 'serial killer shark movie' has any right to be".

Accolades

References

External links

*{{IMDb title

2025 horror thriller films
2020s American films
2020s Australian films
2020s English-language films
2020s serial killer films
2020s survival films
American horror thriller films
American serial killer films
American survival films
Australian horror thriller films
Australian serial killer films
Australian survival films
English-language horror thriller films
Films about sharks
Films directed by Sean Byrne (filmmaker)
Films scored by Michael Yezerski
Films set in Queensland
Films set on boats
Films shot on the Gold Coast, Queensland
IFC Films films
LD Entertainment films