Dangerous Animals (2025) Vindicates Sharks Compared to More Commonplace Evil
Title: Name
First Non-Festival Release: June 5, 2025 (Theatrical Release)
Director: Sean Byrne
Writer: Nick Lepard
Runtime: 98 Minutes
Starring: Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney, Josh Heuston
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
It’s often in horror movies for the real monsters to arrive in human form, reminding viewers of the dangers of our own kind. What could be a better vehicle to drive that point home than by using sharks, a misunderstood but powerfully deadly creature, as a threat only in proxy to a dangerous man?
Always on the move, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is a free spirit with a traumatic past. Her nomadic lifestyle leads her to Australia, where she lives out of her van to better fuel her lust for surfing. Following a passionate one-night stand with the dreamy Moses (Josh Heuston), she makes her way back to the beach making an unfortunate run in with Bruce (Jai Courtney), a tour guide who specializes in shark cage diving for tourists. Kidnapped, imprisoned on the boat, and taken further out to sea, Zephyr’s survival depends on how much will she has to outmaneuver a seasoned serial killer.
Deliciously campy and tense, Dangerous Animals gives light to a struggling sub-genre.
With a plot summary like this, it’s easy to disregard Dangerous Animals as a silly B-movie, but what lurks beneath the made-for-Syfy plot is a well-crafted, intimate serial killer horror film. Deliberate pacing and fascinating characters are at the forefront here, rather than direct to DVD thrills. Every moment feels meaningful and there are very few opportunities to scoff at Zephyr’s choices, which helps anchor the charming Aussie horror with some sense of realism.
Zephyr is an excellent final girl that imbues enough charm and grit to make her face-off with a serial killer feel genuine. Subverting empty cliches and cynical writing, Zephyr is neither superhuman nor helpless victim. Resourceful and resilient, her actions are as heroic as her words are biting. She keeps Bruce on his feet and Hassie Harrison’s performance grounds her. Harrison’s steely approach allows for just enough vulnerability to crack through the surface. Zephyr’s plight acts as a therapeutic release of years of angst built from abandonment and hyper-independence. All these conflicting and complementary elements combine to make Zephyr as compelling as she is fierce.
While Harrison does great work, it’s Jai Courtney’s devilishly unhinged Bruce that makes Dangerous Animals flourish. Bruce’s charisma allows him to manipulate situations to his benefit, exposing himself as a predator right after it’s too late. Courtney balances the zaniness of this character while keeping the more terrifying traits hidden just beneath the surface. Methodical, manipulative, and quick-thinking, Bruce is a force to be feared. The well-timed jokes and disarming smile only add more tension as they diffuse his more lethal tendencies to the unsuspecting or trusting. Courtney deftly navigates these oftentimes competing traits to elevate Bruce to true villain status.
There is plenty of meat behind the characters despite how few appear onscreen. The battle isn’t just against predator versus prey but against different attitudes towards women. Bruce clearly has his opinions on women and makes no effort to hide them. Projecting his bitter misogyny out on innocent women, his self-written mythology falls apart thanks to Zephyr. Crafting a vision that he is this Alpha male hunter that culls the weak from the heard, his own warped views blind him from seeing how fearsome of an adversary Zephyr is to him. Zephyr’s survival instinct ignites a fire inside Bruce, noting that it will be even more fun for him to break her. In the era of Jeffrey Epstein and Andrew Tate, Dangerous Animals may not be a reckoning but it’s a vicious and satisfying denouncement of that brand of women hatred.
Perhaps the only frustration in Dangerous Animals lies in how little shark action gets incorporated into the film. Since the action centers on Bruce and Zephyr’s battle of wills, the actual shark carnage is kept to a minimum. As much as it works for the film, it still feels like the hook isn’t utilized to its fullest potential. Thankfully, it’s not enough to derail the film from achieving its unique vision.
While it’s impossible to top the excellence of Jaws, Dangerous Animals makes a case for the best shark horror of the 2020s. The competition is admittedly barren but that doesn’t preclude a celebration. Harrison and Courtney’s bold performances ground its thrills while its energetic approach to evil man horror ensures that its thesis is never forgotten. With a new disappointing shark movie landing on a streaming platform every other week, Dangerous Animals proves there’s still bite left in the sub-genre.
Overall Score? 7/10
