News

A Shark-Obsessed Psychopath That Tortures His Victims Physically And Mentally Believe it or not, Sean Byrne’s ‘Dangerous Animals’ is the second film set in Australia to be released in the last two months that follows an American in the foreign land, with the Nicolas Cage led ‘The Surfer’ being the other. Both films follow their lead characters who find themselves to be in danger from a local that absolutely despises tourism, and if they were made just to keep Americans like myself out of their proud country, then it is absolutely working. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to The Hollywood Insider Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment,...

Stars: Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney, Josh Heuston, Rob Carlton, Ella Newton, Liam Greinke | Written by Nick Lepard | Directed by Sean Byrne

Acclaimed Australian director Sean Byrne returns with Dangerous Animals, an inspired mash-up of two beloved horror genres, serial killer thrillers and sharksploitation. Delivering handsomely – and nastily – in both elements, it’s one of the most enjoyable genre movies of the year.

Set in present-day Surfers Paradise on Queensland’s Gold Coast, the film introduces its killer immediately, as burly fisherman Tucker (a scarily massive Jai Courtney) cheerfully stabs one of two tourists he has just taken on a Swimming-With-Sharks tour, before pushing him overboard.

Dangerous Animals then joins the film’s heroine, free-spirited American Zephyr, who has escaped a miserable childhood of foster homes in favour of pursuing Australia’s big waves. After a hook-up with nice-guy estate agent Moses (Josh Heuston), Zephyr is abducted by Tucker and wakes...

“I Beat Jaws,” reads a headline that a serial killer named Tucker (Jai Courtney) has framed in his boat to commemorate his unexpected survival against a shark. This reference early in Dangerous Animals, directed by Sean Byrne and written by Nick Lepard, serves to reinforce just how large the legend of Jaws looms a half-century after its initial release. It’s not the wisest decision for any film to invoke a classic like Jaws, especially one that can’t begin to hold a candle to Steven Spielberg’s mastery of suspense and spectacle.

Dangerous Animals, an unsuccessful fusion of creature feature and slasher, hits choppy waters early as it sets up its dual story. In a cold open before the title card drop, unassuming couple Heather (Ella Newton) and Greg (Liam Greinke) board Tucker’s bright orange vessel in order to cage dive with sharks. The beasts they fear are underwater,...

The Reacher-powered War Machine hype just got another massive boost. While promoting his new thriller Dangerous Animals, Jai Courtney spoke with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, who couldn’t resist asking about War Machine, the upcoming sci-fi action epic from director Patrick Hughes and star Alan Ritchson. The film, currently in post-production, is already being touted by Ritchson as Netflix’s “biggest movie ever,” and according to Courtney, the buzz is very real. He told Collider: “I think that film is going to blow people away. It’s big. It’s a high concept. Alan [Ritchson]’s an absolute savage.”

That’s high praise, especially considering the project’s scale. War Machine follows the final class of an elite special forces boot camp who are forced into a deadly confrontation with a mysterious, possibly extraterrestrial threat. The cast includes Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, Esai Morales, and Keiynan Lonsdale, among others, with Courtney playing one of the recruits.

Shudder remains one of the biggest names when it comes to horror. The first Shudder original feature film arrived in 2018 with the release of Revenge. Since then, the service has released a steady stream of horror and thriller content, including the Creepshow horror anthology. Other Shudder feature films that have made a splash include Mad God (2022), Speak No Evil (2022), When Evil Lurks (2023), In A Violent Nature (2024), Oddity (2024), and The Ugly Stepsister (2025). Now, the company has partnered with IFC Films on the domestic distribution of a shark thriller.

Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) is largely responsible for popularizing the shark movie, and the genre has ebbed and flowed in popularity ever since. Recent notable shark movies include The Shallows (2016), The Meg (2018), Meg 2: The Trench (2023), and Under Paris (2024), and all of these were successful with audiences, proving the genre remains a draw. Shudder's new shark movie, however, is set to put...

The 2025 Cannes Film Festival has wrapped following days of star-studded premieres, red carpets and dealmaking on the French Riviera.

This year’s lineup included major Hollywood premieres including Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme starring Benicio del Toro and Michael Cera, Richard Linklater’s Paris-shot Breathless homage Nouvelle Vague, Jochim Trier’s Sentimental Value and Titane Palme d’Or winner Julia Ducournau’s Alpha to name a few.

They were joined by new films from stalwart auteurs including horrormeister Ari Aster’s buzzy A24 feature Eddington, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident and Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind. Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson debuted in Un Certain Regard with her first directorial effort, Eleanor the Great.

Related: Standing Ovations At Cannes: How We Clock Those Claps, Which Movie Holds The Record and Why The Industry Loves To Hate The Ritual

Croisette regulars Kirill Serebrennikov, Raoul Peck and...

After a decade of making short films, Sean Byrne made his feature directorial debut with the captivating and disturbing 2009 horror film The Loved Ones. We had to wait several years for his second movie, but it was worth the wait: The Devil’s Candy, which had its festival premiere in 2015 but didn’t get a wide release until 2017, was another great horror film. Now, Byrne has finally made his third feature, a shark thriller called Dangerous Animals, and IFC Films is gearing up to give it a theatrical release on June 6th. During an interview with SFX magazine, Byrne said he aimed to bring back classic edge-of-your-seat- suspense with this film, which he described as “Wolf Creek on water.”

After the theatrical run, Dangerous Animals will be making its way over to the Shudder streaming service.

Byrne wrote both The Loved Ones and The Devil’s Candy, but for Dangerous Animals he...

In Dangerous Animals, you’re safer in the water.

The Australian serial killer/shark horror hybrid opens in theaters June 6 from IFC and Shudder. Tickets go on sale this Wednesday, May 21.

Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones) directs from a script by Nick Lepard (Keeper).

Hassie Harrison (“Yellowstone”), Josh Heuston (“Dune: Prophecy”), and Jai Courtney (Terminator Genisys) star with Rob Carlton (“The White Lotus”), Ella Newton (“Harrow”), and Liam Greinke (“Deadloch”).

When Zephyr (Harrison), a rebellious surfer, is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer (Courtney) and held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.

The film premiered as part of the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival over the weekend, receiving a 10-minute standing ovation.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her 4.5-skull review, “Byrne manages to walk right up to the line of nihilism without ever...

Take Jaws, throw in a bit of Saw, add some Room and The Silence of the Lambs, a little Point Break, plus a touch of Gidget, and voila! You have the recipe for Dangerous Animals, a deviously demented combination of shark and serial killer genre movies that had its world premiere tonight in Cannes as part of this year’s Directors’ Fortnight lineup.

Actually this Australian-made thriller is not the kind of fare you expect to see in a more arty Cannes Competition, but here it sits before hitting the theatrical waves in theaters June 6 through IFC and Shudder. It just goes to show festivals can dig exploitation movies too.

This one from director Sean Byrne (Devil’s Candy) and writer Nick Lepard is tailor-made for summer moviegoing. Dangerous Animals centers on Zephyr (Yellowstone’s Hassie Harrison), an emotionally distant surfer girl who would be content to cuddle up on...

Wanna find something fun to do while on vacation? Take an adventurous swim with sharks courtesy of Tucker’s Shark Experience! An “in-world” website has been released for the tourist attraction of Jai Courtney‘s character in Dangerous Animals. While the trailer is played fairly straight, Courtney looks to be chewing more scenery than the sharks, and the website is just as tongue-in-cheek, with the review section showcasing concerned customers.

Take a gander at the fun Here.

Sean Byrne has finally made his third feature with this film, and IFC Films is gearing up to give it a theatrical release on June 6. After the theatrical run, Dangerous Animals will be making its way over to the Shudder streaming service.

Byrne wrote both The Loved Ones and The Devil’s Candy, but for Dangerous Animals he was working from a script by Nick Lepard. Here’s the synopsis: When Zephyr, a rebellious surfer,...

After a decade of making short films, Sean Byrne made his feature directorial debut with the captivating and disturbing 2009 horror film The Loved Ones. We had to wait several years for his second movie, but it was worth the wait: The Devil’s Candy, which had its festival premiere in 2015 but didn’t get a wide release until 2017, was another great horror film. Now, Byrne has finally made his third feature, a shark thriller called Dangerous Animals, and IFC Films is gearing up to give it a theatrical release on June 6th. With that date drawing near (and 2 months after we saw a teaser trailer), a full trailer has arrived online and can be seen in the embed above.

After the theatrical run, Dangerous Animals will be making its way over to the Shudder streaming service.

Byrne wrote both The Loved Ones and The Devil’s Candy, but for Dangerous Animals he...

After a decade of making short films, Sean Byrne made his feature directorial debut with the captivating and disturbing 2009 horror film The Loved Ones. We had to wait several years for his second movie, but it was worth the wait: The Devil’s Candy, which had its festival premiere in 2015 but didn’t get a wide release until 2017, was another great horror film. Now, Byrne has finally made his third feature, a shark thriller called Dangerous Animals, and IFC Films is gearing up to give it a theatrical release on June 6th. With that date drawing near, a teaser trailer has arrived online and can be seen in the embed above.

After the theatrical run, Dangerous Animals will be making its way over to the Shudder streaming service.

Byrne wrote both The Loved Ones and The Devil’s Candy, but for Dangerous Animals he was working from a script by Nick Lepard.