'Dangerous Animals' Review: Serial Killer Meets Shark
- Seb Jenkins
- Jun 5
- 3 min read
By Seb Jenkins - June 5, 2025
Jai Courtney stars as a shark-obsessed serial killer in one of the surprise survival horror flicks of 2025.
We’re taught from a young age never to get into a stranger’s car - but what happens when a stranger hits you over the head and sails you out into the middle of the ocean to serve as a surprise shark supper? That’s what poor Zephyr is about to find out in Dangerous Animals – a horror that attempts to combine all the fin-credible drama of Jaws with the survival slasher suspense of Hush, while reaching a thoroughly entertaining happy medium. Sean Byrne toes the line between gore and comedy while throwing some much-loved cringey cliches into the shark cage for good measure. All of that makes for one of the surprise horror successes of 2025.
What is 'Dangerous Animals' About?
When emotionally unavailable Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) sets off to the east coast of Australia in her camper, the last thing she expects to stumble across is a shock love interest. Well, maybe the second-to-last thing. While preparing to carve those gnarly daybreak waves – or whatever surfers say – Zephyr falls victim to the most charismatic shark serial killer this side of the Mississippi. Tucker (Jai Courtney), who runs a shark experience tour for unsuspecting travellers, is just looking for a chum. Sorry, no. He’s looking for chum. What better way to invite a gaggle of sharks to feast on a midnight human kebab? By the time Zephyr comes to, she’s already handcuffed to a bed in the middle of the ocean with no hope of escape… unless she can become as cold-blooded and cutthroat as the creatures that surround her.
Cinema is not without its history of shark-based horrors. Jaws remains one of the most beloved franchises of all time, as long as you ignore the fourth instalment (sorry, Michael Caine). Open Water left a generation of swimmers afraid of the ocean. The Shallows gave the genre a new lease of life, beyond the usual tropes. Also, Sharknado. Despite being the latest in a long line of sharky escapades, Dangerous Animals definitely earns itself an invite to the party. It might even have the smell of a future cult classic – or maybe that’s just the chum. Everything about the premise screams 4% on Rotten Tomatoes. I mean, come on. A serial killer who uses sharks to kill his victims. Yet, Sean Byrne splatters blood and laughs in perfect measure to create a movie you can both celebrate and mock.
Jai Courtney Shines in a Killer Role
Hassie Harrison and Josh Heuston deliver solid performances as would-be romantics, Zephyr and Moses, but we have to take our Aussie slouch hats off to Jai Courtney. You may know him from Divergent, Unbroken, or A Good Day to Die Hard, but Courtney delivers one of his standout career performances this summer. Tucker is not only effortlessly evil and charismatic in equal measure, but he also sets both the comedic and suspenseful tones of the entire film. From the first laugh to the final scream, he carries the heart of the film on his back, spilling blood with every pump. And much like Courtney’s Suicide Squad character, Captain Boomerang, Tucker keeps coming back for more.
It would be wrong to pretend that Dangerous Animals is anything close to an all-time horror classic, but it meets its own brief with unbridled fun. Byrne and Co could have pushed the boat out (pardon the pun) even further when it came to the shark attacks themselves, but
maybe the fish were being divas on set. That being said, everything about this film surpassed my expectations on all accounts. If you’re looking for 90 minutes of outlandish horror entertainment this week, then look no further than Dangerous Animals.
'Dangerous Animals' releases in cinemas June 6
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