‘Dangerous Animals’ – Review
If you’re seeking horror that bites, then Dangerous Animals is the blood-soaked, surf-slashed adrenaline ride you’ve been craving. Cult-horror maestro Sean Byrne returns to the director’s chair after nearly a decade, and with Dangerous Animals, he unleashes a snarling beast of a film: a savage, sun-scorched survival horror that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. This is brutal, bogan-soaked terror set against the picture-perfect backdrop of the Gold Coast, and trust us — by the end of it, you’ll never look at the ocean the same way again.
When rebellious surfer Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must outwit her captor (Jai Courtney) before she becomes the next offering to the predators circling below.
Byrne, the twisted genius behind cult classics The Loved Ones and The Devil’s Candy, has a serious flair for late-night horror, and Dangerous Animals is grindhouse gold. Lean, mean, and utterly unrelenting, the film traps viewers in a claustrophobic game of cat and mouse as free-spirited American surfer Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is hunted down by a sadistic killer with a razor-sharp obsession. That killer? The feral, ferocious Tucker; played with terrifying intensity by Jai Courtney, who turns in the best performance of his career. Imagine Hunter S. Thompson by way of Wolf Creek – equal parts mad pirate, Gold Coast bogan, and apex predator.
The premise is pure survival horror bliss: Zephyr washes up in paradise only to discover it’s anything but. What begins as a dreamy surf escape quickly curdles into a nightmare as she’s targeted by the unhinged Tucker, a shark-fixated maniac who sees himself as the ocean’s ultimate predator. Courtney’s Tucker is terrifying, hulking, unpredictable, and disturbingly charismatic. He delivers blood-spattered monologues with manic glee, rants about sharks and primal dominance, and switches from charming to deranged in a heartbeat. There’s a grim comedy to him too; a true blue Aussie lunatic with a penchant for chaos and carnage.
What sets Dangerous Animals apart from your standard slasher is Byrne’s signature aesthetic: grungy, stylish, and soaked in sunlight and sin. The Gold Coast becomes its own character, a postcard-perfect paradise rotting from the inside out. Byrne masterfully peels back the layers of this beachy veneer to expose a festering underbelly of madness. There’s a Deliverance-by-the-sea vibe here, a primal survivalism that brings a gnarly authenticity to the film. When the violence erupts, and it does, often and viciously, it’s raw and unflinching, earning the film’s HARD-R rating with brutal flair.
Hassie Harrison is a revelation as Zephyr. Don’t let her sun-kissed surfer girl aesthetic fool you, she’s got grit, smarts, and survival instincts that shine as the tension escalates. Her battle with Tucker is a white-knuckle war of attrition, and the way Byrne twists expectations at every turn keeps you guessing until the very end. Just when you think Zephyr has the upper hand, the film yanks the rug out from under you with another gut-punch shock.
Clocking in at a tight 98 minutes, Dangerous Animals never lets up. The pacing is ruthless, the kills are creatively gruesome, and the film’s third act is a full-blown frenzy of terror, sweat, and salt water. This is horror that goes for the jugular—ferocious, sun-drenched, and soaked in blood.
After making a ferocious splash at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Dangerous Animals has solidified its place as the horror breakout of 2025. It’s clever, nasty, and soaked in Australian grindhouse charm. If you’re after a film that’s as fun as it is frightening, then this is the midnight-movie masterpiece you’ve been waiting for. Just remember: in Dangerous Animals, you’re never safe – not even in paradise. And sometimes… you’re safer in the water.
Image: Kismet Movies
