Indie stunner Sean Byrne returns to theatres this week with his newest nightmare Dangerous Animals, where sharks aren’t the only apex predators hunting prey off the Australian coastline. Written by Nick Leperd (who also penned Osgood Perkins’ forthcoming Keeper) this slick ‘n’ sinister thriller stars Jai Courtney (Suicide Squad) as a hulking serial killer named Tucker with a serious shark obsession. Tucker is 300 lbs of mean-spirited muscle, a shark of the city streets (har har) whose personal philosophy of life and death is viewed through the razor-sharp teeth of the world’s most ruthless killing machine, and his watery weapon of choice.
Dangerous Animals also stars Hassie Harrison (Yellowstone) as Zephyr, a self-sufficient and headstrong American surfer bumming around the beaches in her camper van, living the surfer dream. But when she wakes up chained to a bed in the bowels of Tucker’s boat, the nightmare begins, and she is forced to fight tooth and nail to stop from being fed to Tucker’s sharks. It’s no big deal though. Zephyr has been fighting the entire world since she entered to foster care system and Harrison brings that solitary struggle to life in every nuance of her performance, from how she spits in the face of Tucker’s insane ramblings to how she interacts with his other victims, and even ghosts a date. She is resourceful, intelligent, and the most dangerous of prey for a predator that has tricked itself into thinking it has no equal.
It’s hard to break new ground (tread new water?) with a Shark movie but, dagnabbit, Sean Byrne and Nick Leperd found a way. Leperd has written a brilliant story with strong characters, and thankfully that attention to character quirks and subtle, personalized details is a huge strength of Byrne’s. He has a flair for the unexpected which was on full display in his audacious debut The Loved Ones (2009), and his haunting heavy metal follow-up The Devil’s Candy (2015) gave us a deeper look at his abilities as a purely visual storyteller. Byrne is one of the most talented filmmakers working today and Dangerous Animals brings together his abilities in a tense, unsettling exploration of The Hunter and The Hunted…with sharks!
The personality and the punch of Dangerous Animals is no doubt thanks to Byrne & Leperd, but Jai Courtney is hands down the highlight of the film. Tucker is charismatic and funny but unrelentingly brutal. He’s a rough-n-tumble Ozzie charmer, but always a split-second away from dropping the smile and putting a knife to your throat. Courtney breathes that raw, undiluted evil like smoke, but it isn’t in just his loudest moments that the character gets under your skin.
Courtney manages to broadcast as much Stranger Danger in dialog free moments (like when he spies a new victim or revels in his own frenzy like some mad God) as he does when he monologues manically about the spiritual ecstasy of shark attacks. Like so many serial killers, he’s incredibly warm and inviting but before you know it, you’re being lowered slowly into the jaws of a hungry shark as he gleefully tapes your death on a VHS camcorder.
By taking a hidden back door into the world of shark movies Dangerous Animals is able to give audiences something new without getting bogged down by overworked tropes. It does follow some of the expected beats of a serial killer vs. captive thriller but not since René Cardona Jr.’s grindhouse cult trip Night of 1000 Cats has a serial killer used such a deranged method of murder!
Sean Byrne continues to have a keen eye for atmospheric character work that envelops you in his villains’ world, which doesn’t exist without a brilliant cast and the work of cinematographer Shelley Farthing-Daw (Outlaws) to capture it all. With these characters Dangerous Animals would still be a “shark movie” even if it were set in the Australian outback but rest assured that some of the most savage shark action in recent years is waiting for you in this serial killer at sea survival story.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the movies, Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals, an Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) & Shudder release, hits theatres June 6! Let us know what you thought of this new shark attack chiller over in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord. Social Media is a cesspool. Come hang out with the cool creeps.
Where to Watch Dangerous Animals
Hot at the Shop:
