Dangerous Animals is the serial killer/shark mash-up you might not know you needed, but you’ll be thrilled you watched it.
When you hear the words shark and serial killer, it is unlikely you would ever imagine a movie in which a serial killer claims his victims by feeding them to sharks. That is exactly what Dangerous Animals is, and yes, it delivers on all fronts and is just as ridiculous and fun as you would imagine. This is the mash-up that I did not know I needed, and I am so thankful that Nick Lepard thought up this insane combination.
A premise like this could go either way, but it went the way that will have horror fans everywhere cringing, laughing, and cheering throughout the entire thing. Dangerous Animals breezes by in a cool ninety minutes, offering up a ton of fun through shark-infested waters and a dirty, grimy cell room in which the killer stores his victims.
Hassie Harrison (Zephyr) and Josh Heuston (Moses) have great chemistry on screen. So much so that it becomes easy to think he would be so captivated by her that even after just one night together, he would risk it all to be her knight in shining armor. Thanks to some great writing, the film kicks off with quite a bit of humor, and it doesn’t take long for viewers to fall in love with these two characters – ultimately rooting for them to make it out alive.
It wouldn’t be a shark serial killer movie without a lot of sharks, so thankfully, Dangerous Animals delivers on that front too. While I do not have an irrational fear of sharks like I do clowns, I am certainly not a fan of them (and this movie did not help). That said, it is easy to see that they really are beautiful creatures. There are a lot of great shots of them, in action and just swimming around majestically, that allow audiences to see they are dangerous, but gorgeous as well.
All of that said, my favorite part about this movie is Jai Courtney. He plays the serial killer, and boy, oh, boy, is he clearly having the time of his life filming. He leaves it all on the table, taking each and every scene he is in to the next level. Not only is he terrifying, but he plays unhinged extremely well. This is what made me genuinely scared of him. You honestly have no idea what he is going to do next.
Watching this movie in a theatrical setting is some of the most fun that I have had so far this year. Dangerous Animals goes hard. It knows when to be over-the-top and ridiculous, but it also knows when it needs to be grounded. This unique concept has me kind of hopping for a sequel.
Harrison is fantastic in the film as well. She oozes girl power, and I love how she refuses to go down without a fight – something the killer admires in her as well. She is an absolute beast, a powerhouse, and I wish I were as cool as her.
While I don’t have any real complaints about this movie because I got exactly what I wanted out of it (and more), there is one small thing at the end that I felt to be unnecessary. It’s just one meh decision among a whole lot of great ones, so I felt no need to deduct any points, and it did not take away from my viewing experience at all. Just made me think, “huh. That was a choice.”
If you like to have fun, then I highly recommend you check out Dangerous Animals in theaters.
Trapped on a killer’s boat with hungry sharks circling below, a surfer must outwit a predator more dangerous than the ocean itself—will she escape, or become the next offering to the deep? Sean Byrne returns with his third visceral feature, Dangerous Animals, exclusively in theaters June 6, 2025.
