My quick rating –Â 6.8/10. Dangerous Animals sinks its teeth into a wild genre mash-up that pits surf culture against serial killer psychosis, and somehow it works better than it should. With a title that sounds like a Discovery Channel special I caught during shark week, this lean and tense 98-minute thriller gives us a sun-soaked nightmare that feels like Wolf Creek met Jaws at a pub and decided to co-parent chaos on the high seas.
Hassie Harrison stars as Zephyr, a confident, free-spirited surfer who, unfortunately, catches the eye of Tucker, a shark-obsessed lunatic played with menacing glee by Jai Courtney. It doesn’t take long before Zephyr finds herself shackled on his boat, floating somewhere between the stunning Gold Coast and hell. Tucker isn’t just your run-of-the-mill psycho—he’s filming a twisted “shark show” for his personal viewing pleasure, and the sharks circling below aren’t just window dressing. They’re props in his sick ritual, triggered by a feeding frenzy of flesh and fear.
Courtney is, without a doubt, the standout here. He sheds the more straight-laced roles from his past and fully leans into the madness. His portrayal of Tucker is chilling and unpredictable yet calm. He’s not killing for revenge, trauma, or even twisted justice—he’s doing it because it amuses him. That lack of logic makes him even scarier, and Courtney nails it with a performance that’s as captivating as it is disturbing.
Zephyr, thankfully, isn’t a total damsel. While she does get her fair share of victimhood, her resourcefulness kicks in just when it counts, and she pulls off one of the most creative and grotesque handcuff escapes I’ve seen in a while. Josh Heuston plays Moses, the guy who had a lucky night early on and now plays knight errant in board shorts, trying to locate his missing flame. While his character doesn’t break any new ground, he serves the purpose of injecting some urgency from the outside world.
Visually, Dangerous Animals is a treat. The cinematography above and below the surface is sharp and cinematic, capturing both the natural beauty of Queensland and the lurking dread beneath. The shark footage, which appears to be largely real, adds authenticity without resorting to overblown CGI carnage. The attack scenes are restrained, focusing more on impact and dread than gory spectacle, which fits the film’s tone surprisingly well.
Nick Lepard’s script deserves a shoutout for turning what could’ve been a laughable premise into something surprisingly tense. The pacing is tight, with a consistent sense of claustrophobia and unease, broken only by a few eye-roll moments—yes, someone absolutely fumbles their chance to end things early, as per horror tradition.
All in all, Dangerous Animals doesn’t reinvent the shark thriller or the psycho captor genre, but it blends them into a gnarly cocktail that goes down smoother than I expected. It’s got sharp performances, especially from a scene-stealing Courtney, and enough creativity to leave a bite mark of its own. Just maybe don’t book that Gold Coast surf trip right after watching.
I’m sure the theater pricing will be dropping soon, but Amazon and the other JustWatch links are still $20.