At long last, after years of chum, we finally get a great shark movie for the ages. Director Sean Byrne, whose previous two films The Loved Ones and The Devil’s Candy were horror with bite, carries over that trademark ferocity to the ocean. In Dangerous Animals, a demented serial killer snatches people who will not be missed, then records as he feeds them to hungry aquatic dwellers. Jai Courtney plays this twisted maniac with a gleeful mania, toying with his victims and relishing in their torment. This entry in the killer shark canon presents a relentless energy that makes it stand out from the pack. Rather than relishing the misery, Canadian screenwriter Nick Lepard provides us with a compelling window into survival horror thanks to Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), a totally badass final girl. Visually mesmerizing and surprisingly brutal, Dangerous Animals brings gritty Aussie flair to shark-infested waters.
When thrill-seekers Heather (Ella Newton) and her not-quite-boyfriend join eccentric marine guide Tucker (Courtney) for a “shark experience,” they certainly get more than they bargained for by the time the title sequence flashes onto the screen. At first, Tucker charms the duo, urging them to sing along to “Baby Shark” to help calm their nerves. A cage dive into infested waters shows off the first part of their “experience,” but certainly not their last. Heather ends up a prisoner to this maniac, seemingly trapped on a floating slaughterhouse. Her diving partner, on the other hand, was not so lucky.
Enter: Zephyr, a tough surfer with a tragic past, untethered to her surroundings. She lives out of a van and pushes away most connections. When we meet her, she begrudgingly helps a cute real estate agent/surfer named Moses (Josh Heuston) jump his car. They spark an instant connection—Moses seems sweet, and promises that he’s not a serial killer. Even after they hook up in Zephyr’s van, she quickly bounces before Moses can bring her breakfast in bed. Before the two can hatch a second date, Tucker snatches Zephyr from the docks, and ghosts her away back to his massive fishing trawler. Trapped with only Heather to keep her company, the resourceful Zephyr will stop at nothing to escape Tucker’s evil clutches. Will she and Heather end up nothing more than shark bait?
The connection between Moses and Zephyr makes up the backbone of this very violent movie. Even amidst the body parts and bone-cracking dramatics, this romance bubbles to the surface even though we don’t get to see much of it unfold onscreen. This speaks to the chemistry between Heuston and Harrison, who are electric together. What could have felt like a simple throwaway thread gets developed fully into a satisfying, albeit unconventional, love story. Their connection actually feels earned. Moses notices Zephyr’s absence, then takes it upon himself to fight for her. Though Moses may start as mere eye candy—rippling abs and curly-haired locks tend to have that effect—he evolves into a genuinely moving love interest.
On the flip side, Hassie Harrison makes her Zephyr evolve well past the textbook definition of final girl. She battles every second onscreen. She never feels merely reactive, either. Lepard writes her as a complex character, and Harrison’s performance has open conversation with these intricacies. Forced to battle past traumas and a psychopathic shark fetishist, Zephyr is quite the firecracker. Zephyr channels her sarcasm through her bold actions, putting her survival first and refusing to bow down to her horrible kidnapper.
Speaking of the man of the hour, Courtney gives one of his best turns yet as the unhinged psychopath behind it all. Tucker is completely deranged from the very beginning. Courtney plays these extremes without bias, adding further layers to his twisted character. Though we get a window into his backstory and bear witness to his process firsthand, Tucker never becomes relatable because he is just so damn horrifying. He has charisma only on the surface, and breaking that surface leads to disturbing truths. Courtney goes to places we never expect, including one where he dances in only a robe and his underwear to Stevie Wright’s “Evie.” The song ties directly into the killer’s penchant for collecting a lock of hair from his victims.
Sean Byrne’s style bleeds into every frame, from the early slick surfing showcases to the masterful underwater sequences with real sharks. The actual animals are filmed utilizing real footage, with CGI fins above the water being an exception. We get to see a variety of them, too, with makos, bull sharks, tiger sharks, and gray nurse sharks all utilized onscreen. There is plenty of shark carnage, but the sharks themselves don’t feel quite as dangerous as Tucker. A beautiful scene where a character squares off against a shark showcases the little imperfections of the animal—these creatures are definitely misunderstood, as their sadistic master says more than a few times. A masterfully directed film that chronicles the darker side of tourism, Dangerous Animals is deliciously memorable, and definitely the best shark movie in years.
Beware of Dangerous Animals in any form they may take, swimming to theaters on Friday, June 6th.
