Nothing about the title Dangerous Animals screams subtlety. It practically dares you to expect a bloodbath. But when Sean Byrne's latest horror film drops anchor at Rooftop Films on May 22 after a Cannes world premiere, what you'll get isn't just brutality—it's calculated chaos, sharpened by the bite of genre rebellion.
We've seen horror go feral before. From Wolf Creek to The Babadook, Australia's horror exports rarely hold back. Byrne's last major outing, The Devil's Candy, blended metalhead parenting with demonic possession—a combo as odd as it was unforgettable. Now, he's back with Dangerous Animals, where the premise—surfer vs. shark-worshipping serial killer—feels like it could veer into Sharknado absurdity. But that's the twist: Byrne doesn't deal in camp. He deals in control.
Jaws Meets Misery, But Make It Indie
Zephyr (played by Hassie Harrison) is no damsel. She's a rebel forced into a nightmarish game aboard a boat that floats like a coffin. Her captor? A man who treats sharks like gods. And this isn't just torture porn. It's psychological warfare at sea—think 10 Cloverfield Lane with chum in the water.
While the film's logline flirts with exploitation, early buzz from Cannes' Directors' Fortnight suggests something leaner and more cerebral. Byrne's strength has always been in weaponizing atmosphere. He knows how to make quiet moments scream. And if Dangerous Animals is anything like his past work, you won't need jump scares to feel like your skin's peeling off.
Why This Premiere Actually Matters
The fact that Dangerous Animals is getting its U.S. premiere at Rooftop Films—not Tribeca or Telluride—says something about the indie ecosystem in 2025. Rooftop isn't just a screening series anymore; it's a proving ground. An “If-you-know-you-know” badge for genre-bending work.
And it's not alone. Look at what happened with films like Relic (Sundance 2020) or Watcher (Sundance 2022). Low-budget horror is where directors earn their passports to bigger budgets—and Dangerous Animals is part of that same evolutionary chain. The venue (Culture Lab LIC), with its raw, industrial vibe, makes the experience visceral. Like watching Alien in a junkyard.
A Different Kind of Shark Story
Let's zoom out: Hollywood's relationship with shark movies has gone stale. Between 47 Meters Down, The Meg, and an endless parade of toothy mediocrity, fear has turned to formula. But Byrne might be gutting that formula from the inside.
If early descriptions hold, Dangerous Animals isn't about the shark—it's about belief. Ritual. The need for control in a world that chews people up. This isn't The Shallows. It's Taxi Driver on a trawler. And with Jai Courtney shedding his action-star skin, and rising names like Josh Heuston adding heat, it might just be the most unexpected horror breakout of the year.
Would You Risk the Water?
The Rooftop Films Summer Series has a knack for launching dark horses. If Dangerous Animals lives up to the quiet hype, it could follow in the blood trails of Hereditary and The Witch—slow burns that ignited firestorms.
But you'll have to decide for yourself. Are you ready to RSVP to a ritual?
