“Tell me that ain’t the greatest show on Earth.” That’s the tagline for Dangerous Animals, Sean Byrne’s long-awaited return to horror—and after watching the trailer, you’ll either be thrilled or nauseated. Maybe both.
IFC Films just unleashed the full trailer for Dangerous Animals, and it’s exactly the kind of deranged, high-stakes survival horror you’d expect from the director of The Loved Ones. Hassie Harrison plays Zephyr, a surfer abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer (Jai Courtney, oozing menace) who’s either training sharks… or feeding them women. The premise? Jaws meets The Silence of the Lambs, but with way more rust and blood.
Byrne hasn’t made a feature since The Devil’s Candy (2015), and this trailer proves he hasn’t lost his edge—pun intended. The tension is claustrophobic, the sharks are relentless, and Courtney’s performance is chilling. But here’s the real question: Is this just shock value, or is there something deeper lurking beneath the surface?
- Symbolism or Exploitation? The trailer hints at ritualistic killings—are the sharks symbolic of primal fear, or just an excuse for gore?
- Byrne’s Signature Style: His past films (The Loved Ones, The Devil’s Candy) balanced horror with emotional weight. Will Dangerous Animals do the same, or is it pure survival terror?
This isn’t the first time sharks and serial killers have shared the screen (Deep Blue Sea meets Crawl), but Byrne’s approach feels different. Unlike The Shallows (2016), which was a straightforward survival flick, Dangerous Animals leans into psychological horror—making the human villain scarier than the predators below.
“Is he training these sharks? Or just feeding girls to them?” The trailer doesn’t answer, and that’s what makes it intriguing. Byrne’s films often blur the line between monster and man—will this be his most disturbing work yet?
If you love horror that sticks with you, Dangerous Animals might be your summer nightmare fuel. But if you’re squeamish… maybe stick to Finding Nemo.
Would you watch it—or is this too much? Drop your thoughts below.
