The first official trailer has arrived for Dangerous Animals, a news survival horror-thriller from Australian filmmaker Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones, The Devil’s Candy). The film stars Jai Courtney as a sadistic killer with a ritualistic obsession for feeding people to sharks. Take a look above.
Set to premiere at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, the film marks Byrne’s long-awaited return after nearly a decade — and it looks like he hasn’t lost his dark edge. The trailer introduces Zephyr (played by Yellowstone’s Hassie Harrison), a rebellious surfer whose world takes a nightmarish turn when she’s captured by Tucker, played by an all-in Courtney.
Dangerous Animals taps into primal fears of open water, isolation, and unhinged, terrifying humans. “You’re a fighter. I love fighters,” Tucker tells Zephyr in the trailer. “Makes for a better show.”
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The film uses real shark footage throughout, showcasing makos, tiger sharks, bull sharks, and gray nurses. “Anytime you go underwater, it’s a real shark,” Byrne told Bloody Disgusting. “We’re blending that with the real footage and making sure that the water matches in the grade. The only CG is the fins.” He also pointed out the sharks’ scars and imperfections, saying he wanted them to feel authentic — a nod to how nature really looks, rather than the polished predators of most genre films.
Importantly, Byrne says the film isn’t another Jaws-style portrayal of sharks as mindless killers. “Man is the true monster,” he noted, explaining that the sharks only appear when Tucker chums the water — a detail based on real-world practices tied to shark tourism.
Courtney’s performance as the unhinged but disarmingly charismatic Tucker looks set to be one of his most intense to date. Byrne said he wanted the character to have “that Kathy Bates in Misery kind of energy,” balancing charm and menace with something more tragic underneath. “In a way,” he said, “he does see himself as the shark.”
The cast also includes Josh Heuston, Ella Newton, and James Munn, with a script by Nick Lepard. The film features music by Michael Yezerski (Mr Inbetween, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities) and cinematography by Shelley Farthing-Dawe (Boy Swallows Universe).
Dangerous Animals hits US cinemas June 6 and lands in Australian cinemas June 12.
