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Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 10 best shark movies to bite into this summer
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Shark movies are ten-a-penny these days, but there are few fishy flicks that truly do the monster of the ocean justice. With that in mind, it can be difficult to find a hard-hitting shark movie in a sea of sillier finny films. But that's where we come in, with our ranking of the best shark movies to bite into this summer. And what better time to dive into this list than on the 50th anniversary of one of the best shark movies ever, Jaws. Below, we have ranked the 10 best shark movies, from pics inspired by real-life shark attack stories such as Open Water, to movies that use real footage of sharks in all their glory, like The Reef and this year's brand new entry, Dangerous Animals. But be warned, if you're looking for more satirical sharky tales, head on over to our 11 big dumb shark movies list, as the ranking below is as serious as a shark attack. So what are you waiting for? Slip into your wetsuit and take the plunge into our ranking of the best shark movies that celebrate one of the most misunderstood creatures of our time, and transcend horror, thriller, and even animation genres. Just don't kick your feet too much! Year: 1983Director: Joe Alves Although this is one of the weaker entries in the Jaws franchise, Jaws 3-D makes it onto this list just for that memorable glass-breaking scene alone, and the impact it has had on pop culture. I mean, who can forget that cardboard-looking shark floating through the ocean? Dodgy special effects aside, the third Jaws entry is still a decent shark movie. Directed by Jaws' production designer Joe Alves, Jaws 3-D follows a group of marine biologists attempting to capture a young great white shark, but they run into trouble when its angry mother comes looking for revenge. The movie differs from its predecessors in the fact that it steers away from the classic shark attack in the middle of the ocean scenario, and was perhaps ahead of its time in highlighting how theme parks such as SeaWorld may not be such a good idea. Jaws 3-D is available to stream on Peacock in the US and on ITVX in the UK. For more movies about ferocious beasts, see our list of the best monster movies. Year: 2017Director: Johannes Roberts If you needed another reason not to go cage diving with sharks, this is it. Starring The Vampire Diaries' Claire Holt and Disney's Rapunzel herself, Mandy Moore, 47 Meters Down follows two sisters whose vacation to Mexico turns into a trip from hell as they get stuck in a cage at the bottom of shark-infested waters. Not only does 47 Meters Down include some blood-pumping chase scenes and make you feel seriously claustrophobic, but the survival horror film also explores a highly relatable, strained sister dynamic between the two lead characters. 47 Meters Down is available to stream on Prime Video in the US and on Now in the UK. For more, see our list of the best thriller movies. Year: 2016Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Next up is The Shallows, as it wouldn't be right not to include this high-concept, one-woman (and a seagull) thriller on our best shark movies list. Starring A Simple Favor star Blake Lively, The Shallows follows a surfer who decides to escape her problems, and the recent death of her mother by heading to a secluded beach. But her surf sesh is cut short when she is suddenly attacked by a great white shark, leaving her stranded on a piece of reef far away from the shore. Differing from other shark attack movies such as Soul Surfer, this tense game of cat and mouse looks at how shark attack victims react to a brush with death in the moment, and what they will do to survive. The Shallows is available to stream on Starz in the US and on Netflix in the UK. For more movies led by girls as tough as the coral reef, check out our list of the 100 greatest female characters in movies. Year: 2010Director: Andrew Traucki So, we've looked at how sharks can attack in the water, in a cage, on a surfboard, but are we at least safe on a boat? No, it looks like we're not, as the main characters in The Reef learned this the hard way. While sailing to Indonesia, a group of friends capsize, leaving them stranded in the ocean. Matters only get worse when they attempt to swim to land, attracting the attention of a huge great white shark. The Reef is one of the few true horror movies on this list and will have you hiding behind your blanket. What makes this 2010 flick even scarier is that it's inspired by the true story of Ray Boundy, who survived a shark attack when his boat capsized. Sadly, his friends were not so fortunate. The Reef is available to stream on Philo in the US and on Shudder in the UK. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies. Year: 2021Director: Sally Aitken But sharks aren't all bad, and in real life, shark attacks are actually quite rare. It is no secret that sharks are one of the most misunderstood creatures on the planet, and that's exactly what National Geographic's award-winning documentary Playing With Sharks sets out to prove. Playing with Sharks celebrates underwater filmmaking pioneer and shark researcher Valerie Taylor, whose life's work has become the basis for much of what we know about sharks today. The documentary uses underwater archival footage, interviews, and input from Valerie herself to bring the ocean explorer's work to the screen. Playing With Sharks is available to stream on Disney Plus. For more, check out our list of the best movies on Disney Plus. Year: 1999Director: Renny Harlin When you think of classic shark movies, you first think of Jaws. But a close second is Renny Harlin's action-packed Deep Blue Sea. The 1999 film reintroduced the fear of the oceanic unknown to a whole new generation, without ever taking itself too seriously. The movie is set in a murky underwater facility where a team of scientists set out to conduct research on mako sharks to help fight Alzheimer's disease. But the experiment is cut short when multiple genetically engineered sharks revolt, setting their sights on the scientists themselves. Deep Blue Sea provided some of the most memorable shark scenes in movie history, such as Stellan Skarsgård's hand being bitten off and Samuel L Jackson's becoming a tasty afternoon snack for a great white. Deep Blue Sea is available to stream on Netflix in the UK. For more, read our Deep Blue Sea review. Year: 2003Director: Chris Kentis Now, we hope you weren't planning on sleeping too soundly tonight, as we regret to inform you that No. 4 on our list is also based on a true story. Released in 2003, Open Water follows a couple who get left behind on a scuba diving trip. With no boat, no way home, and energy running out, the duo's fight for survival is made harder when they realize they are treading shark-infested waters. The film is loosely based on Tom and Eileen Lonergan's real-life nightmare on the Great Barrier Reef in 1998. Open water also used real sharks, specifically Caribbean reef sharks, to achieve a greater sense of realism. Open water is available to stream on FuboTV in the US. For more, read our Open Water review. Year: 1978Director: Jeannot Szwarc It's no surprise that yet another Jaws movie has made it onto this list, but we're not covering the big kahuna yet. First comes the 1978 sequel, aptly named Jaws 2, which attempted to replicate the success of the first movie by returning to Amity Island years after the first set of horrific shark attacks. Although Jaws 2 doesn't quite live up to its predecessor (but let's be real, what does?), the sequel continues Police Chief Martin Brody and his family's story. We just cannot believe that the locals of Amity didn't believe Brody when he reported the shark attacks again. Short memory, much? Jaws 2 is available to stream on Peacock in the US and on ITVX in the UK. Year: 2025Director: Sean Byrne The newest movie on this list is so fresh, it's still out in cinemas! But believe us when we tell you that it's worth hitting pause on your summer vacation to go and see Dangerous Animals in theaters, as this is a shark horror movie like no other. Directed by The Devil's Candy's Sean Byrne, Dangerous Animals flips the shark horror genre on its head by swapping the typical gilled villain for a man. The movie follows nomad surfer Zephyr, who gets abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, where she must quickly work out her escape before it's too late. Dangerous Animals is out in theaters now. For more, read our writer's opinion piece on why Dangerous Animals is the perfect film to watch during the 50th anniversary of Jaws. Year: 1975Director: Steven Spielberg What other movie did you expect to see in the top spot? Steven Spielberg's trailblazing blockbuster hit screens in 1975 and changed audiences' perception of sharks forever. When a giant white shark fatally attacks swimmers just off the coast of Amity Island, it's up to Sheriff Martin Brody, a marine biologist, and a local fisherman to hunt down the creature before it can claim too many victims. The movie gave us such iconic lines as: "You're gonna need a bigger boat," and one of the biggest jump scares in shark movie history (see above). Jaws still remains the best shark movie, and has ingrained itself into pop culture for 50 years now. Jaws is available to stream on Peacock in the US and on Prime Video in the UK. For more, read our Jaws review. For more, check out our list of upcoming movies you have to look forward to.
IOL News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
'Dangerous Animals': Where sharks and serial killers collide
Directed by Australian filmmaker Sean Byrne and penned by Nick Lepard, this gripping tale features a talented cast that includes, Hassie Harrison ("Yellowstone"), Josh Heuston, Rob Carlton, Ella Newton, Liam Greinke, and Jai Courtney , who plays the enigmatic and shark-obsessed serial killer, Tucker. In a genre-bending twist that merges the primal fear of sharks with the unsettling world of serial killers, the horror film "Dangerous Animals" is set to leave audiences on the edge of their seats. "There's always a belief in something behind an evil person. For Tucker, his actions stem from a place of vulnerability rooted in a traumatic past involving a shark attack. It's his delusional connection to these predators that shapes his worldview and motivates his violent actions." Courtney, who takes on the complex role of Tucker, spoke passionately about the psychological depth of his character. As the clock ticks away, Zephyr (Harrison) must race against time to escape before Tucker enacts his ritualistic feeding to the hungry sharks lurking beneath the deep blue. At the film's core lies the story of Zephyr, a rebellious surfer, who becomes the unsuspecting captive of Tucker aboard his boat. Courtney elaborates on the emotional toll of bringing such a dark character to life sharing: "There were moments on this film where it was just like, 'Alright, time out. Did we get it?', because it's hard to live in that space. It poisoned me a little too, but you've got to come at it with love," he says. The film's chilling narrative is further amplified by its authentic cinematography, which was shot aboard a real boat. Courtney expressed his astonishment at the production experience, describing it as both exhilarating and disorienting. "I can't believe we did it. When I read the script, I was like, we'll be in a tank, surely. We'll just be in a tank and probably on half a boat, or whatever. "No, we were out there in the open, open sea. The boat was a boat. I had a little trepidation of having my sea legs, but I never got seasick once ... But, man, talk about being in the elements. It never fails to shed that layer of imagination that you're sometimes forced to have. It just gets you into the space ... I'm really appreciative that we did it as real as we did." In the film, director Byrne has crafted a narrative that juxtaposes the instincts of the predators with the darker aspects of humanity. Expressing his excitement about the concept, Byrne shared: "What initially attracted me to the script was that it was this fusion of shark film and serial killer film. I've never seen those two sub genres join before ... It is about animal instincts, but when the sharks act on their instincts, it's still because of the manipulation of man." He continued: "What excited me about the script is there was a shark conservation element to it ... if a human is attacked, it's an accident. We don't shirk on the shark drama, but it's not sharks just hunting people ... The real killer is us and that's proven time and time again. That was the theme that I wanted to really resonate, is that the shark isn't the monster. "You are definitely safer in the water than you are on the boat," Byrne says.
IOL News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
'Dangerous Animals': Where sharks and serial killers collide
Directed by Australian filmmaker Sean Byrne and penned by Nick Lepard, this gripping tale features a talented cast that includes, Hassie Harrison ("Yellowstone"), Josh Heuston, Rob Carlton, Ella Newton, Liam Greinke, and Jai Courtney , who plays the enigmatic and shark-obsessed serial killer, Tucker. In a genre-bending twist that merges the primal fear of sharks with the unsettling world of serial killers, the horror film "Dangerous Animals" is set to leave audiences on the edge of their seats. "There's always a belief in something behind an evil person. For Tucker, his actions stem from a place of vulnerability rooted in a traumatic past involving a shark attack. It's his delusional connection to these predators that shapes his worldview and motivates his violent actions." Courtney, who takes on the complex role of Tucker, spoke passionately about the psychological depth of his character. As the clock ticks away, Zephyr (Harrison) must race against time to escape before Tucker enacts his ritualistic feeding to the hungry sharks lurking beneath the deep blue. At the film's core lies the story of Zephyr, a rebellious surfer, who becomes the unsuspecting captive of Tucker aboard his boat. Courtney elaborates on the emotional toll of bringing such a dark character to life sharing: "There were moments on this film where it was just like, 'Alright, time out. Did we get it?', because it's hard to live in that space. It poisoned me a little too, but you've got to come at it with love," he says. The film's chilling narrative is further amplified by its authentic cinematography, which was shot aboard a real boat. Courtney expressed his astonishment at the production experience, describing it as both exhilarating and disorienting. "I can't believe we did it. When I read the script, I was like, we'll be in a tank, surely. We'll just be in a tank and probably on half a boat, or whatever. "No, we were out there in the open, open sea. The boat was a boat. I had a little trepidation of having my sea legs, but I never got seasick once ... But, man, talk about being in the elements. It never fails to shed that layer of imagination that you're sometimes forced to have. It just gets you into the space ... I'm really appreciative that we did it as real as we did." In the film, director Byrne has crafted a narrative that juxtaposes the instincts of the predators with the darker aspects of humanity. Expressing his excitement about the concept, Byrne shared: "What initially attracted me to the script was that it was this fusion of shark film and serial killer film. I've never seen those two sub genres join before ... It is about animal instincts, but when the sharks act on their instincts, it's still because of the manipulation of man." He continued: "What excited me about the script is there was a shark conservation element to it ... if a human is attacked, it's an accident. We don't shirk on the shark drama, but it's not sharks just hunting people ... The real killer is us and that's proven time and time again. That was the theme that I wanted to really resonate, is that the shark isn't the monster. "You are definitely safer in the water than you are on the boat," Byrne says.
News24
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Sharks, survival, and serial killers: Behind the scenes of Dangerous Animals
Hassie Harrison stars alongside Josh Heuston in Dangerous Animals, a genre-blending survival horror set on Australia's Gold Coast. The film follows a troubled surfer's fight for survival after being abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer. In this Q&A, Harrison and Heuston discuss chemistry, high-stakes stunts, and exploring complex themes in their roles. Yellowstone actor Hassie Harrison stars in the Australian survival horror film Dangerous Animals. Directed by Sean Byrne, the film follows Zephyr (Harrison), a solitary surfer with a troubled past who has come to Australia's Gold Coast to find an escape. Her peaceful existence is disrupted when she meets Moses (Josh Heuston), a local real estate agent and fellow surfer. After a romantic night with him, she flees to the ocean but is abducted by Tucker (Jai Courtney), a shark-obsessed serial killer. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival during the Directors' Fortnight section and received various reviews. Courtney was lauded for his performance, with many calling Tucker one of the best new horror villains, while Byrne's direction was praised for blending serial-killer thriller with a 'creature feature,' delivering tension and slick production quality. In this Q&A, Harrison and Heuston discuss their roles in Dangerous Animals. From building instant chemistry to navigating thrilling stunts and blending complex themes, they share behind-the-scenes insights. You both create a believable connection in such a short time, which drives the action for the audience. We understand why these two people now have something to fight for and live for. How did you work with Sean to establish that relationship? Josh Heuston: Sean, first of all, had it all mapped out, every single moment and beat. He had hand-drawn sketches for everything, so every day he comes to set, he already has the entire shot just mapped out for you. So there's that. But then, in terms of building a connection, we just clicked instantly. Hassie Harrison: We did a chemistry read before, and just have always had each other's backs and championed each other. JH: Hassie already booked the role, and I dropped a line in the chemistry read, and then Hassie was like, 'Oh, that was my bad', and pretended that she made a mistake to help me get over the nerves. I messed up the audition for a moment, and she had my back and saved me. HH: I had his back since day one. It's actually kind of funny, too – when we did the movie, our whole first week was just our opening love story. So when we first started the movie, it felt like I was doing a rom-com. It was just so easy, fun and light, and then all of a sudden, we had to switch gears. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder Dangerous Animals is such a fantastic mash of genres; it's a shark thriller, but it has the serial killer element added. What did you enjoy about having that blend of genres? HH: It's always cool to be able to bend genres because I feel like it's more representative of how complex life is. It's more than just one note. JH: For me, it was my first time stepping into thriller or horror, so it was just exciting. In certain dramas or sci-fi stuff that I've done before, the stakes aren't always 110%, whereas [in this], we're kind of all fighting for our lives. It was very exciting and fun; you're not usually screaming and running away or fighting a bear of a man - you're not doing that in other genres. It was a learning experience, but at the same time, it was just insanely fun. You both get to do stunt, fighting and combat work. What did you enjoy about the practicality of blocking that all out? HH: To be honest, it really inspired me; I want my next job to have a lot more stunts and stuff like that. I'm luckily a very physically capable person, and it adds this whole other fun element of choreography to the acting. It's just fun; you feel that adrenaline, just like you hope the audience does. JH: For me, I came into it being like, I want to do every single stunt I can, and I didn't want to have to use a stuntman too much. I loved it, but if you asked me in 20, 30 years, I'd probably be like, 'Someone else can do it'. It's physically demanding, but at the same time, this movie was just so much fun to make from day one through to the last day. Jai has spoken about how there were moments on set where you've got actors strung up in Tucker's feeding harness and how he felt the intensity and the weight of that in playing the villain. How did you both decompress from the darker elements of the story? JH: To be honest, after the harness scene, I went and got a massage. I was like, 'my body's not working the way it used to'. But I loved having Jai opposite me; he's feeding me the entire time. So it's so easy to fall into that. HH: It took me a little time to shake it, I'll be honest. I started having nightmares and stuff. Honestly, for me, just being on the beach, and we got to shoot on the Gold Coast – I would just go get in the ocean every day and wash it off. Courtesy of Mark Taylor. You're shooting much of the film on a boat, on location – what was that experience like, out on the water? JH: I grew up in Australia, so I'm used to being out there. I love the ocean, and I grew up with it - grew up surfing and doing all that sort of stuff. But I'm not a very good surfer, that being said. HH: You're great! That's what everybody says. JH: For me, I'm happiest near the ocean. So it was like a holiday, but just doing something I love at the same time. A lot of the tension and the horror in Dangerous Animals comes from the stillness that Sean Byrne employs, as much as he uses fast-paced moments. How did that manifest on set? JH: He's a very visceral director, so he knows exactly what he wants, and he's in the scene with you. We had a running joke, which was 'gritted teeth'. So a lot of his direction was 'gritted teeth, we need the gritted teeth', and we're all trying to deliver that. But he's heavy breathing and tense and fighting with us while we're in these same scenes. He's acting just as much as we are in the entire process. Which, for me, gave so, so much support. HH: Essentially, he's great at building tension. It's not like there's this overuse of gore just for gore's sake. There are these earned moments, and it builds up and then has a release. And that's what makes the ride so fun. The story contrasts humans as social animals against solitary sharks, but also against Tucker, this man who's isolated himself from the world because of the pain he's experienced. How did those themes resonate for you? JH: Moses' heart is on his sleeve, and he leads with that. For me, it was always trying to find the connection with Hassie, and that's my throughline throughout the entire film. He's just trying to follow this connection. It was a 12-hour experience of them hanging out, but for him, it was such an important moment in his life, and he just followed that. So, in terms of isolation, Moses is not trying to isolate himself at all. He's just trying to follow the love of his life in that moment, and it gave me something to fight for. HH: Zephyr is fighting what she feels and knows is real love, and the fact that she hasn't known a lot of kindness in her life, has her walls built up and has created a life that can match the level of intimacy she can handle. And then there's that mirror; as soon as she meets Josh's character, all of that is brought up to the surface, and she's like: 'Wait'. She's just a scared pup, a hurt pup. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder. We get some clues as to the reasons she feels isolated from the world. How did you understand Zephyr's mindset coming to Australia? HH: A big part of what informed a lot of my research, and it's not even touched on in the film really, but there's a tattoo that she has on her back that actually is a universal symbol for sexual abuse. And that's a big part of why she has closed up and run away and has become this vagabond. It's a really hard and truthful topic, and doing the research on that was heavy, but that's what was real for her. Australian horror is known for its particular brutality, and that's matched in this film with some fairly brutal moments – like a character biting their own thumb off. As an American, what was your sort of understanding of the Australian horror genre? HH: Australians are so well respected in this space. Between The Loved Ones and The Devil's Candy, Sean knows his stuff when it comes to all things genre. I love my Aussies, but you guys do seem to have a little dark, wicked side. But I was down to come play, and I knew I had big shoes to fill. [To Josh] Was I the only American on set? JH: Yeah, pretty much. Hassie showed up, ready to rock from day one. There were no reservations of jumping into the Australian culture- HH: And ocean. JH: Literally. There was no hesitation; she jumped straight in. I guess Australians are known for a bit of grit, like Wolf Creek, one of our cult classic Australian horror films. Recently, there's Talk to Me, which is amazing. Australia's on a wave right now, I think, with horror, and Hassie came and brought it and drove it as well. It's great seeing Australia kind of rock it in horror. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder Okay, let's finish on Zephyr biting off her own thumb to escape. What I loved about the thumb is how it wasn't just like this incredible act of bravery, but it matched thematically – the whole idea of a bear gnawing its way out of a trap. What was it like shooting that? HH: I was actually the most nervous about that scene. Of course, they saved it for the very last day, and everybody's trying to have this super cool last day, all partying together; summer camp's over. I think one of the things that was important for me to feel was her vulnerability and how scared she was to do it; you know what I mean? That was a hard scene to shoot. I kind of hyperventilated. JH: She passed out. HH: Yeah, I passed out. JH: The stakes are so high for you, too, like I'm still covered in blood across the room from you and trying to be present as much as possible. But yeah, you if you're like, because you are hyperventilating in a way, to try and get yourself to that emotional state, and Hassie, again, committed 100% and passed the f*** out. HH: I'll never forget. I just started, like, slowly tipping. And our DP was like, 'Hey!' and came and caught me. It's one of those scenes that you just have to commit to, and it looks so rank. I couldn't believe, watching it in the theatre, how everyone was cheering. I was like, 'Yeah, okay, all right!'
The Advertiser
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Baby Shark just won't sound the same after this excellent Aussie thriller
Dangerous Animals (MA, 98 minutes) 4 stars The "final girl" is almost an essential in any horror film, the last of the film's female characters left alive to either triumph over the bad or evil figure, or the last and most spectacular of the film's killings. Hassie Harrison, a young and blonde Texan actress with a season on the horsey drama Yellowstone on her CV, is the lead and final girl in this spectacularly gruesome new Aussie horror film. She's an actor to keep an eye on because she is memorable in a film of memorable characters and moments, and particularly holds her own against Jai Courtney playing a character as iconic as John Jarratt's Wolf Creek antihero Mick Taylor. In a fictional surf-swept town close to the Gold Coast, Captain Tucker (Jai Courtney) runs a charter boat business offering tourists the once-in-a-lifetime experience of diving with sharks. It's a strange business for Tucker to have built for himself, considering a miracle childhood escape from a shark encounter that left his body scarred with the bite marks, but Tucker sees it as a marketing opportunity his tourists love hearing about. A thing they probably don't love, as we discover in the film's opening scene, is that when Tucker discovers a tourist hasn't told anyone where they're going, he enjoys throwing them to the sharks and filming the blood churning in the water as the sharks tear them apart. So, probably not the diving experience you're looking for. A Yankie surfer touring Australia in a beat-up camper van, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is in the wrong place at the wrong time when she asks Tucker for help with her surfboard, and finds herself kidnapped and awakens on his shark vessel, destined to be chum. But fortunately for Zephyr, she's made a real impression on local surfer Moses (Josh Hueston), who manages to track her down and just might have the fearlessness to take on Tucker. Australia makes great low-budget horror, and this film is certainly great, a prince among the many budget slasher films Australia churns out, but with the exception of one or two moments, this film does not look cheap at all. This is probably thanks to the assured direction of Sean Byrne, whose two previous turns in the director's chair, The Loved Ones and The Devil's Candy, were also very memorable. A lot of the film is cleverly set on a rusted-out trawler just infused with atmosphere. Harrison and Hueston, one of the cast of the recent Heartbreak High reboot, are very strong, and it's a weirdly enjoyable element of the screenplay that these two smoke shows continue to chat each other up and flirt outrageously even when they're being tied down and tortured by Courtney's serial killer. Nick Lepard's screenplay isn't the most original genre mash-up, and yet it all just comes together as an original and enjoyable scare-fest, in the way that first Wolf Creek felt new and memorable. And the most enjoyable and original element is Jai Courtney's performance, a force of nature that you almost want to root for as the anti-hero, and I feel this is a career second-act for Courtney, who has played villains before, but not like this. You will, honestly, never listen to Baby Shark the same way again. I had a brown underpants moment in my teens with a shark alarm at a surf carnival, so I am equal parts drawn to and terrified by shark films, and one of the interesting things in Dangerous Animals is that the sharks are probably the safer bet for the characters. Dangerous Animals (MA, 98 minutes) 4 stars The "final girl" is almost an essential in any horror film, the last of the film's female characters left alive to either triumph over the bad or evil figure, or the last and most spectacular of the film's killings. Hassie Harrison, a young and blonde Texan actress with a season on the horsey drama Yellowstone on her CV, is the lead and final girl in this spectacularly gruesome new Aussie horror film. She's an actor to keep an eye on because she is memorable in a film of memorable characters and moments, and particularly holds her own against Jai Courtney playing a character as iconic as John Jarratt's Wolf Creek antihero Mick Taylor. In a fictional surf-swept town close to the Gold Coast, Captain Tucker (Jai Courtney) runs a charter boat business offering tourists the once-in-a-lifetime experience of diving with sharks. It's a strange business for Tucker to have built for himself, considering a miracle childhood escape from a shark encounter that left his body scarred with the bite marks, but Tucker sees it as a marketing opportunity his tourists love hearing about. A thing they probably don't love, as we discover in the film's opening scene, is that when Tucker discovers a tourist hasn't told anyone where they're going, he enjoys throwing them to the sharks and filming the blood churning in the water as the sharks tear them apart. So, probably not the diving experience you're looking for. A Yankie surfer touring Australia in a beat-up camper van, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is in the wrong place at the wrong time when she asks Tucker for help with her surfboard, and finds herself kidnapped and awakens on his shark vessel, destined to be chum. But fortunately for Zephyr, she's made a real impression on local surfer Moses (Josh Hueston), who manages to track her down and just might have the fearlessness to take on Tucker. Australia makes great low-budget horror, and this film is certainly great, a prince among the many budget slasher films Australia churns out, but with the exception of one or two moments, this film does not look cheap at all. This is probably thanks to the assured direction of Sean Byrne, whose two previous turns in the director's chair, The Loved Ones and The Devil's Candy, were also very memorable. A lot of the film is cleverly set on a rusted-out trawler just infused with atmosphere. Harrison and Hueston, one of the cast of the recent Heartbreak High reboot, are very strong, and it's a weirdly enjoyable element of the screenplay that these two smoke shows continue to chat each other up and flirt outrageously even when they're being tied down and tortured by Courtney's serial killer. Nick Lepard's screenplay isn't the most original genre mash-up, and yet it all just comes together as an original and enjoyable scare-fest, in the way that first Wolf Creek felt new and memorable. And the most enjoyable and original element is Jai Courtney's performance, a force of nature that you almost want to root for as the anti-hero, and I feel this is a career second-act for Courtney, who has played villains before, but not like this. You will, honestly, never listen to Baby Shark the same way again. I had a brown underpants moment in my teens with a shark alarm at a surf carnival, so I am equal parts drawn to and terrified by shark films, and one of the interesting things in Dangerous Animals is that the sharks are probably the safer bet for the characters. Dangerous Animals (MA, 98 minutes) 4 stars The "final girl" is almost an essential in any horror film, the last of the film's female characters left alive to either triumph over the bad or evil figure, or the last and most spectacular of the film's killings. Hassie Harrison, a young and blonde Texan actress with a season on the horsey drama Yellowstone on her CV, is the lead and final girl in this spectacularly gruesome new Aussie horror film. She's an actor to keep an eye on because she is memorable in a film of memorable characters and moments, and particularly holds her own against Jai Courtney playing a character as iconic as John Jarratt's Wolf Creek antihero Mick Taylor. In a fictional surf-swept town close to the Gold Coast, Captain Tucker (Jai Courtney) runs a charter boat business offering tourists the once-in-a-lifetime experience of diving with sharks. It's a strange business for Tucker to have built for himself, considering a miracle childhood escape from a shark encounter that left his body scarred with the bite marks, but Tucker sees it as a marketing opportunity his tourists love hearing about. A thing they probably don't love, as we discover in the film's opening scene, is that when Tucker discovers a tourist hasn't told anyone where they're going, he enjoys throwing them to the sharks and filming the blood churning in the water as the sharks tear them apart. So, probably not the diving experience you're looking for. A Yankie surfer touring Australia in a beat-up camper van, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is in the wrong place at the wrong time when she asks Tucker for help with her surfboard, and finds herself kidnapped and awakens on his shark vessel, destined to be chum. But fortunately for Zephyr, she's made a real impression on local surfer Moses (Josh Hueston), who manages to track her down and just might have the fearlessness to take on Tucker. Australia makes great low-budget horror, and this film is certainly great, a prince among the many budget slasher films Australia churns out, but with the exception of one or two moments, this film does not look cheap at all. This is probably thanks to the assured direction of Sean Byrne, whose two previous turns in the director's chair, The Loved Ones and The Devil's Candy, were also very memorable. A lot of the film is cleverly set on a rusted-out trawler just infused with atmosphere. Harrison and Hueston, one of the cast of the recent Heartbreak High reboot, are very strong, and it's a weirdly enjoyable element of the screenplay that these two smoke shows continue to chat each other up and flirt outrageously even when they're being tied down and tortured by Courtney's serial killer. Nick Lepard's screenplay isn't the most original genre mash-up, and yet it all just comes together as an original and enjoyable scare-fest, in the way that first Wolf Creek felt new and memorable. And the most enjoyable and original element is Jai Courtney's performance, a force of nature that you almost want to root for as the anti-hero, and I feel this is a career second-act for Courtney, who has played villains before, but not like this. You will, honestly, never listen to Baby Shark the same way again. I had a brown underpants moment in my teens with a shark alarm at a surf carnival, so I am equal parts drawn to and terrified by shark films, and one of the interesting things in Dangerous Animals is that the sharks are probably the safer bet for the characters. Dangerous Animals (MA, 98 minutes) 4 stars The "final girl" is almost an essential in any horror film, the last of the film's female characters left alive to either triumph over the bad or evil figure, or the last and most spectacular of the film's killings. Hassie Harrison, a young and blonde Texan actress with a season on the horsey drama Yellowstone on her CV, is the lead and final girl in this spectacularly gruesome new Aussie horror film. She's an actor to keep an eye on because she is memorable in a film of memorable characters and moments, and particularly holds her own against Jai Courtney playing a character as iconic as John Jarratt's Wolf Creek antihero Mick Taylor. In a fictional surf-swept town close to the Gold Coast, Captain Tucker (Jai Courtney) runs a charter boat business offering tourists the once-in-a-lifetime experience of diving with sharks. It's a strange business for Tucker to have built for himself, considering a miracle childhood escape from a shark encounter that left his body scarred with the bite marks, but Tucker sees it as a marketing opportunity his tourists love hearing about. A thing they probably don't love, as we discover in the film's opening scene, is that when Tucker discovers a tourist hasn't told anyone where they're going, he enjoys throwing them to the sharks and filming the blood churning in the water as the sharks tear them apart. So, probably not the diving experience you're looking for. A Yankie surfer touring Australia in a beat-up camper van, Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is in the wrong place at the wrong time when she asks Tucker for help with her surfboard, and finds herself kidnapped and awakens on his shark vessel, destined to be chum. But fortunately for Zephyr, she's made a real impression on local surfer Moses (Josh Hueston), who manages to track her down and just might have the fearlessness to take on Tucker. Australia makes great low-budget horror, and this film is certainly great, a prince among the many budget slasher films Australia churns out, but with the exception of one or two moments, this film does not look cheap at all. This is probably thanks to the assured direction of Sean Byrne, whose two previous turns in the director's chair, The Loved Ones and The Devil's Candy, were also very memorable. A lot of the film is cleverly set on a rusted-out trawler just infused with atmosphere. Harrison and Hueston, one of the cast of the recent Heartbreak High reboot, are very strong, and it's a weirdly enjoyable element of the screenplay that these two smoke shows continue to chat each other up and flirt outrageously even when they're being tied down and tortured by Courtney's serial killer. Nick Lepard's screenplay isn't the most original genre mash-up, and yet it all just comes together as an original and enjoyable scare-fest, in the way that first Wolf Creek felt new and memorable. And the most enjoyable and original element is Jai Courtney's performance, a force of nature that you almost want to root for as the anti-hero, and I feel this is a career second-act for Courtney, who has played villains before, but not like this. You will, honestly, never listen to Baby Shark the same way again. I had a brown underpants moment in my teens with a shark alarm at a surf carnival, so I am equal parts drawn to and terrified by shark films, and one of the interesting things in Dangerous Animals is that the sharks are probably the safer bet for the characters.
