Get ready for blood in the water. Acclaimed horror director Sean Byrne (The Devil’s Candy, The Loved Ones) is back with a pulse-pounding new thriller, Dangerous Animals, making its world premiere at the 2025 Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes—before hitting theaters on June 6.
This visceral survival horror film traps its audience in a deadly game of predator and prey. When Zephyr, a rebellious young surfer, is kidnapped by a shark-worshipping serial killer, she’s forced to fight for her life aboard a drifting nightmare of a boat, surrounded by hungry sharks. But the real monster isn’t in the ocean—it’s the man above it. With every second ticking toward a ritualistic “feeding,” Zephyr must use her wits to escape, or risk becoming the next offering to the deep.
The film stars Jai Courtney (The Suicide Squad), Hassie Harrison (Yellowstone), and rising talent Josh Heuston (Dune: Prophecy), promising a slick, intense ride that merges the raw tension of Open Water with the psychotic edge of The Loved Ones.
Written by Nick Lepard, Dangerous Animals clocks in at a lean 97 minutes, packed with suspense, blood, and sharp social undertones about obsession, control, and survival.
With a premise soaked in saltwater dread and grindhouse flair, Dangerous Animals feels like a love letter to the gloriously unhinged world of sharksploitation horror—and we couldn’t be more excited. Think less Sharknado, more survival horror with bite, and you’ve got the perfect summer scream.