When it comes to filmmakers that are near and dear to my heart, there’s a pretty long list. From David Lynch to Amanda Kramer to Jordan Peele to Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead and so many others, they encompass a vast range of styles and influences. But, if not at the tippy-top of that list, then certainly close to it, is Sean Byrne.
Byrne is, perhaps, the unlikeliest entry in my favourites because his feature film output is anything but prolific. Hobart, Tasmania’s most notable export has produced only two features in a career that spans over 25 years, but both of those features – 2009’s The Loved Ones and 2015’s The Devil’s Candy – are two of my most treasured horror entries.
Finally back after a decade, Byrne returns with a brand new horror outing called Dangerous Animals. “Yellowstone’s” Hassie Hanson and Suicide Squad‘s Jai Courtney lead this film about “a surfer who is “…trapped on a killer’s boat with hungry sharks circling below” and who “must outwit a predator more dangerous than the ocean itself.”
Byrne promises that “There have been a lot of shark films over the years but, I promise, none like this, where audiences are left to decipher who the deadliest creature really is – man or animal. It’s a survival horror experience with teeth that screams to be seen on the big screen.”
You had me at sharks, Sean, but based on his track record his third outing is ready to hit with me. Check out the trailer and a new poster below!
Dangerous Animals comes to theatres on June 6, 2025 from IFC and Shudder.
