Director Sean Byrne may have only two feature films to his name prior to his latest release, but both have gained cult followings. In 2009, Byrne released the Australian horror film The Loved Ones, which, despite not being centered around a holiday, has become a Valentine’s Day staple. In 2015, the filmmaker released The Devil’s Candy, featuring fan-favorite actor Ethan Embry in an unforgettable role. Now, Byrne’s latest release, Dangerous Animals, combines sharks and a serial killer for a bloody good time.
Written by Nick Lepard, the film features Jai Courtney as Tucker, a killer who employs the most feared species in the world to kill and dispose of his victims. When his latest target, a surfer named Zephyr (played by Hassie Harrison), is captured, she and her companion, Moses (played by Josh Heuston), must attempt to escape and survive at sea.
We asked Sean Byrne what drew him to this film, 10 years after The Devil’s Candy. He explained, “I’d wanted to work with [producer] Brian Kavanaugh-Jones at Range [Studios] for a long time. I tend to write my own material, and I’d optioned everything that I’d written after The Devil’s Candy. But sometimes getting financing for films about humans hunting other humans can be hard in a very risk-averse industry. And then this arrived, and as soon as I read it, I knew how popular shark films were.”
He continued, “This fusion of the shark film and the serial killer film, like two incredibly popular subgenres, just felt like it was such an incredible concept. And then combining that with the fact that this is the first shark film where the shark’s not the monster; man is the monster. That was correcting this long-held misconception about sharks, because they really don’t just indiscriminately hunt humans. So, I was like, this is actually an original shark film. I can’t think of the last time there was an original shark film.”
Byrne is an ambitious filmmaker, evident in every film he has released to date. With Dangerous Animals, he aimed to be as authentic as possible, and he achieved his goal. Instead of a tank, which allows for an easier shoot and more control, the cast and crew were at the mercy of the elements and the darkness of night.
When speaking about the challenges of filming at sea, Byrne described it as “very challenging,” but believed “tanks feel a bit sterile.” He told us, “We did it for real. The crew dealt with seasickness, and as soon as you get back on land and try and have a shower, you’d be kind of swaying. But on the other hand, it’s very hard to recreate Mother Nature, and the elements just added to the danger.”
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He continued, “Actors were really up there on the crane, and when Jai’s in the dinghy, he’s really out there on the water with like wind and salt whipping through his hair and hitting him in the face. And so it was really kind of exhilarating. We just had an incredible crew on the Gold Coast and stunt team. Whenever you can do it for real, I think the audience can feel it, and they respect it. I mean, that’s why there’s so much talk of the amazing career of Tom Cruise and how much he gives for the audience in a stunt capacity, and that means something. So, I’m really glad we did it that way.”
When asked about the real challenges that came with filming Dangerous Animals, Hassie Harrison laughed and replied, “Girl, you have no idea!” She explained, “I kind of scoffed at the Australian winter when I was coming from the States. I was like, oh, how cold can it be? But we had like two or three weeks of night shoots, and I’m in the water. And there was this cold snap that happened where everyone’s in parkas and beanies, and you can see their breath. And I’m just over here in shorts with purple lips, getting in the ocean.”
Harrison went on to say, “That’s also what makes the movie feel so authentic. We’re really experiencing those physical challenges as actors. So we’re not hamming anything in. And that’s what Sean envisioned. He didn’t want to shoot in a tank. He needed that siltiness and the texture. And that’s what makes it feel so raw and real. I think it adds a lot to the film. We’re in those conditions, which then, I think, you just have so much more to draw on, and it just makes our job a lot easier.”
Josh Heuston immediately tells us, “She’s like that on and off the screen. She’s tough.” He also shared his initial excitement for the film: “When I first got the script and read it, I loved it. I said to my team, if this ever gets greenlit and goes ahead, I definitely want to put my hat in the ring and give it a crack.” Showing immediate admiration, Harrison returned the compliment, saying, “You’re the perfect Moses. I can’t imagine anyone else playing Moses.”
Dangerous Animals is now showing in theaters.
