Shudder remains one of the biggest names when it comes to horror. The first Shudder original feature film arrived in 2018 with the release of Revenge. Since then, the service has released a steady stream of horror and thriller content, including the Creepshow horror anthology. Other Shudder feature films that have made a splash include Mad God (2022), Speak No Evil (2022), When Evil Lurks (2023), In A Violent Nature (2024), Oddity (2024), and The Ugly Stepsister (2025). Now, the company has partnered with IFC Films on the domestic distribution of a shark thriller.
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) is largely responsible for popularizing the shark movie, and the genre has ebbed and flowed in popularity ever since. Recent notable shark movies include The Shallows (2016), The Meg (2018), Meg 2: The Trench (2023), and Under Paris (2024), and all of these were successful with audiences, proving the genre remains a draw. Shudder’s new shark movie, however, is set to put a fun twist on the genre.
Dangerous Animals Impresses With Its Rotten Tomatoes Debut
The Shark Thriller Is Faring Well With Critics
Dangerous Animals has now debuted on Rotten Tomatoes, and the film is off to a strong start. Directed by Sean Byrne, the upcoming horror-thriller stars Hᴀssie Harrison as Zephyr, a free-spirited surfer who is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer named Tucker (Jai Courtney). The film, which Shudder and IFC Films are set to release theatrically in the U.S. on June 6, also stars Ella Newton, Josh Heuston, Rob Carlton, and Liam Greinke. Dangerous Animals had its premiere at the Director’s Fortnight section at Cannes earlier this month.
With reviews now releasing online, Rotten Tomatoes reveals that Dangerous Animals has debuted with an impressive 89% critics’ score from 18 reviews. This score puts the film very much into “fresh” territory, but things could fluctuate as more reviews are added. There’s no Popcornmeter score just yet, but one should begin to take shape not long after June 6 when the movie releases.
Our Take On Dangerous Animals’ Rotten Tomatoes Score
Will The Film Become A Shark Movie Classic?
Critics are praising Dangerous Animals for its efficient script and the ways in which Byrne offers a fresh take on the shark movie genre. The mixing of a shark movie with a serial killer horror is a combination that is said to work surprisingly well. Courtney, too, is highlighted as a major bright spot in the film, with his performance as a serial killer said to be one for the books.
If the score can remain in the high 80s, Dangerous Animals could benefit from word-of-mouth during its theatrical run. The audience-driven Popcornmeter score will be the better indication, however, of how the movie is faring with general viewers. Shark movies continue to be popular with viewers, with The Meg franchise finding success in theaters and Under Paris recently becoming a major Netflix viewership hit.
Under Paris ranks as the second most-watched non-English Netflix movie of all time, with 102.3 million views.
Dangerous Animals looks to be a more contained shark thriller compared to something like The Meg, which is clearly more of a blockbuster. In fact, the trailer for the film suggests the film will actually share a lot in common with Jaws in terms of its boat-centric story and limited cast. This Steven Spielberg classic set a very high bar for shark movies, but Dangerous Animals‘ Rotten Tomatoes score certainly suggests it’s one to look forward to.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
