10 Recent Horror Movies That Surprised EVERYONE

2. Dangerous Animals

Dangerous Animals
Shudder

Let's be honest - who among us expected a shark movie starring Jai Courtney to be anything more than low-fi genre fodder that quietly came and went in cinemas before being dumped into the streaming abyss?

And yet, this savage survival horror flick from Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones) has some real bite, due to not only Byrne's taut direction but a brilliantly menacing performance from Courtney himself.

As Australian serial killer Tucker, Courtney gets to let loose and swing for the fences here, clearly having a ton of fun playing such a detestable psychopath - one who is ludicrously entertaining to observe while remaining absolutely terrifying to behold.

Though Hollywood spent years trying to make Courtney the next big thing as a generic American action hero in blockbuster franchises like Die Hard and Terminator, between this and his success playing Captain Boomerang in the Suicide Squad movies, he's clearly far more comfortable playing depraved maniacs in his native twang.

It's no exaggeration to say that Courtney's work here ranks among the best horror movie performances of 2025 so far, and what a wonderful surprise that is to say.

 
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Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.