Director: Sean Byrne
Year: 2025
Country: Australia/USA/Canada
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
After vacationing in Australia, a surfer finds herself caught in the grips of a psychotic fisherman who’s secretly feeding women to sharks in violent snuff films and bands together with a friend and a fellow survivor to fight back before they’re brought to star in the next videos he shoots.
Review:
This was a fairly solid if somewhat misleading genre effort. Among the better elements of this one come from the rather strong setup that manages to introduce some fun elements into a worthwhile thriller scenario. With the opening not only giving us a hint that the guy’s unhinged nature is just below the surface looking at how he treats the couple out on a chartered trip with him, the concurrent trip following the surfer looking to follow her dreams into finding the perfect surfing spot which brings her and the hookup she has along the way, and the different searches for the missing people that clues everyone in on what’s going on all come together here to provide the film with some strong storylines that move it along quite nicely.
That makes this one come together well enough that the whole series of stalker interactions here is quite fun compared to the different interactions beforehand. With the abduction handled early on and keeping her on the ship with the other survivor he has with her, the different interactions they have with each other and then with him in the room tormenting them psychologically under the guise of keeping them ready for their starring roles later on, the setup starts this to the point that the encounters with the sharks or being chased around the boat to get to safety have a dark energy to them. The barbaric action presented in these scenes is a lot of fun to get through, getting graphic enough to make it matter and have enough tense chasing to be likable for some enjoyable elements here.
There are some minor drawbacks with this one that bring it down. The main issue here, which might not genuinely affect the film, concerns using the film as a shark film when that’s not what the point and purpose are. They’re not treated like traditional killer sharks, are barely involved in this one at all, and the whole purpose of their involvement is made clear when it goes over an hour between spotting them. Being sold as this kind of film is a big misnomer that might turn off some expecting the creatures to be involved heavily in the film, as they’re not the focus. With some of the constant chases and escapes being hampered by a disarming ability to keep dropping weapons when having the upper hand in their confrontations, these all manage to bring it down slightly.
Overview: ***.5/5
An enjoyable if overall mismarketed genre effort, there’s a lot to like here, so long as you’re fine with this one not being a genuine killer shark film, with it being more about the serial killer focus instead. Those with an interest in the approach or who enjoy mainstream genre fare will have the most to like here, while most others out there might want to heed caution.
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