Take Jaws, throw in a bit of Saw, add some Room and The Silence of the Lambs, a little Point Break, plus a touch of Gidget, and voila! You have the recipe for Dangerous Animals, a deviously demented combination of shark and serial killer genre movies that had its world premiere tonight in Cannes as part of this year’s Directors’ Fortnight lineup.

Actually this Australian-made thriller is not the kind of fare you expect to see in a more arty Cannes Competition, but here it sits before hitting the theatrical waves in theaters June 6 through IFC and Shudder. It just goes to show festivals can dig exploitation movies too.

This one from director Sean Byrne (Devil’s Candy) and writer Nick Lepard is tailor-made for summer moviegoing. Dangerous Animals centers on Zephyr (Yellowstone’s Hassie Harrison), an emotionally distant surfer girl who would be content to cuddle up on...