‘Beast of War’ Brings Shark Horror and Heroism to Grimmfest

A brutal clash of nature, trauma and survival will hit the big screen this week as Beast of War makes its world premiere tomorrow at Grimmfest in Manchester. Screening at 10.30pm (Thursday, 9 October) at the Odeon Great Northern, the film thrusts audiences into the heart of World War II, where soldiers adrift in the Timor Sea face a deadly predator lurking beneath the surface.

Set in 1942, the film follows a group of young Australian recruits whose ship is destroyed in a Japanese air raid, leaving only a handful of survivors stranded on a makeshift raft. Among them are Leo, an Indigenous soldier haunted by guilt from his past, and Will, a naïve seventeen-year-old desperate to prove himself. As they struggle to endure dehydration, exhaustion and psychological breakdown, they soon discover their greatest threat is not the war above but the monstrous shark circling below.

Beast of War is directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, known for his kinetic genre hits Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead and Nekrotronic. Drawing on his fascination with isolation and survival, Roache-Turner transforms the familiar shark thriller into an emotionally charged war story about loss, brotherhood and the ghosts that never leave us. The film stars Mark Coles Smith (Mystery Road: Origin, Last Cab to Darwin), Sam Delich (Spiderhead), Lee Tiger Halley (Boy Swallows Universe), Joel Nankervis, Sam Parsonson (Gallipoli), Aswan Reid (The New Boy), Maximillian Johnson and Tristan McKinnon (Wyrmwood: Apocalypse).

Mark Coles Smith anchors the film as Leo, a soldier battling his inner demons while protecting his fellow survivors. His portrayal, developed with cultural advisor Wayne Blair, brings nuance and authenticity to the story’s emotional and cultural depths. The supporting cast deliver performances that combine intensity and vulnerability, giving the survival horror its emotional heartbeat.

The film’s production history is itself a story of ambition. When plans to shoot in Malta fell through, producers Bronte Pictures and Pictures in Paradise built the largest indoor water tank in the Southern Hemisphere in Queensland, allowing full creative control over the complex water sequences. That innovation has since become a permanent facility for future Australian productions.

Blending claustrophobic tension with large-scale spectacle, Beast of War reimagines the creature feature as an exploration of courage and reconciliation. It premieres exclusively at Grimmfest 2025 tomorrow in Manchester at 10.30pm at the Odeon Great Northern. For more information and tickets, visit: grimmfest.com/

Beast of War trailer