“Does this mean we have to get new foster parents?”

Story: When Hurricane Henry hits the small town of Annieville, South Carolina, two things make the storm even worse. First, the levee crumbles, putting the town in four feet of water, and rising. Second, a tanker trailer full of animal blood (sure why not) splits in half, sending thousands of gallons of blood into the water. Did I mention that bull sharks can live perfectly well in brackish (and even fresh) water? *rings dinner bell*

Scares: Very few, unless you’re new to horror, or are a light touch.
Splat Factor: Bloody, but the gore is either under water or in a wide shot. So it’s more like set dressing than actually gory.

Subgenre: Shark Hurricane Horror
Year Released: 2026
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original, with hints of shark tropes from other films.

Trick or Treat?: What if Crawl, but shark? That was my first thought when I saw this pop up on Netflix. But unlike the genuinely suspenseful Crawl, Thrash is down for a bloody good time.

Quick and dirty, Thrash knows it’s an silly shark movie, and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. That makes it a whole lot of fun. It’s loaded with action, realistic (for the budget) storm and shark FX, and enough blood to make fans of shark movies feel satisfied.

Director Tommy Wirkola knows how to milk a budget and deliver campy fun; his Dead Snow duology is a similar mix of over the top bloody humor and moments of genuine suspense. Wirkola is a master of timing, making the screenplay come alive in a wonderfully wacky way. He even uses an overblown pregnancy playlist as ironic diagetic soundtrack. There’s even an Oh Noes final scene moment that hints at a possible sequel. Are you not entertained?

The story follows expected tropes nicely. Kids are threatened but ultimately safe, ditto the good guys. A pregnant woman gives birth, but everything turns out fine, and nobody gets sepsis. Our main girl, the agoraphobic Dakota, becomes a badass when someone needs help. And, naturally, Dakota’s uncle Dale is a marine scientist that gives us all a science lesson before the third act climax.

Shout out to Whitney Peak and Djimon Hounsou as Dakota and Dale; they take the story just seriously enough to get sucked in while still acknowledging the wildness of the plot. And I have a give it to the three young actors that play foster kids in harms way in the film’s subplot, aka our major comic relief.

Thrash would make a great double feature with another Netflix silly shark story, Under Paris. Or as the second film after Crawl, if you want to just have fun after being stressed out. As-is? It’s a entertaining watch you can sink into effortlessly.

Score: 3.5 out of 5 pumpkins, for it’s unapologetically unserious tone.