“Coyotes,” the latest film from director Colin Minihan (“What Keeps You Alive”), world premiered at Fantastic Fest over the weekend. The horror comedy, which at its core is about a family’s fight for survival. While it struggles to fully land its horror and comedy elements, “Coyotes” still makes for a fun 90 minutes.
Real-life couple Justin Long (“Barbarian”) and Kate Bosworth (“Superman Returns”) star in a tale that will feel all too real for folks living in and around Los Angeles, as the film’s most significant threats are the Santa Ana winds, wildfires, and coyotes. The opening credits feature extensive footage of real-life coyote sightings and wildfires from the region, making this piece of fiction feel as if it were lifted straight from the headlines.
Long and Bosworth star as Scott and Liv Stewart, who live in the Hollywood Hills with their daughter, Chloe (Mila Harris, “Mary”), who are left stranded and without power after a Santa Ana windstorm downs a tree in their front yard that takes out the family car and their powerlines. But their situation worsens when coyotes, driven into their neighborhood by recent wildfires, begin taking an interest in the Stewarts, their little dog Charlie, and nearby neighbors.
The Stewarts’ family dynamic is a familiar one: a dad distanced due to work commitments, a mom trying to keep it all together, and a daughter who’s growing out of spending time with her “cringe” parents. However, the chemistry between the cast is believable, and when it’s time for them to come together and resolve their issues, the film has some heart, and you’re invested enough in the characters to care about this subplot.
The horror in “Coyotes” is primarily driven by suspense and a couple of jump scares. However, there are a few more gruesome scenes in the film as the bloodthirsty coyotes make their way into the neighborhood and ultimately into people’s homes. Even the coyotes aren’t safe from the carnage, as a few meet a brutal demise of their own. For horror fans who aren’t keen on animal deaths, the good news here is that most of our killer coyotes are CGI, which will likely make their deaths a bit more palatable.
Though a horror comedy, “Coyotes” isn’t a laugh-out-loud comedy, but rather a series of ‘dad joke’-level situational gags and amusing one-liners that will have you chuckling and rolling your eyes.” One joke in particular, which for some reason carries through the film, revolves around the appropriate way to refer to a sex worker when discussing it with a teenage girl.
This actually segways nicely into another comedic aspect of the film: the supporting cast. Also in a fight for survival is the Stewarts’ eccentric next-door neighbor, Trip, played by Norbert Leo Butz (“A Complete Unknown”), and the sex worker he’s hired, named Julie, played by Brittany Allen (“What Keeps You Alive”).
Trip and Julie, with their bizarre mix of a cat, gold-plated guns, cocaine, and kink, provide some of the film’s most over-the-top comedic relief.
“Coyotes” is one of those films where what you read in the synopsis or see in the trailer is precisely what you get on screen. Sure, there are some plot points you aren’t expecting and some interesting characters you meet along the way, but overall, the film plays out precisely as expected. There’s no deeper meaning, no hidden context, it’s just a simple 90-minute run of on-screen fun.
Your next chance to catch “Coyotes” will be on October 3, 2025, when the film gets its national theatrical release.
