COYOTES (2025)

New On Demand from AURA Entertainment!
Directed by Colin Minihan.
Written by Tad Daggerhart, Daniel Meersand, Nick Simon.
Check out the trailer here! !

At the height of the California wildfires, one family and their dog must not only combat the approaching fires but a pack of wily coyotes driven into the city by the flames.
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Simple man vs nature stories are a dime a dozen. But in this world of elevated horror, it’s refreshing to see a horror film with a decent budget handle such a simple concept. That’s what COYOTES does. It’s just Justin Long and Kate Bosworth defending their family and home from hungry coyotes. And given that both Long and Bosworth have interesting Star-power and personalities, that should’ve been the factor that sets this film apart from, say, the latest low-budget killer alligator flick.

The problem is that apart from a few short moments, both Long and Bosworth don’t really get to use these big personalities. The action instead relies on the fires pushing the coyotes into populated areas and a few set pieces where they attack the family and their neighbors. While Long gets to quip a bit, he is very reserved in this performance, as he plays more of a reluctant hero role.

The results are a cool setup, unconventional challenges in the coyotes, and performances that feel more reactionary than anything that adds to the story. This makes the film feel bereft of personality. Even THE YETI and IT STAINS THE SANDS RED’s Britany Allen can’t add a little spice to the film in her role as an escort who gets caught up in this mess. This is supposed to be a horror comedy, but aside from some fun effects scenes that might cause a foreboding chuckle, most of COYOTES don’t work.

The CGI for the titular coyotes looks pretty good. They feel a little animated at times, but with some dramatic and fire-lit lighting, they look pretty ferocious and menacing. But COYOTES is a miss in my book. I love the concept of the film, but the film just doesn’t feel like it has any kind of personality and despite the impressive cast, they just don’t bring it with this one.