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Directed by Colin Minihan (Grave Encounters), Coyotes is a comedy-horror film centered on a family trapped in their Hollywood Hills home. Led by real-life and on-screen couple Justin Long (Barbarian) and Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns), the family must fight for survival when caught between a raging wildfire and a pack of savage coyotes. As the city loses power and chaos spreads, nature turns feral – and what starts as isolated attacks escalates into a terrifying siege they may not all survive. Despite two very committed performances from Long and Bosworth and some entertaining gore, Coyotes mostly falls flat due to a lack of urgency and tension, mild giggles, and not enough focus on its social commentary.
Justin Long and Kate Bosworth Lead Coyotes, a Lackluster Horror-Comedy That Lacks Bite
It’s no surprise that the performances within Coyotes are the best asset. Of course, Bosworth and Long bring real-life chemistry to the forefront of their on-screen marriage, creating a likable, sweet couple in Scott and Liv Stewart. They support each other, motivate each other, and root for each other during their toughest times, whether it’s familial drama centering on Scott’s lack of family focus or protecting their daughter from the titular beasts. The gimmick of seeing real-life lovers team up works well, with Long and Bosworth boasting enough charisma to make it pay off. Playing their daughter Chloe is Mila Harris (No Exit), who also gives a really good turn. At first, it’s hard to get behind her character due to being a trope-fueled and underwritten, moody, miserable teenager, but the further the run-time plays out, the more she gets to flex her skills. Brittany Allen (Jigsaw) rounds out our core crew, and although she’s mostly used as comedic relief, she is really charming. A ‘lady of the night’ who winds up fighting for survival alongside the family after her current client becomes indisposed, her naivety adds a fun spin to what was otherwise a standard family dynamic. The cast does their best.
At face value, the story sounds super engaging and entertaining, but it ends up being quite the mixed bag. On one hand, it has all the fun of a creature feature with bloodthirsty beasts, characters you can root for, and an isolated location, but on the other, it simply isn’t thrilling enough. Severely lacking any tension or urgency, decisions are made slowly, and comedy is prioritized over speed and survival, making for an aggravating watch that fails to provide the thrills the horror genre promises. Unfortunately, the comedy rarely lands either, with only one or two jokes managing to elicit a laugh-out-loud response. The comedy takes a low-hanging fruit approach, not feeling particularly clever or witty, which certainly cheapens things. The editing doesn’t help this notion, featuring strange transitions and freeze-frame character introductions that feel very forced, much like the humor within the screenplay. Despite all that, perhaps its biggest sin is the lack of development. It really wants to be a comedy with ‘eat the rich’ thematic strands running through it, but simply does not have enough to say on the matter. Character depth and story progression are exchanged for laughs, and the tones are all over the place with much imbalance. It has much potential, but wastes it within the writing.
Still, there’s hopefully enough horror in here to satiate gorehounds and see out spooky season appropriately. The titular coyotes are CGI-heavy, but look pretty good and are menacing enough. This is aided by clever sound design with their snarls and growls, and the way they creep towards their victims and throw themselves around works effectively. There’s not a ton of gore, but when sporadically used, it is grizzly, with many exposed body parts and blood splattered floors. One scene in particular, featuring an unlucky man’s ribcage fully on show, looks highly effective and is fairly memorable. Where the eat the rich perspective works best is within the horror genre – many of our supporting characters are quite unlikable, so seeing them meet their demise provides some entertainment. The death sequences aren’t extremely inventive, but there are enough of them to keep horror fans occupied, and the injury visuals are grim. Coyotes won’t be the scariest or goriest film of the year, but when it truly goes for it, there is success to be found. It’s just a shame the characters lack the urgency and bite of the antagonists to really get that fear factor escalating.
If the story delivered on everything promised – laugh-out-loud humor, intriguing social commentary, and tense horror – it would be a great watch. However, the humor rarely lands, the commentary is sorely underbaked, and there is little to no urgency behind our characters to ensure audiences feel the stakes. Luckily, great performances (especially from Long and Bosworth), and some efficient horror beats prevent Coyotes from being a complete misfire. The cast’s charisma, alongside the gore and kills, makes for an okay way to pass 90 minutes on a rainy day.
Grade: C-
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Coyotes (2025)
Trapped in their Hollywood Hills home, a family fights for survival when caught between a raging wildfire and a pack of savage coyotes. As the city loses power and chaos spreads, nature turns feral – and what starts as isolated attacks escalates into a terrifying siege they may not all survive.
Release Date: October 3, 2025
Director: Colin Minihan
Cast: Justin Long , Kate Bosworth , Mila Harris
