Coyotes
October 3rd, 2025
MOVIE: COYOTES
STARRING: JUSTIN LONG, KATE BOSWORTH, MILA HARRIS
DIRECTED BY: COLIN MINIHAN
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 1 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
From the killer shark in Jaws to the rampaging alligators in Crawl and the oversized snake in Anaconda, animal-attack horror movies often offer a refreshing change of pace. With so many creatures already covered, it was only a matter of time before a film like Coyotes clawed its way to the screen. Starring real-life couple Justin Long and Kate Bosworth, the film follows a family living in the California hills as they fight to survive against a pack of bloodthirsty coyotes. Unfortunately, the result is a film with little bite and even less horror.
The setup is quick and familiar. Scott (Long) has just moved into a hillside home with his wife, Liv (Bosworth), and their daughter, Chloe (Mila Harris). A rat infestation prompts them to call an exterminator, just as nearby wildfires drive displaced coyotes closer to human territory. But these aren’t your average coyotes—they’re fast, relentless, and unnaturally aggressive. As flames lick at their backyard and a group of eccentric neighbors complicates matters, the family is forced into a desperate fight for survival.
On paper, a horror film about CGI coyotes tearing through shallow, vapid California socialites sounds like it could be a gory good time. But under Colin Minihan’s direction, Coyotes is a misfire—a clunky mix of underdeveloped characters, misused budget, and a complete lack of genuine scares. When the stoner neighbor Trip (Norbert Leo Butz) becomes the first victim, it sets the tone for a repetitive series of predictable, uninspired death scenes.
Unlike Dangerous Animals, a recent shark thriller that managed to layer in some thematic depth, Coyotes barely scratches the surface. Its characters fall into two camps: entitled rich people who you’re almost rooting to get eaten, and the central family unit trying (and failing) to create emotional stakes. Either way, the dynamic becomes stale quickly, wearing thin faster than a brushfire.
The one bright spot? It’s fun to see Long and Bosworth share the screen, clearly enjoying their time working together and embracing the genre for what it is. But beyond that, Coyotes brings little to the table. It’s another entry in a subgenre already teeming with better, bloodier, and smarter fare. Sadly, this one’s all bark, no bite, leaving behind nothing but scraps.
1 ½ STARS
COYOTES PREMIERED AT FANTASTIC FEST AND IS PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 2025.
Written by: Leo Brady
