The Howl of Coyotes (FANTASTIC) is Pretty Weak

Title: Coyotes

First Non-Festival Release: October 1, 2025 (Theatrical Release)

Director: Colin Minihan

Writer: Tad Daggerhart, Daniel Meersand, Nick Simon

Runtime: 91 Minutes

Starring: Justin Long, Mila Harris, Brittany Allen, Kate Bosworth

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2025.

Life in the Hollywood Hills has plenty of perks, but the geography of the area can present some challenges. Between wildfires, the wildlife, and the throngs of people trying to get closer to the rich and powerful, there are more dangers than one might expect.

After a powerful storm leaves many in the Hills struggling to pick up the pieces from the mess behind, a pack of coyotes stalk the homes relentlessly searching for something. Chloe (Mila Harris), her father (Justin Long), and mother (Kate Bosworth) are just one family trying to address the inconvenience that the storms caused in their lives when they find themselves crossing paths with a particularly vicious pack of wild coyotes. Together with their weird neighbor Trip (Norbert Leo Butz) and his “woman of the night” Julie (Brittany Allen), they fight back against the pack as a blazing inferno rages outside, adding an extra layer of terror in their fight for survival.

A cgi nightmare in a bad way, Coyotes struggles to maintain tension or laughs against limp creature feature thrills.

Immediately from the cold open, Coyotes demonstrates tonal mishmash that follows it through the entire film. Horror comedies are tricky to get right and the grating humor and lack of horror in Coyotes makes it difficult to stay invested. Leaning into more playful comedy, the creature feature attempts to satirize the lives of the elites of Hollywood. Unfortunately, most of the jokes feel juvenile or played out. Leaning into stereotypes and weak gags when the story stagnates or the action lulls, Coyotes gets bogged down rather quickly.

The characters feel inauthentic too thanks to rapid fire pacing and a penchant for hit-or-miss comedy that mostly misses. Nearly every person is an insufferable, paper-thin stereotype. From mean girls to sex-obsessed conspiracy theorists and stone-serious exterminators, there isn’t a single normal person in Coyotes. Somehow, none of them are interesting either. Thanks to a lack of development, most of them glide through the canine carnage before their underwhelming demise. It doesn’t do much to inspire confidence in the story when the characters don’t feel authentic or in any real danger.

Tying it all together is the absolute travesty of how the titular animals are portrayed, occupying the most uncomfortable part of the uncanny valley. From the very first scene when their goofiness arrives onscreen, it’s easy to tell what kind of film Coyotes will be. Cheap looking and ephemeral, the lack of quality-looking coyotes here destroys any impact they have. It isn’t just in their appearance. There’s something unnatural about the way they move. Creeping as if they’ve never stalked prey or ran in their lives, the coyotes fail to menace despite their best efforts. Their over-saturated presence also contributes to the lack of scares as the film loves lingering over them.

Despite the mess, Justin Long and Kate Bosworth deliver solid enough performances to keep the action alive. Leading the film with as much charisma as he can muster, Long works hard to make Scott feel real. Much of the emotional and comedic heavy lifting comes from Long, with a few of the side characters helping with the gags, of course, but it isn’t enough to make the limp family drama feel real, exciting, or even pressing as the pack of coyotes circle their mansion. Bosworth, however, is relegated to a nagging wife role in Liv. There’s enough edge to her performance to make her fun to watch but as a character Liv is flatter than an X-axis.

It’s a mixed bag for sure, but the lows are more apparent than the highs. Poor writing, dull action, and a total disaster in creature effects make it difficult to recommend Coyotes. Its saving grace comes in the way of Long and Bosworth, rescuing it from being a total failure. Limping its way into theaters this October, the howl of Coyotes sounds more like a whimper.

Overall Score? 5/10