Set against the backdrop of the Palisades wildfires, Scott (Justin Long), his wife Liv (Kate Bosworth), and their daughter Chloe (Mila Harris) become stranded in their Hollywood Hills home when a windstorm knocks out their power and destroys their SUV. Driven towards the neighbourhoods by the fires, a pack of savage coyotes has been picking off their neighbours one by one and are ready to tear them— and their dog Charlie—apart.
The opening scene of Coyotes sets the film’s tone. An influencer is out walking her dog in Sherman Oaks while talking vapidly on the phone to a friend. After calling her dog a “bitch” multiple times, it finally jumps into a bush to do its business, but falls victim to a vicious coyote attack right before its owner meets her karmic end. The other characters we meet, such as neighbour Trip (Norbert Leo Butz) and “lady of the night” Jules (Brittany Allen), come across as just as shallow as the unnamed influencer. They each represent a certain type of person but, in true slasher fashion, we don’t get to know them very well. While this works for other films of its genre, it’s a weakness here, though its straightforward storytelling is welcomed.
It’s great to see Long and Bosworth, who are married in real life, come together for another film. Coyotes isn’t their best, as their characters aren’t fleshed out either, but they both deliver strong performances with the material they have (as do the entire cast). People are quick to mention Barbarian, but my favourite film of theirs is House of Darkness, a hidden gem available to watch on Amazon Prime Video in the UK. It’s not amazing by any means, but it’s a competent and intriguing slow burn that updates a vampire tale as old as time.
Directed by Colin Minihan (What Keeps You Alive, Spiral) and written by Tad Daggerhart (The Expendables 4) and Nick Simon (The Pyramid), who developed the story with Daniel Meersand, Coyotes captures the real-life horror of coyotes attacking people’s pets during the Palisades wildfires in January 2025. The film asks if we feel sorry for rich people when bad things happen to them. During the wildfires, many expressed unsympathetic views, stating that celebrities can just buy a new house because they’re rich.
Coyotes, however, isn’t designed to be a serious film, though their “eat the rich” tagline sure goes hard. It gets more chaotic and somewhat unpredictable as the film unfolds. The deaths are effectively gruesome with some killer gore—there is one shot in particular that is as spectacular as it is disturbing. There are some animal deaths, too, but those occur off-screen. The cinematography is striking in most instances, with one scene lit beautifully by candlelight. The score, which was done by Allen (who is married to Minihan), is impressive. It’s rhythmic, fun, and tense in all the right places. Overall, Coyotes is a highly atmospheric, energetic, and entertaining creature feature.
Coyotes will release in cinemas on 3rd October via AURA Entertainment in the US.
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