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Running Time: 91 Minutes
Certification: 15
Starring: Justin Long, Kate Bosworth, Brittany Allen, Mila Harris, Norbert Leo Butz, Kevin Glynn, Katherine McNamara, Keir O'Donnell
Following their successful feature debut, 2011's Grave Encounters, The Vicious Brothers have both forged their own careers as filmmakers. Surprisingly enough, the pair have both released a horror film in 2025, with Stuart Ortiz's Strange Harvest picking up particular attention for its apparent use of A.I. during the festival run. Director Colin Minihan made his latest feature with Coyotes, although there is a similar controversy surrounding the film's release.
The film opens in the Hollywood Hills as an intoxicated woman in a pink dress walks her little dog at night. As her focus is on taking selfies, she does not realise that her dog is being attacked by a larger animal until it is too late. Viewers then cut to a family also living in the well-off location, made up of Scott (Justin Long), his wife Liv (Kate Bosworth), and their teenage daughter, Chloe (Mila Harris). Their worries are initially about a rat infestation within the house walls, but the family soon find larger worries when they are caught between a raging wildfire and a pack of savage coyotes.
Considering the film’s title, it is a work that will rely or die on how the titular creatures will look. The unfortunate thing is how truly jarring their appearance is, leaving one uncertain about the source of it. Is it poorly rendered CGI, or has A.I. been utilized? No confirmation has been received by anybody involved with the film, but considering how ill-fitting and dead-eyed these creatures look, it is no wonder that the latter is constantly being guessed.
As a result, the titular creatures never feel like a tangible threat. There is a constantly awareness of how abundantly fake they are, leaving no opportunity to feel immersed in this world, or to even buy into these creatures existing in the same space as the on-screen characters. No matter how many pets or uninteresting characters fall victim, it is difficult to feel tension when they appear to be menaced by a tech demo.
Much of this review has been focused on key visual effects, and while that does not make up the whole film, it is a major part of it. Truth be told, there is not much else worth discussing about the film itself. There is a likeable family unit central to this tale that are brought alive with decent chemistry, including real-life couple Justin Long and Kate Bosworth making for a watchable pair. It is unfortunate how they feel like the minority amidst this overstuffed and forgettable cast, or how the laughs are repeatedly attempted but never truly come.
There is some visual flair courtesy of comic-book style panelling, but this can only go so far when the potentially gripping premise feels squandered in its execution. What should be a confined nightmare never feels as interesting as that, leaving something that feels utterly rough on a script and visual level. Coyote Ugly would be acceptable as an alternate title, but for now, all that can be said is how Coyotes is an utter dog of a film.
Coyotes played at FrightFest Halloween 2025. It is available on Digital HD from 29th December and Blu-Ray & DVD from 5th January. Distributed by Signature Entertainment.
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