Coyotes is fun for the cast and comedic interactions, but fumbles with the frights.
Coyotes, playing at Fantastic Fest, has potential with the premise, but each time the titular toothy foes appear onscreen, it struggles to maintain tension because it lacks practical effects. It’s clear the fanged predators are not there, and that harms the film. However, the comical aspects are hilarious. The film crafts believable familial humor and conflict. So, it leaves viewers cackling and thoroughly entertained in those moments. Coyotes is fun for the cast and comedic interactions, but fumbles with the frights.
Directed by Colin Minihan (Grave Encounters, Extraterrestrial) and written by Ted Daggerhart (The Expendables 4, Black Lotus), Daniel Meersand (The Pyramid, Removal), and Nick Simon (Untitled Horror Movie, The Girl in the Photographs), it follows a family under threat. Husband Scott, played by Justin Long (It’s a Wonderful Knife, Barbarian), along with his wife Liv, played by Kate Bosworth (Barbarian, Wild Indian), and their daughter Chloe, Mila Harris (Mary, King Saud), wind up trapped in their Hollywood Home with a wildfire spreading and a pack of coyotes waiting to tear them apart. While it sounds frightening, the movie makes ample time to foster laughter.
Coyotes Lets You Know It’s Meant to Be Light Fun
Setting up a first kill tells audiences about the tone of the film they are about to watch. With Coyotes, they show a social media influencer, Kat, played by Katherine McNamara (The Queen’s Jewels, High Ground), walking her small dog and crowing to a friend on the phone about how amazing it is to be her. Her death is gruesome and hilarious as she curses the coyotes.
The movie largely honors that tone. Couple Justin Long and Kate Bosworth bring some genuine couple humor to the role, as she cautions him about the tree out front with an impending storm. Meanwhile, Long’s character asserts there is no cause for concern… until the tree crushes their car, thus leaving them trapped when the electricity goes down and the coyotes arrive. Mila Harris, as their daughter, captures both affection and that teenage eyeroll every time parents try to seem cool. Coyotes nails comedic timing and, with Nick Simon as one of the writers, I expect no less.
Effects Are Not It
One of the worst things to happen to horror films is the use of CGI, and even worse is the use of AI effects. It’s impossible to suspend disbelief when every pivotal, deadly scene looks partially phony. Truth be told, the film would be much scarier if they went the Wolfen route and emphasized the point of view of the four-legged threat with a reveal around the end, if that. It’s not too far-fetched, given how they expect the creatures to understand the terms of a deal. There’s only one scene in Coyotes where the animals feel like a threat. Its overuse of effects makes the animals glossy and unreal.
Coyotes is a great movie comedy-wise, nailing most of the laughs, but its over-reliance on unrealistic effects deflates promising tension. If you don’t expect scares, the film is a fun time. Justin Long and Kate Bosworth are a hilarious duo; from dialogue to just the sounds they make, they know how to build up humor. Thanks to them, Coyotes has enough working in its favor to make it worthwhile.
