Coyotes is a 2025 American comedy-horror thriller film directed and edited by Colin Minihan. It stars Justin Long, Kate Bosworth, Mila Harris, Katherine McNamara, Brittany Allen, Keir O'Donnell, and Norbert Leo Butz. It had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 20, 2025, before a theatrical release on October 3, 2025.
Plot One night in the Hollywood Hills, a young female influencer is walking her small dog. In a split second, a pack of feral coyotes snatches the dog from a bush—and then brutally turns on her.
Nearby, comic book artist Scott, his wife Liv, and their teenage daughter Chloe are hunkered down as a massive storm and Santa Ana winds slam Los Angeles. The storm takes out the power, kills all cell service, and blocks the roads with fallen trees. With wildfires raging nearby, emergency services are totally swamped, leaving the family completely trapped in the hills.
At first, they're just trying to manage the chaos alongside their eccentric, drunk neighbors, Trip and Julie. But the vibe shifts from stressful to terrifying when a downed tree reveals the bloody collar of Trip’s missing cat. Local wildlife isn't just scavenging; it's actively hunting. An eccentric exterminator named Devon stops by with some wild theories, but the situation rapidly falls apart. The starving coyote pack begins systematically picking off the residents—including Tony, Sheila, and Devon—turning the neighborhood into a coordinated, four-legged home invasion.
Desperate to save his family, Scott finds a litter of coyote pups hidden in his crawlspace. Realizing the adult pack's aggression is fueled by a desperate need to protect their young, he uses the pups as leverage to strike a tense, temporary truce with the lead alpha. The standoff buys the family just enough time to make a run for it. They manage to escape in the exterminator’s van, and just as they clear the property, a massive gas explosion completely levels the house behind them.
Cast
Production Coyotes was directed by Colin Minihan from a screenplay by Tad Daggerhart and Nick Simon, and story by Simon, Daggerhart, and Daniel Meers. It was produced by Captone Studios, Nathan Klingher, Ford Corbett, and Joshua Harris for Gramercy Park Media, and Jib Polhemus for Source Management and Production. Funding was done by Magnetic Labs. Real-life couple Justin Long and Kate Bosworth were cast in the leading roles. Long initially declined the script due to his involvement with the short film Fur Babies for the horror anthology V/H/S/Beyond (2024). After Bosworth read the script, she encouraged him to reconsider it as a potential starring role. Mila Harris, Katherine McNamara, Brittany Allen, Keir O'Donnell, and Norbert Leo Butz co-star. Allen also composed the score.
Financed by Capstone Studios and Magnetic Labs, principal photography took place between November and December 2024 in Bogotá, Colombia.
Release In August 2025, Aura Entertainment acquired the U.S. distribution rights and released it on October 3, 2025. It had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 20, 2025. The U.K. and Ireland rights were secured by Signature Entertainment.
Reception
William Bibbiani of The Wrap considered the film a "failed opportunity", noting that while the explanation for the coyote attacks was coherent, the lack of a stronger thematic connection made the narrative feel "arbitrary". He wrote, "Still, Colin Minihan knows how to make a gnarly horror film".
RogerEbert.com's Brian Tallerico awarded the film a score of two out of four, describing it a missed opportunity. He criticized the depiction of the coyotes, suggesting they appeared to be created by A.I. software. He wrote, "They don't move in a normal, threatening way, never really looking like they're sharing the same space with the characters. If you're willing to overlook the "fake-otes" and the occasionally lame stabs at humor, there are some memorable deaths in Coyotes, and likable enough performances from most of the ensemble".
References
External links