Colin Minihan’s Coyotes is one of the most unexpectedly enjoyable thrillers of 2025, a tight, fiery, eco-horror adventure that blends creature-feature suspense with an intimate family drama. What could have easily become a campy “animals attack” movie instead emerges as a tense, stylish, emotionally resonant survival story that hits far above its weight class.
The plot is straightforward but immediately gripping: a Hollywood Hills family, Scott (Justin Long), Liv (Kate Bosworth), and their teenage daughter Chloe (Mila Harris), becomes trapped in their home as wildfires rage nearby. The already volatile situation turns terrifying when a pack of coyotes, driven from their habitat and behaving with eerie coordination, surrounds the house.
The genius of the setup is its layered tension. The fire, the darkness, the isolation, the failing communications, the smoke, all of it compounds into an atmosphere where anything could go wrong at any moment. The coyotes are just the final spark thrown onto the fuse.
Minihan handles the escalation beautifully. Rather than rushing into chaos, he lets suspense simmer, building dread through sound, shadows, and the slow realization that the home’s massive windows, once symbols of luxury, are now gaping vulnerabilities.
Justin Long gives one of his most grounded and mature performances to date. His Scott is a man who wants to be capable and prepared, but who discovers that emergency kits, flashlights, and gadgets aren’t nearly as useful when nature pushes back in unpredictable ways. Long injects a surprising amount of heart into the role, especially as Scott tries to balance protecting his family with the guilt of not having all the answers.
Kate Bosworth is equally strong, playing Liv with a quiet resilience that gradually becomes the emotional spine of the film. Unlike many horror movies that sideline one parent, Coyotes allows her to make key decisions and drive the narrative. Bosworth combines fear, frustration, and fierce protectiveness in ways that feel truthful rather than melodramatic.
Mila Harris, as Chloe, is a standout. Instead of the stereotypical horror-movie teen glued to a phone, she brings nuance and wit to the role. Chloe’s fear feels real, but so does her courage, which manifests in small, believable ways, quick thinking, emotional honesty, and a refusal to be a passive passenger in her own survival.
The chemistry among the three is excellent, giving the film a credible emotional core that many creature thrillers lack.
While the coyotes are the film’s main attraction, Coyotes doesn’t rely solely on shock value. Minihan infuses the story with thematic depth, not in a heavy-handed way, but with clear intention. The creatures are both literal and symbolic: victims of climate change, fire, habitat loss, and human complacency.
What makes the film impressive is how it balances the visceral and the meaningful. The coyotes are threatening, aggressive, and frightening, but they’re also presented with a kind of tragic dignity. They’re not supernatural monsters; they’re animals pushed to desperation.
The attack sequences are superbly crafted. The first major encounter, a tense standoff illuminated only by emergency lights and the flicker of flames outside, is genuinely pulse-pounding. Another standout set piece involves a precarious escape attempt across the home’s damaged deck, where every footstep feels like it might be the last.
Minihan’s direction finds a perfect balance between close-quarters danger and the sweeping, apocalyptic beauty of the wildfire-lit hills. The visual contrast between the warm glow of the flames and the cold predatory movement of the coyotes creates some of the film’s most striking images.
While the film is primarily a thriller, it includes moments of lightness that feel earned rather than disruptive. A few side characters provide brief comic relief, but it’s the family’s own dynamics, the teasing, the bickering, the whispered pep talks, that lend the movie a welcome warmth.
These moments don’t undercut the horror; they deepen it. When characters feel human, their danger feels real.
Creature features often fall apart in the third act, relying on bombast rather than character or logic. Coyotes avoids that common pitfall. The final stretch is chaotic in the best way, intense but coherent, emotional but not sentimental. The family’s decisions feel grounded in everything that’s come before, and the climax delivers both catharsis and visual spectacle.
One of the most impressive achievements is the film’s restraint. Instead of turning into a CGI bonanza, it keeps the action focused, personal, and rooted in the physical space of the home. The result is far more gripping than a bigger, louder, less controlled finale would've been.
The sound design deserves special praise. The distant crackle of the wildfire, the low growls and sudden bursts of movement from the coyotes, and the eerie quiet of a blackout-stricken home all combine to create an immersive soundscape.
The cinematography is equally strong. Minihan and his team make excellent use of natural light, firelight, and shadows to create a world that feels tactile and dangerous.
The effects work, a combination of practical elements, smart camera angles, and judicious CGI, is far better than many films with triple the budget. The coyotes look and move believably, especially in motion and in partial silhouette, where their menace is most effective.
Coyotes is a lean, tense, unusually heartfelt survival thriller that proves a creature feature can be scary, thoughtful, and character-driven all at once. It delivers gripping set pieces, compelling performances, and a timely ecological message without ever losing sight of its primary mission: to thrill.
It’s the rare horror movie that feels both intimate and cinematic, both entertaining and meaningful. While not flashy, it’s crafted with care, confidence, and a genuine respect for its audience.
While the special features are limited to a single behind-the-scenes documentary, the strength of the film itself makes this Blu-ray an easy must-own. Coyotes is the kind of surprising, character-driven thriller I used to love recommending back when I worked at a video store, the sort of hidden gem you hand to someone with confidence knowing they’ll come back excited to talk about it.
Coyotes is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
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