“Coyotes,” a new horror comedy and survival thriller, unites real-life partners Justin Long (“Barbarian”) and Kate Bosworth (“Straw Dogs”) on screen once more, following their 2022 collaboration in “House of Darkness.” Directed by Colin Minihan (“Grave Encounters,” “What Keeps You Alive”) and acquired for distribution in the U.K. and Ireland by Signature Entertainment, the film recently premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin. The feature is billed as an “intense and tightly-paced creature feature meets home invasion thriller, sugar-coated with comedy,” promising a unique genre mashup that Bosworth herself praised.

The film’s plot centers on a family living in the Hollywood Hills who find themselves in a desperate fight for survival. They are caught between the encroaching danger of a raging wildfire and a ferocious pack of savage coyotes, driven into the suburbs by the blazes. The story focuses on Scott (Justin Long), a successful comic book writer, his wife Liv (Kate Bosworth), and their teenage daughter Chloe (Mila Harris). Unlike many genre tropes, the family is portrayed as genuinely caring for each other despite their imperfections, allowing the audience to root for them as they face the escalating threat.

Alongside Long, Bosworth, and Harris, the cast includes Brittany Allen (“The Prodigy”) as sex worker Julie and Katherine McNamara (“Shadowhunters”). The film is produced by Ford Corbett, James Harris, Joshua Harris, and Nathan Klingher, and written by Tad Daggerhart (“The Expendables 4”), Daniel Meersand, and Nick Simon (“The Pyramid”). Capstone is handling the global sales rights. Elizabeth Williams, Signature’s chief commercial officer, lauded the film for its “great performances” and “brilliantly realized beasts,” highlighting its ability to be both hilarious and nail-bitingly intense.

A significant aspect of “Coyotes” is its grounded approach to the titular creatures. The film establishes early on that the coyotes are a product of real-world environmental factors—specifically, the wildfires pushing them into human habitats. This context aims to elicit a degree of sympathy for the animals, preventing them from being simplistic monsters. While the film features a scene of a coyote intelligently opening a door, it largely resists making them supernatural, instead focusing on their desperation, rage, and numbers as the primary source of fear. The CGI used for the coyotes is noted for its lifelike quality, especially in night scenes, avoiding the pitfalls of cartoonish villains that might have plagued such a film years ago.

Despite its promising premise and efforts to create realistic threats, “Coyotes” has received mixed reviews, often cited as falling short of its full potential. Critics suggest it is neither consistently scary nor funny enough to fully capitalize on its gimmick. A notable criticism is the film’s reliance on numerous supporting characters, many of whom are introduced with superhero-like name cards only to serve as “coyote fodder” and disappear. Characters like the over-the-top neighbor Trip (Norbert Leo Butz) and the underdeveloped rat exterminator Devon (Keir O'Donnell) are seen as detracting from the core family narrative and the tension. While director Colin Minihan is praised for crafting some suspenseful moments and spectacular shots, particularly the silhouettes of coyotes against fire, the overall consensus is that killer coyotes are not inherently terrifying enough, and the comedy often feels forced. The film, which has a poster slogan “Eat the rich,” also lacks any significant political commentary, ultimately being described as a minor creature feature that is enjoyable but largely harmless. “Coyotes” is scheduled for release in theaters on October 3.