Coyotes - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Coyotes



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
OK, as a rabid fan of all things horror, it takes a LOT for me not to at least see some good in a horror film. I mean, the horror genre has never been known for being high class cinema, and runs the gamut of excellently crafted horror, but also thrives on being enjoyable slop. Even low grade horror movies are at least entertaining enough for a popcorn night with a couple of beers, and then a toss into the recycle pile having at least enjoyed the horrible experience. But then there’s movies that try REALLY hard, but someone fall so flat on their faces that they can’t even be enjoyed as a low level slop. Coyotes sadly falls into this category, trying hard to be a terrifying creature feature with a comedic bent, but the audience ends up laughing AT the movie rather than at the jokes themselves. Oh, and nothing’s scary either.

Scott (Justin Long) is a workaholic author who is is neglecting his family in their sumptuous L.A. home, as his wife Liv (Kate Bosworth) and daughter Chloe (Mila Harris) slip away from him day by day. Hiring an exterminator to root out a rat problem in the home, Scott and his family are beset by a pack of hungry coyotes. Ravenous, not afraid of humans, and ready to tear them apart without mercy. At first the family thinks the coyotes will move on, but the pack begins to take out their neighbors one by one, culminating in an all out assault on the writer’s home. As Scott attempts to maintain control of the situation, he is forced to overcome his mild mannered L.A. suburbanite nature and fight for his family before the dogs eat them all.

Coyotes is absolutely bizarre if you actually stop and think about it. On the surface it seems like a slightly cheeky creature feature, but the application of the sub genre is bonkers. The film tries so hard to be a little off the wall and humorous, with the opening montage of the valley girl getting eaten, the comic book esque splash screens, to the coke snorting next door neighbor dual wielding 1911s while shooting at the coyotes. And if that isn’t enough, the wolves themselves are downright hilarious. Unintentionally I will say, but hilarious nonetheless. The animation looks less like CGI and more like AI created beasts that move and look like they’re one of those AI reels you see on Facebook or Instagram. There is this weird soft look to them and even though they move a little better than your average AI reel, they still look eerily like one. Resulting in being taken completely out of the film.

It’s the final act that had me laughing so hard (AT the film mind you) that I almost spilled my Dr. Pepper in my lap. The entire movie is wrapped up with “huh, evil human eating Coyotes who can open doors and have blood dripping from their jaws just wanted their pups back. Lets give them to them and we’ll all be good”. Yeah, that was LITERALLY what happens in the final 20 minutes of the film. As I said above, I wanted to like the film because I have a huge weak spot for horror films. Especially bloody and gory ones with interesting kills. Coyotes fails on all fronts as a horror movie, weaving in badly placed humor that throws off the tone, and yet can never really coalesce into a frightening experience. The audience spends most of the time chuckling at the funny kills, the bad dialog, and general ineptitude of the entire production. I generally like Justin Long in horror films, and while I know he gravitates towards the bizarre end of the spectrum for his horror roles, this just wasn’t my thing.




Rating:

Rated R for bloody violent content, gore, language, some sexual material and brief drug use




Video:

Shot on digital cameras and given a stylized look, Coyotes looks rather good, but never really great in motion. There’s a very textured and rich look to everything, with overblown highlights in daylight sequences resulting in blooming, to dark and grimy looking night time shots that thrive off deep reds and blacks. Costuming is well done, with solid details on clothing and skin alike. There’ some weird softness whenever the Coyotes come on screen, and it’s pretty obvious there was some difficulty in getting the cheap CGI/AI to blend with the real world bits. Colors are sharp and clean, but overall the clarity of the film is simply modest due to the stylizing. Good, not great will be my final thoughts on it.









Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio track (the only one found on the disc, with English SDH subs) sounds good, but again, never great. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly, with solid power for the exciting bits, and a quiet laid back approach while the family talks things out. Subs kick in with some pretty fierce action during the coyote attacks, and during the gas explosion, but overall this is a fairly middle of the road mix that does everything well, but isn’t going to be one that you demo to your friends.









Extras:

• Meet the Pack: Behind the Scenes with the Makers

Final Score:

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Coyotes is a weak concept, with a weaker execution, and one of the most disappointing horror experiences of the last several years. Even The Lazarus Effect wasn’t this bad. I know I’m being a bit harsh with it, but with the cast involved and my general love of horror I was really hoping for better. The Blu-ray looks and sounds pretty good, but the anemic single extra and a poor story makes this an automatic pass from me unless you’re REALLY morbidly curious about seeing this thing for yourself.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Justin Long, Mila Harris, Brittany Allen
Directed by: Colin Minihan
Written by: Tad Daggerhart, Daniel Meersand, Nick Simon
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Decal Releasing
Rated: R
Runtime: 91 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: November 25th, 2025

Recommendation: Skip It.

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