COYOTES is a lot of fun, and don’t believe anyone who says otherwise.
I’m stating this upfront because that’s clearly what director/editor Colin Minihan is striving for: pure fun lit up by bright, blinking carnival lights and driven by tight, efficient storytelling. COYOTES isn’t a goofy horror-comedy, or a “self-conscious” one, or one that tries to have it both ways, by simultaneously parodying genre tropes and relying on them. It’s simply out to deliver a good time, switching expertly between laughs and menace without undermining either; and it doesn’t really care about current trends or how cineastes are defining “cool” these days.
Not that you won’t pick up on echoes and even some knowing quotes scattered throughout. Though “eco-horror” as a descriptor has gained in popularity in recent years, I’d invoke an older term—the “revolt of nature” cycle that began in the ‘60s (THE BIRDS is explicitly hat-tipped at one point) and had its heyday in the ‘70s. After all, COYOTES isn’t much concerned about the environmental factors that set the threat in motion, or whether the film’s canine uprising will spread or intensify. Rather, everything is hyper-localized to the point where the focus becomes a single home. In short, it’s a siege movie, and in this respect its forebears are closer to flicks like CUJO and THE PACK. In terms of specifics, yes, there’s an indoor sequence that blatantly recalls JURASSIC PARK and WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005), but in terms of the overall feel of good-natured anarchy, the best reference is Joe Dante, not Spielberg.
It helps that the cast seems to be having a blast. While Justin Long is pretty perfect in the dad-doing-his-best role and Kate Bosworth’s work is quite solid, the real standout is Mila Harris as their daughter. Minihan keeps the dialogue from Tad Daggerhart and Nick Simon zinging, and the overall energy level never really flags beginning with the impressive opening credits (also designed by Minihan). Sure, a few quibbles can be made—the non-real title characters are a little too perfect looking and infernally malevolent in some shots, and the few scenes of drama, though not exactly weak, are not as memorable as the rest and don’t add much. Similarly, the ending, with its overly rational rationale for what the coyotes really want (and the humans’ somewhat mundane response to it), doesn’t seem to match the wildness and creativity of all that preceded it: you might find yourself wanting one more surprise, setback, or belly laugh to seal the deal.
Still, if you don’t catch COYOTES at Fantastic Fest, make a point of looking for it in general release in early October. For the season of mayhem and merriment, you’d be treating yourself.
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