Sioux Falls Filmmaker Nick Simon Brings 'Coyotes' To Life

If you’ve lived in Sioux Falls for a while, chances are you’ve heard the name Nick Simon. And if you haven’t, you’re about to, because this hometown filmmaker has a brand-new movie howling its way onto the national stage right now.

Simon, a veteran of the horror genre, has written, directed, and produced several spine-tinglers over the years. His latest creation, Coyotes, just premiered at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, and now it’s going nationwide.

Described as a mix of horror and dark comedy, Coyotes has been nearly a decade in the making.

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Simon says, imagine Stephen King’s “Cujo," but swap the rabid dog for a pack of killer coyotes and toss in a raging forest fire for good measure.

Simon teamed up with fellow screenwriter Tad Daggerhart to fine-tune his script. The duo made a few key tweaks and, according to Pigeon 605, sold the project within three months.

Critics are already talking. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave it a respectable two out of four stars, while William Bibbiani praised it as “a vicious and exciting horror film!”

The movie stars real-life couple Justin Long and Kate Bosworth, which should make for some extra believable chemistry, or tension, depending on how the coyotes behave. The story follows a family trapped inside their luxurious Hollywood Hills home, fighting for survival as a raging wildfire closes in and a pack of savage coyotes stalks them from outside.

While Coyotes is starting to prowl its way into theaters across the country, it hasn’t yet been scheduled for a Sioux Falls showing.

Hint, hint, State Theatre, Century Theatres, and West Mall 7, maybe it’s time to roll out the red carpet for our local horror hero and give us a Sioux Falls screening just in time for Halloween?

Coyotes is rated R.

Source: Pigeon 605

From Blockbusters to Hidden Gems: 35 Movies That Take Place in South Dakota

When it comes to South Dakota and Hollywood, we've seen our fair share of films that have used our state as the backdrop for a number of productions over the years. They may not have always filmed here, but movie folk love to set stories here.

We're all familiar with the blockbusters like 1990's Dances With Wolves, 1959's North By Northwest, and more recently, 2007's National Treasure: Book of Secrets. But our state's life on the big screen goes back nearly 100 years.

According to IMDb, it all started with Courtin' Wildcats, a 1929 film which, like so many of the 29 films on this list, is a Western set in the time before South Dakota became a state in 1889.

Gallery Credit: Jeff Harkness/B1027.com

Filed Under: Sioux Falls