Ryan Prows on Night Patrol: Vampires, Cops and LA’s Dark Side

January used to be the month studios quietly dropped their less impressive horror flicks, but that’s changed in recent years. Take Ryan Prows’ Night Patrol, for example—a gutsy, ambitious horror film with Justin Long and Jermaine Clement leading a strong ensemble. The story follows a Los Angeles police officer who stumbles onto a secretive LAPD task force, only to find it’s more dangerous than it first appears.

We caught up with director and co-writer Ryan Prows to talk about his take on LA, his approach to vampire mythology, and how he weaves real-world issues into a genre setting. Here’s what he had to say.

Capturing the Real LA

Prows, originally from Atlanta, moved to LA for film school and quickly fell for the city’s unique character.

“That’s very accurate, I would say. Very astute. I’m from Atlanta originally and moved out here to go to film school, where I met all of my friends and colleagues that we all made Lowlife together, and then a lot of us went forward and made this as well. But growing up, like everybody, we just loved LA movies. And specifically for this movie, there’s almost like a subgenre of LA cop movies — LAPD movies and LA gang movies.”

He wanted to honour LA by making it a living, breathing part of the film, shooting on location and using local crews. The city’s look, especially the sunlight filtered through smog, became a visual motif. Prows and his cinematographer, Ben Kitchens, also drew inspiration from the harsh LED lights of modern police cars and public housing, using them to create a sense of unease and tension.

He admits it took a while to warm up to LA, but now considers it home.

“But my wife immediately loved it, and now we’ve had a kid, and this is home. So I want to keep making LA movies as long as I can.”

Building a Layered World

Night Patrol stands out for its detailed world-building. Prows wanted the film’s communities and LAPD factions to feel authentic, so he spent years connecting with local leaders in Watts and South Central, as well as current and former gang members.

“That was a big piece of it: wanting to make everything feel grounded in the real world so that even when the vampire stuff pops off, that somehow oddly feels real world and grounded and that much more scary.”

He credits community figures like Skip Townsend and YG for helping shape the film’s depiction of gang culture, even letting YG name the fictional gangs and neighbourhoods.

This approach meant the cast could meet locals and get a feel for the real LA, making the film’s world more believable. Prows was keen for the community to have a say, ensuring the story rang true for those it represented.

Ensemble Storytelling and Social Horror

Night Patrol uses a multi-character, ensemble structure, a trend Prows reckons is perfect for horror.

“It was really exciting as we were starting to build the script and the story of being able to tackle these very real, awful horrors in the world from multiple angles and multiple points of view, and doing our homework and having everybody feel, again, authentic and grounded.”

He enjoys watching different communities and cultures collide, with the tension building as the story unfolds.

The film also leans into what’s often called “social horror”—using genre to explore deeper issues. Prows believes horror has always been political, offering a way to discuss tough topics without feeling preachy.

“You can tackle these bigger issues, but it can still be fun, and it won’t feel like you’re watching someone soapbox to you or just sitting there and lecturing you or whatever.”

He wanted the film to spark conversation, not just deliver scares.

Law Enforcement, Vampires and Visual Style

One of Night Patrol’s central themes is the complicated relationship many Americans have with police. Prows approached this head-on, aiming to show things as they are without pushing a particular message.

“The movie, I think, doesn’t pull any punches or hide what it’s about or what we’re bringing up.”

He hopes the film encourages viewers to keep talking about these issues after the credits roll.

On the technical side, Prows experimented with camera and editing techniques, including negative colour scenes, to give the vampire elements a fresh spin. He drew on African folklore for some of the vampire traits, like metal fangs, and thought carefully about how the supernatural rules would work in a grounded setting.

“How do we put something on screen, technically, emotionally, and everything that you haven’t seen with such a well-worn monster, vampire tropes and everything, but still make it our own and make it feel fresh and a cool approach to it?”

Gore is used sparingly at first, ramping up to full-blown chaos by the finale. Prows says this structure helps build tension and keeps punters rooting for the characters, even when things look grim.

“You have to introduce very awful, sort of insurmountable stakes and then keep ratcheting it up, and that helps with the tension of the whole piece and feelings of helplessness and that our characters are never ready to get through this.”

Night Patrol hits cinemas on 15 January.