Fantastic Fest Review: Night Patrol

More and more often, I come across pieces of horror that hit at nerve. Not in the negative way, rather in a way that is deep and resonant. Growing up in the 80s, with the rise in ‘B-movies’ slashers into the zeitgeist – the genre felt like the furthest thing from thoughtful. As an adult and massive consumer of media, I’ve had time to learn about the deep connection the horror genre has to the relaying the prevalent fears of the times. A society afraid of marijuana use unraveling society is the breeding ground for a film like Reefer Madness. So what are the prevalent fears that create the environment for the subject of this film review, Night Patrol? Let’s get into it.

A top-tier pick for me at Fantastic Fest, Night Patrol features a multicultural take on vampire and hunter lore never before executed.

Night Patrol’s big idea is that the LAPD have an elite gang buster task force that only patrol at night and have license to use lethal force. They’re all stocky white dudes with military backgrounds and a predilection for racist statements. They wear propagandistic logos, wear Oakley shades and face masks with skeletons on them. Oh, and they’re vampires!

The other big idea is that the Bloods and Crips are not just rival street gangs, but posits that the Crips are descendants of Zulu hunter warriors and Bloods are conspiracy theorists ready to battle any enemy! RJ Cyler stars as Wazi, a young Crip tired of the gang life he’s born into. When Wazi witnesses his Blood girlfriend killed by LAPD’s night patrol squad (led by pro-wrestler CM Punk), it puts him on a collision course with the Bloods leader (played hilariously by rapper Freddie Gibbs), his OG Crip mother ( ), his cop brother (Jermaine Fowler), his patrol partner (Justin Long), and his destiny.

What opens like a Romeo and Juliet type setup becomes something so much more nefarious and rewarding in the long run.

The idea that police brutality and extrajudicial killings is so rampant in reality, that even in fiction the best allegory to be made is that they are out for blood – so why not make them vampires? It hits. Hard. Mind you, Night Patrol doesn’t take the surgical approach that Sinners took. This ain’t about the nuanced interplay of cultures via colonialism and oppression. Night Patrol is a sledgehammer with a tac light on it talking right to the hood about how untouchable and invincible the police feel in American society. Somehow, this indie genre film relays the overwhelming desperation and anger of the Black experience without ever feeling preachy or overbearing.

Yall Aint Gotta Like Cuz The Hood Gon Love It

It cannot be oversold how the culture of LA is front and center in Night Patrol. From featuring rapper YG, a real life Piru, to filming in Watts and using housing projects for shooting locations. A lot of reviews attack the writing, but it was some of the most naturally hood dialogue I’ve seen since Black Jesus on Adult Swim. There’s something to be said about the effort it takes to float these notions and ideas, resisting the pull to overintellectualize the dialogue. Also, to trust in ‘the culture’ and have YG improvise lines for authenticity (while also making sure the set was safe by checking in with the local Blood homies). To have Flying Lotus anchor a good deal of the humor to offset the harsh imagery. To allow Blackness to be the standard for the production and not the sideshow. Slated for release in early 2026, Night Patrol is going to make waves with its intended audience; the genre horror fans and the block. It won’t matter if it gets the academy accolades or not. They ain’t gotta like it, cuz the hood gon love it. And that’s on that.

When Night Patrol drops, make sure you go see that.