More and more often, I come across pieces of horror that hit a nerve. Not in the negative way, rather in a way that is deep and resonant. Growing up in the 80s, with the rise of ‘B-movie’ slashers in 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 relaying the prevalent fears of the times. A society afraid of marijuana use unraveling the “morally ideal” society became 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. It felt like a healthy mix of Training Day meets Sinners with a dash of Friday. It was one of the few pieces with a Black lens shown at the festival, and it made waves with everyone who witnessed it.
Night Patrol’s big idea is that the LAPD has an elite gangbuster task force that only patrols at night and has license to use lethal force. They’re all stocky white dudes with military backgrounds and a predilection for racist statements. They wear propagandistic logos, Oakley shades, and face masks adorned with skulls. 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 the 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 being killed by the LAPD’s night patrol squad (led by Dermot Mulroney and pro-wrestler and supreme ally, CM Punk), it puts him on a collision course with the Bloods leader (played hilariously by rapper Freddie Gibbs), his OG Crip mother (Nicki Micheaux), his cop brother (Jermaine Fowler), his brother’s patrol partner (Justin Long), and his destiny.
What opens like a Romeo and Juliet-type setup becomes something so much more nefarious and ultimately rewarding in the long run.
The idea that police brutality and extrajudicial killings are 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. Hats off to writers Ryan Prows (he’s also the director!), Shaye Ogbanna, Jake Gibson, and Tim Cairo for balancing the tone of Night Patrol, but keeping it hood.
Y’all Aint Gotta Like it 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 have attacked 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.
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