Ryan Prows’ latest film, “Night Patrol,” joins a growing wave of 2020s vampiric horror, alongside titles like “Sinners,” “Nosferatu,” and “Vampires vs. the Bronx.”

This Monday, I had the opportunity to see the film and stay for a post-screening Q&A with Prows, RJ Cyler, and Freddie Gibbs at the AMC Magic Johnson Theater in Harlem. Split into multiple chapters, the film is both gory and darkly funny.

Set in Los Angeles,“Night Patrol” follows an LAPD officer, Hawkins (played by Justin Long), and a local resident, Wazi (Cyler), who uncover a disturbing secret about a task force patrolling the city’s gangs. I was intrigued when I first heard the premise, but even more excited to see how it played out. The cops hunt Black residents (literally) with impunity, and only one of them appears to have a conscience.

“I wanted to do something that matters and talk about some real shit,” Prows said during the Q&A, moderated by Gerard “HipHopGamer” Williams. “But hopefully couch that in a really fun movie that we can just enjoy as a thrilling ride, and then come away thinking about something.”

The film definitely gave me plenty to think about. For example, “What’s the lore behind vampires in the LAPD?” “Why doesn’t the force care?” “How do you kill them?” “And are those really Bloods and Crips working together?”

Much of the cast has experience in horror films or television, including Jermaine Fowler (“The Blackening”), Long (“Barbarian”), Cyler (“Scream: Resurrection”), and Nicki Micheaux (“The Pact 2”). Meanwhile, rappers Freddie Gibbs, YG, and Flying Lotus make appearances as new actors.

Prior to “Night Patrol,” Prows directed Lowlife, a 2017 dark comedy thriller about an addict, an ex-con, and a luchador navigating the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles. That film also starred Micheaux.

“Night Patrol” touches on themes of policing in low-income neighborhoods, gang life, race in America, and complicated family dynamics. Some family members find themselves on opposite ends of the ideological spectrum, while others aren’t sure what to think at all. During the Q&A, Cyler spoke about his character, Wazi’s relationship with his mother, Ayanna, played by Micheaux.

“I can’t speak for all young ladies and their relationships with their moms, because I’m not a young lady,” he said. “But when it comes to dudes, we go back and forth with our moms all the time, you feel me? And at the end of the day, we find out she was right.”

Gibbs also praised Micheaux, calling her one of the best actors on set and noting that her character becomes a mother figure to the rest of the cast. Prows agreed, adding that Cyler’s character represents the heart of the film, while Micheaux’s is its soul.

“Night Patrol” premieres in theaters this Friday, Jan. 16, and will likely find its way onto plenty of late-night watchlists when it comes to streaming on Shudder.