Amber dreams of escaping her small town existence and persuades her friends to accompany her to find an apartment in the big city. When their transportation breaks down, she and her friends gratefully accept a ride in the back of a semi. But when the driver refuses to stop and they discover the cargo is hundreds of cartons of blood, they panic. Their panic turns to terror when the truck disgorges them into a dark, abandoned warehouse where blood-thirsty creatures learn to hunt human prey, which, the friends realize, is what they now are…

We caught up with writer, Tim Tori, to talk about Prowl.

Horror News Network: How did you come up with the concept for Prowl?

Tim Tori: I enjoy taking aspects of genre films and putting a new spin on them.  In this case, I had seen a lot of horror films about young people from the city who drive out to the middle of nowhere and encounter terrifying things.  One day I got to thinking about some of my friends who actually live out in the middle of nowhere, and I decided to write a horror story about what happens when they head out to the city.  As you might imagine, they also encounter terrifying things.

Horror News Network: Can you describe the blood thirsty creatures of Prowl?

Tim Tori: While doing research on scary monsters (all in a day’s work), I discovered a mythological bird called the strige, which feeds nocturnally on the blood of children.  I imagined what might happen if – centuries ago – the bloodlines of striges and humans had mixed.  The creatures of Prowl are descendents of that bloodline called The Strays.  Most of the time, they look like average humans, but at feeding time, they turn ferocious and scary, with sharp teeth and dark eyes… and insatiable appetites.

Horror News Network: Can you tell us a bit about the character development in the movie?

Tim Tori: I love stories about people who refuse to accept the hand life has dealt them and decide to reach out for something more.  Amber, the protagonist of Prowl, is one of those people.  She knows what she wants.  What she doesn’t know is the price she’ll have to pay to get it.  Without saying too much, I’ll add that the antagonists of Prowl are not traditional villains.  No one is evil.  Everyone is just doing what they think they need to do to survive.  I think that makes each character’s development interesting because everyone in this movie is forced to make decisions they don’t want to make.

Horror News Network:  In terms of blood and gore, what can we expect from Prowl?

Tim Tori: Prowl definitely delivers blood and gore.  But I think in this case those elements serve to underscore one of the movie’s themes which is the terror of losing someone close to you.  A lot of horror movies seem to build their story around the kills, and as a result, they come across as soulless.  I think that fans of blood and gore will enjoy Prowl because those violent moments are felt as much as they’re shown.

Horror News Network: What was it like teaming with director, Patrik Syversen?

Tim Tori: Right from when I first met him, Patrik was clearly a kindred spirit.  Like all the best directors I know, he’s smart and opinionated but also flexible and open-minded.  And because he’s a writer, he’s both respectful of what I’ve put on the page and capable of helping me make it better.  He’s also a lot of fun to hang out with.  He was the only director I met for this project.  He was also the right one.

Horror News Network: What impressed you the most with the actors in this film?

Tim Tori: The actors in this film all took their work very seriously and played it real.  From Courtney Hope, who carries the emotional weight of the story on her shoulders, to the Bulgarian locals who put their physicality into portraying these violent creatures – everyone delivered.  Ruta Gedmintas shot some of her most intense scenes while terribly ill but she still gave her all in every take.  To me, that sums up the commitment displayed by everyone in the cast.  And the crew as well.

Horror News Network: Where can our readers find out more about you?

Tim Tori:  Right here!  I love writing movies – not just horror, but all genres.  Since Prowl, I’ve continued working with After Dark Films.  We made an action film called “Dragon Eyes” with Dark Castle Entertainment and we’re developing a new science-fiction/horror project for SyFy.  In addition to my work with ADF, I’m also in pre-production on “Die Laughing” -- an action movie I co-wrote with director Timothy Linh Bui, to be shot in Vietnam later this year.  If you want to know anything else about me, you can contact my lovely and talented managers at Dobré Films.  http://www.dobrefilms.com

Horror News Network: In closing, what would you like to say about Prowl?

Tim Tori:  Prowl was a great example of how well things can go when you collaborate with the right people.  There are a lot of horror stories out there about writers who get involved with the wrong people and watch their films turn into something they don’t recognize.  For any young film makers reading this, I recommend making sure that the people you team up with all share the same vision.  Prowl is very much the movie I wrote, and that’s because our team was in sync.  From my managers (and Prowl producers) Michael Klein and Chris D’Elia to Patrik the director to producer Lucy Mukerjee at After Dark Films, all the way up to Courtney Solomon, the head of After Dark… we were all committed to making a tense, gripping horror movie, and that’s what we ended up doing.  It was a fantastic film making experience.

Horror News Network: Thank you for your time, Tim. Best of luck with Prowl! Comment on this article on our forum.