PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Following a successful run on the genre festival circuit, The Prowler, the psychological horror short written, directed, and edited by Christopher Piñero and starring Aaron Dominguez, is headed to the Academy Award®- and BAFTA-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival, taking place July 30-August 12, 2026, at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.
The film has already screened at Panic Fest and the Chattanooga Film Festival, earning praise from horror fans and industry outlets alike. Blending psychological horror with emotionally grounded performances, The Prowler explores fear, paranoia, and the uncertainty of reality.
Pop Horror recently spoke with writer-director Christopher Piñero and star Aaron Dominguez about the film’s origins, the challenges of psychological horror, Puerto Rican folklore, and their collaborative creative process.
Fear as the Villain
PopHorror: Christopher, you said The Prowler began with the question, “What if fear itself became the villain?” How did that concept evolve, and what did it do to shape the film?
Christopher Piñero: I guess because I think along with the main character, the audience is so disoriented. I wanted it to play like an extended nightmare and put them in his shoes because he doesn’t know what’s going on. He doesn’t know what he’s afraid of, just like we are.
I thought it’d be interesting if a character like this was afraid — to see them afraid — because you’re so used to the opposite. If it was the opposite, it’d be more of a generic story that you’ve seen a hundred times. So to see a character like this afraid made me really interested in telling the story.
PopHorror: Aaron, psychological horror depends on what a character is thinking rather than what they’re saying. How did you prepare to portray someone whose grip on reality is constantly challenged?
Aaron Dominguez: I asked a lot of questions.
I asked a lot of questions to my director, obviously, Christopher. I think maybe at one point — maybe he won’t say it now since he’ll kindly not respond — but I’m sure at some point he was probably like, “Just fucking do it.”
I think that’s the interesting thing about the director and actor relationship. At some point, the trust has to be there in order for the dance to kind of go, and then that gets showcased on screen and hopefully received well.
I think it’s very interesting the way you just said that, that when it comes to the psychological aspect of things, rather than telling you, it’s showing you how that person has gotten to where they’ve gotten to.
Christopher made this somewhat of a silent film up until the points where the dialogue needs to happen. There are pockets of sound that come through, but we’re riding that line of fear driving everything, and it’s portrayed through the silence of the film.
That helped my character and me as an actor. I had to become comfortable with that discomfort because naturally one would think a performance is based on everything I can do. Instead, I wanted to prove to myself that I could sit still, and I had the freedom to do that because my director kept telling me, “No, this is exactly the way it’s supposed to go. It’s reading well.”
I’d look at Chris and say, “All right, we got it?”
And he’d be like, “Yeah.”
I’d say, “You sure? We could do it another 17 times.”
I was always hoping I was portraying that fear or suspicion correctly. Since we didn’t shoot everything in sequence and there wasn’t much dialogue to orient yourself, there were plenty of moments where I’d ask Chris, “Where exactly are we in the story? What’s going on here?”
That constant dialogue really helped me. I almost become like an annoying child or student.
PopHorror: That’s a bit of a challenge to portray somebody who has fear because if it’s not done well… there are plenty of bad horror movies where you can tell an actor’s fear isn’t convincing.
Aaron Dominguez: The horror and thriller genre is unforgiving in that way.
PopHorror: I think you did a good job of conveying fear.
Aaron Dominguez: Thank you.
Folklore and Perception
PopHorror: Christopher, you’ve cited Puerto Rican folklore and supernatural stories as influences. Were there any specific legends or experiences that found their way into The Prowler, either directly or symbolically?
Christopher Piñero: I think it’s just because I grew up in a Puerto Rican family. I lived in Puerto Rico for a little while — two separate times —a nd you hear about the Chupacabra, and it sparks your imagination.
Then you have these uncles telling you crazy stories about possession and all that stuff. It’s all a big mix. I also grew up on these movies, and they informed everything for me.
It’s all a soup that gets put into here because I wanted to lean into, “Is this supernatural? What’s going on? Is it something more grounded? Or is the sky just cracking up?”
You just don’t know for a lot of it.
What was really true growing up — and it’s still true today — is that people have this perception of a situation or a person. They think they have all the facts, and then all of a sudden you get the full story and realize, “Wait a minute. That’s not at all what I thought this was.”
That’s what I tried to lean into the most: really playing with your perception.
PopHorror: The film keeps you questioning what’s real until the end. How did the two of you collaborate to strike that balance between ambiguity and authenticity?
Christopher Piñero: It was just like Aaron was saying. It was a constant dialogue.
A lot of this is counterintuitive. Because of who his character is, it’s easy to lean into it, and I’d constantly be pulling him back.
There are some takes where you’ll hear me saying, “You’re not that guy yet. Not that guy yet. Not yet.”
He’d say, “Okay, okay.”
Then he’d go back.
No matter who you are, somebody is afraid of something, and I just wanted to lean into that.
Wearing Multiple Hats
PopHorror: Christopher, you wrote, directed, and edited the film. How did wearing all those different hats affect the final version? Were there moments where the editor disagreed with the director or the writer?
Christopher Piñero: For sure.
There was a moment just before the climax when he walks down the hallway. As the writer, I wanted him to stop there and question whether he was hearing something or whether it was all in his mind.
Then the editor and the director teamed up on the writer and said, “Let’s get rid of this.”
You can only stretch that rubber band of suspense so far before the audience starts thinking, “All right, let’s get on with it.”
I’m very cognizant of that when I watch movies. I’ve been guilty of it myself in some of my earlier work, trying to build suspense, then watching it later and realizing it was way too long.
It really comes down to experience. More and more experience lets you know when it’s time to give the audience what they’re waiting for.
PopHorror: Aaron, you’ve appeared in projects like Only Murders in the Building, The Inspection, and Shaft. Where does The Prowler fit into your career, and did this role challenge you to do anything differently?
Aaron Dominguez: It’s at the top of the list. Absolutely.
Not only because of the world that Christopher and I get to build together, but I don’t want this to go unsaid —I’m a huge fan of Christopher’s work.
To be able to work alongside him, collaborate with him, and hopefully continue doing so, I hope it’s a longevity thing. I hope it’s a career thing for me.
When it comes to The Prowler and the feature we have lined up, it’s at the top of the list because of the caliber of work I feel like I’ll be afforded and what I’ll be able to project career-wise. That’s a dream.
It was probably one of the more challenging things because of the dialogue — or really, the lack of dialogue —the psychological aspects, and Christopher constantly reminding me, “We’re not in that part of the story yet.”
Although your character has gone through these events, we’re telling the story from this different perspective, and unbeknownst to the audience, you’re not quite there yet.
It’s that tug-of-war, that push and pull. It’s incredibly challenging and stretching for me as an actor, but that’s what we look for.
That’s where some of the best work gets done, at least in my opinion. I’m sure Christopher could say the same thing as a director, writer, producer, and editor. When you’re being stretched creatively, that’s when some of your best work can happen.
