Late Night With the Devil

Late Night with the Devil
Starring David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Ingrid Torelli
Directed by Colin Cairnes & Cameron Cairnes

Talk shows have devolved over the decades, where now they're watered-down, safe spaces for celebrities to come and promote their latest projects, or singers come to sing their latest hits. Back in the 70s, however, talk shows were a completely different entity entirely. Guests smoked, product placement was rampant, hosts were seedy charlatans, and they were more variety shows than straight-up interviews. Gimmicks and flights of fancy littered the late night landscape, and nothing was as important as Sweeps Week to keep them on the air - except, of course, for Johnny Carson, the undisputed king of late night talk show hosts. It's under this strain that "Late Night With the Devil" showcases its incredible slow-burn format - a film shot perfectly like it came out of the 70s, and keeping your eyes glued to the screen from the start as you eagerly, with baited breath, anticipate the next big scare.

On Halloween in 1977, talk show host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) hosts the second-most popular talk show Night Owls with Jack Delroy, but he's always striving to beat Carson. During Sweeps Week he lines up a series of supernatural guests in hopes of drawing in eyeballs for the unique experience, including psychic Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), former magician-turned-skeptic Carmichael (Ian Bliss), and parapsychologist Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) and her young ward Lilly (Ingrid Torelli) who was the lone survivor of a cult that committed suicide, and is said to have the devil in her. Jack himself has some issues involving the death of his wife and possible deals he made with supernatural entities to make his show a success that comes to an intense conclusion that "shocked audiences" at the time of its airing.

"Late Night With the Devil" is a found footage film, and your enjoyment of the film will go as far as your love for found footage films go. Many people find flaws in the filming, as you see the show as it supposedly aired in 1977 (complete with the perfect smaller aspect ratio), with its commercial breaks being behind-the-scenes shots done in black-and-white and done full screen, which honestly wouldn't make sense because it should've been in the same aspect ratio. There's other aspects people nitpick about, but none of that bothered me - and I'm not a huge found footage fan. I am a fan of slow burn horror that delivers on its promises, and this is one of those rare films that really stuck with me in the end. It's not perfect, but it grabbed my attention from the start and only once the credits started rolling did I realize how hooked I really was.

While some criticized the aspect ratio difference, for me some of the CGI effects didn't work as well for me. Again, a nitpick set against a stunning slow-burn story that was perfectly paced, performed and edited, but there was a couple moments where I was momentarily pulled out of the story with the CGI - but they sucked me back in quicker than I could take a breath.

Yet the biggest - and most justifiable - critique the film has is its use of AI. After the actors and writers went on strike in 2023 to combat AI use, the directors used AI for their film (however, in their defense, this film was shot in 2022) that could've been done by actual artists.

Now to the positives, and there are aplenty. The film ramps up the tension from the first moment, keeping you literally on the edge of your seat as the talk show goes on, pulling you into their world wholly. There are mysterious moments, impressive scares, and enough tension to grip you and keep you in profound suspense. You feel like you're actually watching the found footage as it happened, even though in the back of your head you know it's not real, there's still a realistic feel to it all.

The performances across the board are exceptional. David Dastmalchian continues his horror reign as Jack Delroy, a man who would do anything to be famous - and I mean anything - in a backstory that delves into losing his wife to a surprise illness after some nefarious, suspicious means. Jack is sleazy and egotistical, literally willing to risk anything and anyone to beat Carson and be on top. Yet there's also a sense of regret for the decisions he's made, which makes him a compelling character that's far from one-note.

Laura Gordon as Dr. June walks the line between wanting to be a respected parapsychologist and, deep down, exploiting Lilly for her own book deal, or so it seems. On the outside it appears she champions for Lilly's safety, but it doesn't take a lot of coercion for her to chain Lilly up on national television. Ian Bliss's Carmichael is an obvious nod to the real life magician-turned-skeptic James Randi, who famously offered one million dollars to anyone who could demonstrate a supernatural or paranormal ability under agreed-upon scientific testing criteria, to which he never paid out. He attempts to disprove everything that happens on set, and offers one of the better segments of the movie. Ingrid Torelli shines as young Lilly in her first film role, coming off as an innocent young girl before the possession takes over.

The set designs, costume designs and even camerawork teleports you to a talk show soundstage in the 1970s, which further helps pull you in - if only the wider aspect behind the scenes moments didn't pull you away from it.

"Late Night With the Devil" is one of those smaller horror films that succeeds where big budget ones fail - in delivering an intense, suspenseful slow-burn story with impressive practical effects and compelling performances that will burn with you long after the credits roll.

The Score: A+