Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
True to its title, ‘Late Night with the Devil’ is a found-footage horror film which follows a live Halloween broadcast that goes disastrously wrong when a talk show host invites a psychic and a parapsychologist, along with her allegedly possessed young subject.
Directed by Cameron and Colin Cairnes, ‘Late Night with the Devil’ follows David Dastmalchian’s Jack Delroy, a talk show host chasing ratings glory with ‘Night Owls’. After a brief recap of his rise, the film dives into the tapes of a disastrous Halloween night in 1977, where live television takes a terrifying turn.
The few minutes of the film feel like an authentic mini-documentary on a popular television host, unfolding in black-and-white stills and footage, combined with newspaper/magazine clippings. Georgina Haig plays Jack’s popular actor wife Madeleine Piper, so they often make it to the tabloids.
If there’s one thing that’s consistently engaging about ‘Late Night with the Devil’, it’s the eerily accurate recreation of a retro live show. For all of its runtime, it feels like you’re watching a real show from 1977, with David Dastmalchian excellently capturing the nuances of an energetic, spontaneous, witty talk show host. At the same time, he often switches to a sweaty nervousness with ease when things don’t go his way.
Rhys Auteri Gus plays his sidekick and announcer, McConnell, adding some mild comedy to the otherwise dark, theatrical story, and he might remind contemporary viewers of Guillermo Rodriguez from Jimmy Kimmel Live. The film swings seamlessly between the live broadcast and behind-the-scenes footage of Jack interacting with his producers, guests, and team during breaks, giving viewers a glimpse of how live productions work. The behind-the-scenes footage is shot in black and white, highlighting how the broadcast is more vibrant and possibly detached from reality.
Fayssal Bazzi plays Christou, Jack’s first guest for the night, a dramatic psychic, whose first attempt at communicating with the supernatural doesn’t go to well. To make things interesting, Jack also invites Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss), a magician turned skeptic with a penchant for exposing/busting those boasting of supernatural powers or abilities. In a fun nod to the ‘Conjuring’ horror franchise, Carmichael takes a dig at Lorraine and Ed Warren.
While the pace of ‘Late Night with the Devil’ can be quite challenging, its tight focus on a single night of supernatural chaos keeps things interesting. The real turning point comes when parapsychologist Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) takes the stage with teenager Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), the lone survivor of a fire that killed several people, including the leader of a cult she was part of. Lilly claims to be possessed by a demon, which Dr. June helps contain within her. But things go horrifyingly awry when Jack convinces them to summon it for ratings.
Ingrid Torelli is instantly creepy as the doll-like Lilly, the fascinating subject of Dr. June’s book ‘Conversations with the Devil’. But does a demon truly reside within the young girl, or is it just a gimmick? The climactic moments of ‘Late Night with the Devil’ are filled with familiar horror tropes seen in the Exorcist-style stories, except the demon here has an unlikely stage: a studio filled with guests and a live camera capturing its antics. And in a clever twist which makes the story more memorable, the devil seems to have a personal interest in host Jack.
But let’s get to the biggest question a horror fan would want to ask of ‘Late Night With the Devil’ : is it scary? Well, it does have one or two good scenes that will make viewers jump of their seats, but apart from that, it doesn’t really get under one’s skin. In-fact the last few minutes of the possession are almost comically unhinged, because the special effects in the supernatural scenes are very retro and silly. However, I thought it was entertaining and also very on the 70s style the film opts for.
The climax of ‘Late Night With the Devil’ is violent, bloody, and closes with a sequence where Jack is forced to confront a dark truth. Things end tragically on the broadcast night and viewers are definitely going to be divided over it. But overall, this is a horror film which blends retro live television chaos entertainingly with supernatural mayhem.
Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ on Prime Video.
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