LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL (2024)
New this week in select theaters from IFC Films and Shudder!
Directed/Written by Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/YeKYfneOH3o
The late night 70’s talk show “Nite Owls” with its host Jack Delroy (played by David Dastmalchian) has seen better days. After his beloved wife Madeline (played by Georgina Haig) passed away from cancer, Jack seemed to have lost his edge and viewership and ratings have plummeted. And after a long hiatus and a visit to the famed Bohemian Grove, Jack returns revived and desperate to become a late-night titan. But the occult themed program filmed live on Halloween night in 1977 with a combination of guests; a medium Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), a former magician turned magic cynic Carmichael (Ian Bliss), a paranormal psychologist June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon), and a possessed child Lily (Ingrid Torelli), is about to go horribly wrong.

Man, do I hate hype. I really, really do. I try my hardest to avoid reading reviews and watching too many trailers for a film because it seems studios are so desperate for a hit these days, they will do or say anything to get you excited to see their movie (I’m talking to you, THE FIRST OMEN). For quite some time, I have heard rumors and rumblings, hysteria and hyperbole about LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL…about it being the next version of sliced bread we have all been waiting for. Well, it turns out LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL is not a new version of sliced bread. It is a pretty great movie though and I guess it is my own damn fault for buying so much into the hype that my expectations were not fulfilled after I saw it. Still, I left the movie feeling somewhat disappointed.

To begin with, while a lot of people are praising LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL for its originality, I couldn’t help but think that it is just a clear indication that most people haven’t seen that many horror films. If you saw the Argentinian film HISTORY OF THE OCCULT from just a few years ago, you’ll see that the premise is eerily similar. While HISTORY OF THE OCCULT has more towards political strife in the area, both films highlight how the acts of a secret occult organization has lasting effects on what we see on TV. There is a whole backstory only hinted at in LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL involving a place called the Grove where the world’s most influential people meet and perform occult ceremonies that is very similar to the conspiracy laden narrative of HISTORY OF THE OCCULT. And while HISTORY OF THE OCCULT is made of much drier material, if paired with LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL, it would at least make for one interesting double feature.

Despite the fact that the concept its built upon isn’t as fresh as folks are making it out to be, it is one hell of a movie. First and foremost, I sincerely hope David Dastmalchian gets the recognition the character actor deserves from this movie. His Jack Delroy is a thoroughly complex character filled with desperation to save his show and tragedy as he still reels from the loss of his wife. At the same time, he is able to convey the smarminess of a late-night host, never hesitant to exploit others for the sake of some kind of recognition from the crowd. While there really isn’t a lot of time for Dastmalchian to outright talk about what is going on in his head, the narration (by the one and only Michael Ironside, by the way) and the brief glimpses of truth you see when his TV demeanor cracks when shit goes sideways speaks volumes about the damaged man Jack Delroy has become during his long life in front of the camera in pursuit of fame and fortune. While he is a character actor you might recognize, LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL should be the film that makes David Dastmalchian a name you’ll remember.

Much like a late-night talk show, LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL is impeccably structured, with a intricate and conscious build from beginning to the over-the-top ending. There is a strong tension that thickens as we get to know the various players starring in this show that seems to be a ritual promising dire consequence, whether the players know their role or not. Each scene raises the stakes and the station breaks Jack cuts to are much needed pauses in this tension that only makes the anticipation for the return of the show more compelling. While I think an opportunity is missed to have a few fun commercials interspersed within the story, similar to the television commercials seen during the station breaks in HISTORY OF THE OCCULT, the breaks in LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL offer up more chances for character development and a deepening of the plot to occur.

The rest of the cast do a fantastic job of being cogs in this ritualistic wheel of horror. Both actors who play the mystic Christou and his John Edwards-esque way he works the crowd and the paranormal cynic Carmichael who exudes pomposity help ease the viewer into the world of the paranormal before the real show begins when the possessed girl Lily is introduced. This is Ingrid Torelli’s first motion picture, but she definitely makes an impact as the girl tormented by either schizophrenia or a demon depending on who you are talking to. Reminiscent of Ashley Bell from THE LAST EXORCISM, Torelli gives a wonderfully demented performance as Lily who plays innocent, but shares evil looks at the camera when no one notices.

It all leads to a summoning where the psychologist attempts to bring forth what Lily calls Mr. Wiggles, a nod to Regan’s Captain Howdy from the Exorcist. This summoning is truly shocking and differentiates itself from the usual bound to the bed antics you often see in possession films. But I was really impressed by the following ritual of sorts, where Carmichael attempts to disprove what seems was seen to be paranormal afterwards. This is where the film really becomes distinct from most occult/possession/exorcis m films and what truly impressed me as the best scene of the film, involving some pretty gnarly gore and an intensity level at a fever pitch. The final moments of LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL as the story is brought to a close makes sense if you’ve been payin g attention. It is over the top and somewhat vague, but keeps in line with all of the info we received before, wrapping everything up into a sudden, if not unconventional end.

No, LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL is not the scariest movie you’re ever going to see. Just ignore the hype. That’s proved to lead me to expect much more than what the movie was; a solid horror movie made with extremely talented people, especially Dastmalchain, by some very creative chaps in director/writers Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes, who most likely will be big names in the horror biz.

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Music Written by Tim Heidecker
Music & Arrangement by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy https://youtu.be/PDySbxQgZMg
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