‘Good evening, night owls…’
It’s finally happened. I’ve been waiting years to write a review about a possession movie without having to at some point utter the phrase ‘…a bland retread of The Exorcist‘. If Talk to Me dragged the possession movie into the 21st century, Late Night with the Devil has changed the game again. Ironically, it does so by harking back to the golden age of VHS horror…
We begin with a voiceover that provides us with a brief history of the fictional ’70s talk show Night Owls and its smooth-operator host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian). We are informed that the show started strong but then faced a desperate struggle for ratings and prestige and so became more and more broad resorting to shock tactics and cheap tricks. The conceit of the rest of the film is that we are watching a recording of an infamous live broadcast in which Delroy invites a young girl who has survived a demonic possession as the main guest. Also appearing are a man who claims to be a psychic (played with gusto by Fayssal Bazzi) and Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss) – a magician who also works as a debunker of paranormal activity.
Late Night with the Devil is so effective because while it draws on the ’70s aesthetic, it is also steeped in the lore and traditions of the early internet age. Internet staples such as the Max Headroom signal hijacking, the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge and conspiracy theories surrounding Bohemian Grove are all evoked here. Directing duo Cameron and Colin Cairns expertly weave all of these disparate strands together to create something utterly unique. It’s a wild ride and an ingenious premise but the whole thing would fall apart without an incredible turn from Dastmalchian in the lead role. Obviously, this film will be nominated for zero Oscars because horror but the Chicago native should 100% be in the running for Best Actor. Having said that, he is ably supported by a magnificently curmudgeonly performance from Bliss—a word too for Rhys Auteri – perfect as Delroy’s hapless right-hand man Gud.
Forget the self-proclaimed film purists whining about the minimal use of AI, the visual effects here are incredible – one of the only examples of a film attempting to look like an era from the past and actually pulling it off. If your main takeaway from a super inventive low-budget film clearly made by a pair of passionate filmmakers is to complain about three short instances of AI then you’re doing cinema wrong. This is a movie bursting with ideas. It must be embraced.
While I could have done without the ending being spelt out quite so emphatically, there is no denying that Late Night with the Devil is an astonishing achievement. The best horror film of the year.