PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Tune in to Late Night with the Devil... if you dare!

SYNOPSIS

Late Night with the Devil tells the story of Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian), the host of the 1970′s late-night talk show Night Owls. While Night Owls is very popular, being syndicated nationwide, Jack perpetually lives in the shadow of Johnny Carson. As ratings for his show begin to dwindle, Jack stages an extravagant Halloween night special featuring a psychic, a skeptical magician, and a girl who claims she’s possessed by a demon. Will it be enough to save his show, or is Jack taking things too far?

REVIEW

Found footage horror films are a dime a dozen and they’re mostly terrible, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some diamonds in the rough. The genre is a tough nut to crack because it’s inherently gimmicky and a lot of found footage’s effectiveness comes from how well the gimmick is pulled off. Not only do they usually contain some of the lamest horror cliches out there, but the limitations of the format make it difficult to explore the characters and their stories in a natural, satisfying way. The good found footage films, like The Blair Witch Project and Chronicle, strike that perfect balance. Unfortunately, the good ones are pretty few and far between.

Late Night with the Devil is a double gimmick movie. It’s a found footage flick, but it’s also supposed to be an accurate representation of the Johnny Carson-esque late night talk shows of old. When it comes to recreating the latter aspect, writer/directors/editors Cameron and Colin Cairnes and their crew brought the Night Owls set and vibe to life with impeccable detail. The muted, desaturated colors of the set, backdrops, and clothes. The cheesy jokes and puns with rimshots after every punchline. The sponsored advertisers with sterile, borderline unsettling presentation. The grainy title cards between segments. All of the hallmarks of classic late-night TV are present, and if one didn’t know any better, they could easily be fooled into thinking they’re watching some old VHS copy or YouTube video of some old TV episode.

It’s all quite impressive, especially considering the $6.5 million budget. When you’re making a film on such a low budget nowadays, nobody is going to go back and shoot with expensive old cameras on film stock you have to pay for. The Cairnes’ and cinematographer Matthew Temple clearly put a lot of effort into turning their movie that was shot on digital into something that feels like it was pulled right out of the 1970′s. The sound team even mixed the soundtrack down to mono, giving the audio a broad, blunt quality and the character’s voices a rough edge. Everyone involved with Late Night with the Devil knew that nailing that 70′s late-night talk show vibe was absolutely essential to making it work.

The Cairnes’ gave Late Night with the Devil a very rigid structure and pace, going back and forth between the “on air” show segments and the “behind the scenes” segments that take place during the commercial breaks. Some may find this structure repetitive or jarring, but I felt it worked to the overall film’s benefit. I enjoy when filmmakers commit to their limited premise and extend that idea as far as it can naturally go, while also maintaining the unique qualities. Compared to other found footage films, it never lost my interest or bored me. It’s not just someone shaking a camera around and screaming like bloody murder as they run away, but it feels like you’re actually peering into a piece of history. You’re watching something completely normal, yet you know something will go awry eventually.

Where many found footage horror films, or really many horror films in general, falter is in the character department. Sure, not everybody goes to a horror film for exploring the depths of their fellow man, but some of the best horror is the kind that we can relate to. Before the actual talk show segment starts, Late Night with the Devil opens with a short mockumentary detailing Jack’s past and rise to stardom. As the show goes on, more aspects of Jack’s character and backstory are slowly unveiled, eventually making you question what you were told at the beginning of the film. Every little detail means something, all mixing together as it slowly bubbles up and finally explodes at the end.

The central character of Jack Delroy is greatly elevated by David Dastmalchian’s (hopefully star making) performance. He nails that 1970′s talk show persona with the fake smile and joke delivery of a middle-aged dad, doing his best to hide his insecurities and trauma. However, his eyes do all the talking and no matter how hard Jack tries to keep his cool and remain in control as his show goes off the rails, you can see his own beliefs and values being tested. The real horror here isn’t the possessed girl, but the depths a person will sink to when all is lost and they’re taking that desperate last grasp at success.

It’s an astounding lead performance from Dastmalchian, especially for a low budget, found footage horror film. He’s surrounded by a great and varied supporting cast, where the small budget was also a benefit. The performances from everyone are so natural, having any sort of big star playing the talk show guests or audience members would have ruined the retro 70′s vibe completely. It helps that people like those who claim to be psychic, cynical skeptics, or people who study paranormal are all archetypal people we’ve seen on TV plenty of times throughout our lives.

Most important of all, this is a horror flick, and as a horror flick, it delivers the goods you’d want and expect from this premise, complete with some gnarly practical effects. While it’s not exactly “scary” in the sense that it disturbs or sticks with me, it’s far more effective and interesting than most demonic possession flicks out there. Both the talk show format and the natural performances made this feel far more authentic and unsettling than something you’d see in something like The Conjuring or some other lame possession movie. It also helps that this element all ties back into Jack’s character and the overall story, so even if it’s not the scariest thing out there, it’s still a compelling narrative on its own.

While it would have been more than welcome for Late Night with the Devil to take things in a further, even crazier direction than the final act suggests, I respect the Cairnes Brothers’ commitment to their gimmicky premise and how well-crafted it was. On top of that, it’s a fun, creepy horror flick with an intriguing central story, characters, and ever relevant commentary on the entertainment industry. If all that sounds appealing, then be sure to check out Late Night with the Devil because it’s some must see TV.

RATING: 9/10

Late Night with the Devil is currently playing in limited theaters nationwide and will be streaming on Shudder April 19th.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.