Late Night with the Devil, 2024.

Written and Directed by Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes.
Starring David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, Josh Quong Tart, Christopher Kirby, Steve Mouzakis, Gaby Seow, Michael Ironside, and Paula Arundell.

SYNOPSIS:

A live television broadcast in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms.

Playing with fire and selling his soul for ratings during Sweeps Week in sibling writers/directors Colin Cairnes’s and Cameron Cairnes’s unnerving and engrossing Late Night with the Devil, 1970s late-night talk show host Jack Delroy (a commanding, transfixing David Dastmalchian who wears inner conflict all over his face) has invited a medium (Fayssal Bazzi), a skeptic skilled in hypnotism (Ian Bliss), and a psychological therapist (Laura Gordon) working closely with a young girl (Ingrid Torelli) drifting in and out of possession at the expense of a traumatic incident following briefly living with a satanic cult on the same episode, a special Halloween show looking to turn around dwindling viewership.

Jack also has some personal reasons for taking an interest in spirits, having recently lost his wife (Georgina Haig) to lung cancer and is still visibly in the grieving process, even after taking a six-month hiatus from hosting the talk show. He also has a suspicious connection to a different kind of cult in some Californian woods, mostly a peaceful place to destress from the hectic nature of hosting the show during its offseason. The filmmakers make it clear from the get-go that he is a shady person and perhaps was even before he lost his wife, but David Dastmalchian is a gifted actor who can find the time in that sliminess, simultaneously rooting for him while eagerly awaiting all hell to break loose, and quite literally in this case.

Some authentic production design bolsters the performances of the outstanding ensemble, with camera angles and cinematography mimicking a late-night talk show. This allows for more immersion during the interviews and escalates tension, especially when the supporting players have been formally introduced individually and are all onstage, arguing amongst themselves. Strange phenomena occur, freaking out close on-air associates of the show, but Jack naturally keeps pushing forward with no interest in pulling the plug on the episode. The live audience is enamored with what they see, resembling our cultural fascination with disasters waiting to happen on live TV.

Presented as archived raw footage of a hellish night gone wrong, Late Night with the Devil also transitions into black-and-white during TV commercial segments, where these characters debate amongst themselves whether what’s happening is real or part of the show, with each subsequent break giving David Dastmalchian room to gradually, subtly, express that absorption into a dark side of embracing some unexplained horrors for ratings that will not only save his show but might help him finally overtake Johnny Carson. He unsettlingly becomes all too comfortable exploiting the drama between these differing beliefs, not to mention a young girl recovering from tragedy for personal gain, at one point encouraging a live exorcism.

Naturally, that scenario makes for more traditional horror, miraculously putting a refreshing spin and perhaps the most tired, exhausted subgenre out there. It also helps that, much like the original The Exorcist, Late Night with the Devil spends considerable time exploring and building its characters so that when we hear that familiar possessed voice saying outlandish, crude things, there is also room for pause to wonder if it’s telling the truth this time. There are also impressive practical effects grounded in realism, upping the terror of this chaotic evening.

As bonkers and nightmarish as those final 30 minutes are, Late Night with the Devil also feels like it drops the ball on fleshing out these characters fully. It somewhat leaves Jack’s past open to interpretation, but in a manner that leaves the narrative feeling undercooked thematically. Still, this is engrossing, twisted fun that somehow elicits an uproarious laugh during the climactic terror. It’s a compelling study of the sins people will commit for fame and fortune, knowing that there will be a complicit audience in lapping up the car crash drama. 

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com