Late Night with the Devil is probably the first horror release of this year that I’ve seen get people really freaking excited over.
And I love to see it! I truly do. There are always a scattering of horror movies that claw their way out of the depths of our beloved genre and into broader cinematic recognition (Talk to Me being last year’s outstanding example), and this particular example has received a rhapsodic reception: so I have to admit, seeing the outrageous critical response had me seriously excited. I’m an enormous fan of found footage-y horror, especially period pieces, and especially especially anything that takes on the media as a source of terror – Late Night with the Devil, it seemed, had it all.
Directed by Cameron and Colin Cairnes, Late Night with the Devil follows Jack Delroy (David Dastmalschian), the recently-bereaved host of a flagging late-night talk show in the late 1970s as he and his production team try to come up with something suitably impressive to boost their ratings at the start of sweeps week – which just so happens to be Halloween night.
I’m not quite sure what genre Late Night with the Devil falls under – found footage? Lost media? Mocku-talk show-entary? – but it’s one that I’ve come to really enjoy, from Ghostwatch to The Cleansing Hour. The 70s setting of Late Night gives it a distinct feel, and the production design, costuming, and styling is spot-on, evocative of the era in a specifically cheesy way that matches the setting perfectly, from the in-house band to the sliding door set. There’s a real commitment to the bit here, one that I really appreciate, a slow, witty build featuring plenty of cheesy supernatural acts before the big swing of the final third of the film – the Cairnes clearly have confidence in their script and their actors to take their time without cramming in too many obvious scares in the first hour or so.
I always love when movies like this use actors without a huge amount of recognition – aside from David Dastmalchian, who shines as the smarm-charm Jack Delroy in a very different role than his usual Sweaty Weirdo typecasting, the cast is made up of exceptionally skilled but not super well-known performers, making it easier to lose yourself to their characters and performances. I was particularly impressed with Ingrid Torelli, as cult survivor and possessed child Lilly, who embodied that shy-but-preening childish media personality so convincingly before her eventual shift into full horror mode. And when that horror mode hits, it’s really fun – the gory, grungy special effects fit the era perfectly, and they were getting the most out of that giant worm prop they possibly could.
I’m saying all these great things about this movie, because I don’t want anyone coming out of this review thinking I don’t like it – I do. I think it’s really great, actually. But I have to admit, I’m struggling to understand why it’s being received with quite the praise that it’s been getting.
And maybe part of that is because I love this genre and I’ve watched a bunch of movies that Late Night clearly draws influence from (most clearly Ghostwatch, with the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it glimpses of ghosts and TV show set-up). The possessed child, the demon presence, the wry, arch media-centric setting – it’s been done, and done very well. Which doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done again, but it doesn’t benefit from the bonus of newness.
But part of it, too, is because there are aspects of this film that don’t quite come together for me; there are a number of scenes that take place backstage, in-between the on-set sequences, and it’s not really clear who’s filming them or why – it breaks the immersion, the enjoyable gimmick of having to string together a story with just what limited footage cameras might have captured. The final ten minutes or so, as well, served as an over-explanation, what felt like a slightly panicked attempt to consolidate the background story that had already been well-woven into the rest of the movie and make sure nobody walked out with any doubt about what the filmmakers were trying to stay. It’s a matter of taste, but I’m always on the side of more restraint and a sprinkle more ambiguity, and I think this premise would have really served that well.
Late Night with the Devil, in general, is a really great example of something I’ve seen before. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but it did feel like something of a let-down after how brilliantly it’s been received and celebrated. I’m always glad to see a horror movie breaking out of containment and into the wider cinematic world but if, like me, you’re a horror nerd, Late Night might not seem as fresh as it’s reputation might suggest.
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By Lou MacGregor
(header image via Medium)
No But Listen 