Late Night with the Devil is a 2024 supernatural horror film directed by Colin and Cameron Cairnes, and the cast includes David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, and Josh Quong Tart.
Late Night With The Devil follows the story of a struggling late night talk show host, Jack Delroy, who plans a Halloween special involving a young girl who may be possessed by the devil.
The film is cleverly assembled from footage shot during the live broadcast, capturing the late night dynamic perfectly with a house band and comedic sidekick entertaining the audience during ad breaks.
The opening introduction, narrated by Michael Ironside, sets the scene of the period and Delroy's past, hinting at a cult-like organization he is a member of.
The guests on the show include a medium who talks to spirits, Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), and a skeptic who says it is all bullshit, Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss), and this all sets the stage for the horror to come when a doctor, June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon), brings a girl to the set, Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), who may or may not be possessed.
Late Night With the Devil takes on a mockumentary style, chronicling the full episode along with the behind-the-scenes footage, and this offers a tantalizing mix of horror and biting satire, cleverly spoofing the extreme measures late-night shows resorted to in pursuit of ratings supremacy.
With its square aspect ratio and dim lighting, the film captures the essence of a 1970s production, as if the footage were unearthed from a forgotten archive.
The Cairnes brothers build their film well, dropping little details throughout that pay off in the final act as the film descends into horror.
Late Night With The Devil is a pretty solid "found footage" film, perhaps not a surprise when you discover that Joel Anderson, who made Lake Mungo, is an executive producer on this film.
Interestingly, the film also pays homage to Ghostwatch, a BBC broadcast on Halloween night in 1992, which was a blast from the past.
And if you don't know what Ghostwatch was and have never watched it, sort your life out, yeah?
While it might not boast the most robust storyline, it's a somewhat enjoyable watch with a retro vibe, and the Cairnes siblings have crafted a film with themes that resonate strongly in today's media landscape, where sensationalism often reigns supreme.
In a world where people will go to extremes for views and clicks, the notion of an influencer inviting the devil onto their show feels all too plausible.
I would rate this film 65% on my horror movie nerd-o-meter.
[Late Night With The Devil on IMDB] [Where to watch Late Night With The Devil]