Late Night with the Devil utilizes its late night talk show format perfectly, delivering a refreshing take on found footage and possession horror. Although it falters on occasion adhering to its own rules, this is the kind of ambitious, original horror film we need more of.
The movie takes place in almost real time, combining the master tape of a late night talk show broadcast with behind the scenes footage. “Night Owls with Jack Delroy” captures the vibe of retro late night flawlessly. The broadcast segments genuinely feel as if you’re watching a talk show from the late ‘70s, and that cheap, old school aesthetic lends itself perfectly to the terrifying undertones. It’s funny, and a little corny - a product of its time really, but behind the cheesiness and jokes, you feel this looming sense of impending dread.
David Dastmalchian is phenomenal as Jack Delroy, and if I wasn’t already familiar with his work, I would’ve thought this man was actually a late night television host. He plays the role with appropriate charisma and charm, but you can tell there’s something eating away at him beneath his on-screen demeanour. Jack’s sidekick Gus is played by newcomer Rhys Auteri, who compliments the host and tone of the show really well. His reluctancy and fear when things start to go awry perfectly mirrors that of the viewer. Ingrid Torelli plays Lilly, the prized guest on this episode of Night Owls. She’s appropriately creepy, giving a strong performance in this two sided role.
The gradual build up to the main event is paced beautifully. I could feel my anxiety mounting with every passing moment, just waiting for something horrible to happen. Usually when I check my watch during a movie, it’s because I’m bored and want it to end. This time, I found myself checking the time frequently out of pure nervousness, because this movie builds tension brilliantly. It makes every one of its 86 minutes count, slowly releasing atmospheric, anxiety inducing dread. This is how you pace a movie.
There is one aspect that holds the film back from a higher score, though. One of my pet peeves with found footage movies is when they break the rules of the genre, which this unfortunately does. The master tape footage is excellent, truly looking and feeling like an old talk show broadcast. It’s the behind the scenes footage that’s spliced in that doesn’t quite fit. It lacks that vintage visual touch, looking too modern and polished to be believable as something that would’ve been captured on set. There are some private, sensitive conversations where the characters don’t even acknowledge a camera in their face, which was enough to break my immersion.
Late Night with the Devil makes exceptional use of its talk show format and real time sequence of events. The production design is immaculate, the pacing is perfect and David Dastmachian delivers a star making lead performance. It fumbles its own rules from time to time, but otherwise this is a must watch for any horror enthusiast.
4/5
Review by: Benjamin Garrett