It’s 1977, and Johnny Carson is king. The king of late night that is. But hot (ish) on his heels is up and coming late night host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian). Delroy is the host of Night Owls, a talk show featuring interviews, musical acts, sketches, and much more. Following the tragic loss of his wife and with a need to beat Johnny Carson, Delroy and his co-producer Leo Fiske (Josh Quong Tart) program something unprecedented for Halloween evening—a demon-possessed girl. That’s the setup for Cameron and Colin Cairnes’s Late Night with the Devil, a horror movie with a darkly comedic stripe running through it presented as a behind-the-scenes documentary about Delroy’s controversial episode.
The Cairnes’s approach utilizing the documentary trappings is really clever. While technically settling under found footage, it trades the haphazard shaky cam for a nostalgic behind the scenes story tracing Delroy’s career. And Jack Delroy is the star thanks to a magnetic performance from Dastmalchian. David Dastmalchian has built quite a following for himself from Ant-Man to Suicide Squad to The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023). Here he gets to take front and center, and he knocks it out of the part. Delroy is a tragic beloved figure seeking to honor his late wife and cement his legacy—yet, Dastmalchian plays it with just enough of a flicker in his eye to have you questioning what Delroy might really desire.
Dastmalchian leads a small but effective cast as the late night host interviews a series of contrasting guests. He begins with mentalist Christou (Fayssal Bazzi) who is every theatrical mentalist/psychic you can imagine—showy, charismatic, possibly a fraud or not. Bayzzi also gets the first major unsettling moment of the film. The uncertainty of his skill is questioned by mentalist-turned-skeptic Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss). Bliss provides much of the film’s humor as he quips and scoffs at every supernatural thing that appears on the show. The final guests on the show are Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) and Lilly (Ingrid Torelli). The good doctor is making an appearance on the show with her most recent subject Lilly, who claims to be possessed. It’s easy to lift up Dastmalchian, and even Bliss, but Gordon and Torelli both submit dynamic turns.
The story is well paced as it plays out just like a live late night show would—with behind-the-scenes footage taking the place of advertisements. It also builds nicely as we are brought into the comfort and ease of the Night Owls production. But troubling events begin to build, and by the back half, we’re getting hit with some intense visuals and some great make-up and practical special effects. It’s a solid script that is very well directed by the Cairnes Brothers. The line they walk between comedy and horror is very taut, but they walk it well. The major gripe is arguably in the final minutes of the film, where it at times becomes a bit too spoon-feedy. The context works, but there might have been more powerful ways to bring the ship in.
All in all, Late Night with the Devil is a fun watch with some great moments. If you’re disturbed by demon possession stories, it’ll be effective. The last third of the movie, final moments aside, features some incredible moments and visuals. It also features an ensemble with a lot of promise, and is anchored by an engrossing lead performance from Dastmalchian.
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