Late Night With The Devil Holds A Perfect Score And A Horror Master's Blessing
Just when it feels like the found footage horror genre has run out of steam, some upstart filmmaker always seems to swing in with a bold new variation on the concept. According to the critics who saw the film at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival (who collectively awarded the movie a perfect 100-percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes), Australian directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes have done precisely this with "Late Night with the Devil."
The film claims to be a master tape of a fictional late-night talk show titled "Night Owls with Jack Delroy." On this particular episode, aired on Halloween night in 1977, Delroy (David Dastmalchian), a ho-hum comedian desperate to juice his sagging ratings, brings on parapsychologist Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) to promote her latest book on Satanic cults. Appearing with her is Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), the only survivor of a mass suicide brought on by some kind of demonic hysteria.
Delroy is hoping for a sensationally spooky evening of television that will transform his show into a must-watch. He ends up getting a good deal more than he bargained for, as do the folks at home watching this episode.
According to an enthusiastic review from /Film's Jacob Hall, "['Late Night with the Devil'] makes all those bad found footage horror movies you suffer through worth it because it means you found this one." The suggests viewers should go into this movie as cold as possible, so your friends at /Film suggest staying away from additional details since this is a wildly inventive found footage flick that delivers the scares in a big, jolting way (not to mention the surprisingly compelling character reveals).
And if a slew of (thus far) only positive reviews are hype-worthy in their own right, perhaps a rave from a certain master of the macabre will push you over the edge and convince you to check this one out.
A King-ly recommendation
Last March, someone connected with the film decided to slip a screener copy to Stephen King. The legendary author — whose massive list of novels includes classics like "Carrie," "It," "The Shining," and so much more — has long been a willing promoter of rising horror stars if he feels they've got the goods. And, well, he went gaga for "Late Night with the Devil" in a single post on what was then called Twitter:
"LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL: I got a screener. It's absolutely brilliant. I couldn't take my eyes off it. Your results may vary, as they say, but I urge you to watch it when you can."
There are only a handful of living figures whose appreciation for your new horror movie can feel like a gift from the cinema gods. Getting the blessing of the most prolific and popular horror writer of all time certainly means something. Now, someone show "Late Night With the Devil" to John Carpenter. Let's see how many other horror masters can offer a ringing endorsement.
Where and when can horror fans spend their Late Night with the Devil?
When will horror enthusiasts be able to watch "Late Night with the Devil?" Pretty darn soon! The film is slated for a limited theatrical release on March 22, 2024, and will begin streaming on the horror-centric Shudder streaming service starting April 19.
And while this is a movie that can absolutely be enjoyed on the big screen with a crowd, don't fret if you can't make it to the theater for this one. The very nature of the film's construction, that you're watching a "long lost" tape of a forgotten '70s TV show where things went terribly wrong, means the movie should actually take its final form in the living room. On the big screen, it's a horror movie. In your darkened home, with you cuddled on the couch and the room illuminated by the flicker of the television, the illusion the film projects should prove especially convincing. Even with a familiar actor like Dastmalchian in the lead role, the authentic touches and convincing details could get you thinking "Wait, this didn't actually happen, right?"
For maximum chills, double feature it with "Ghost Watch," the brilliant and chilling BBC TV movie that feels like the spiritual successor to what this film pulls off. Both revolve around the same horror magic trick: they slow burn just enough to make you forget you're not watching actual television ... and then things get scary.
Until then, /Film's got more "Late Night with the Devil" hype via this rave from Matt Donato.