On Halloween, most kids are out ‘trick or treating’. But what is everyone too old for that doing?

Well, they are watching ‘Night owls with Jack Dellroy’ or as we like to call it ‘LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL’. The most frightening episode of late-night TV is airing, and we have had a chance to watch it.

Starting of your ‘Halloween binge-watch party’ with some found footage style flicks. That is a recommendation I will be giving for this years ‘horror season’. Maybe you have seen ‘Late Night with Seth Myers‘ or ‘Late Night with David Letterman’ but think it isn’t suspenseful enough. Then let me treat you too ‘LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL’ directed (and written) by Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes. This unique horror film which premiered in 2023 has positively surprised us, and this is why…

Image courtesy of IFC Films/SF Studios.

‘LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL’ is one of too few projects which had me glued to the screen. 90-isch minutes felt like 20 minutes and with great pacing, that is maybe not too much of a surprise. The absolute start of the film had a slow build-up, perhaps too slow if you ask some (including me). Surely, the ending wasn’t perfect. But looking at the film as a complete project, its remarkably good.

The core of it all is built upon a ‘talk show’ concept. More specifically a ‘Late Night Talk Show’. It is perhaps a blend between ‘found footage horror’ and ‘70s horror’, if I remember correctly. The execution of concept is better than I expected it to be. It felt as if I were watching a talk show… gone slightly supernatural. Performances in the film are more than solid, they felt frighteningly solid at times even. Starring in the film are David Dastmalchian (Jack Delroy), Laura Gordon (June Ross Mitchell), Ian Bliss (Carmichael Haig), Ingrid Torelli (Lilly), Rhys Auteri (Gus McConnell) among others. The standout performances from my perspective belonged to David Dastmalchian, Ian Bliss and Ingrid Torelli. However, I would say no one really did a bad job, it all felt surreally genuine.

Image courtesy of IFC Films/SF Studios.

All was real, until ‘CGI’ walked across the stage. I can’t deem it to be simply ‘bad’. Yet, it was partially flawed at times. It just didn’t look convincing enough, especially in the first act. Was that a creative choice when keeping the ‘70s’ look in mind? It is hard to say, some interviews with the creators would settle that. I think practical VFX was implemented in certain scenes, at least from the look of it. Those effects looked gory to say the least, but it wasn’t any award-winning makeup/prosthetics.

Many scenes in ‘LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL’ were tense, you were involuntarily glued to the screen at times. But for moments where you move your head away in horror, the film was lacking scenes like that. I can’t say it is a scary movie, maybe a slightly disgusting one. But not scary, jump scares were few to none, and even though the film doesn’t need them to be disturbing I still think it would have made for an overall scarier experience. In my world gore doesn’t equal scary. If it isn’t taken to the most absurd of levels. In terms of fright level this movie scores quite medium to low.

But no worries, there is plenty of strong aspects to make up for the lack of fright or flight! Effective writing and a visual language that establishes familiarity are some key components in this standout of a film. Attention to small details, like the addition of far away sirens, is also something which I liked. Every minute of the film felt needed, surely the middle part was the best if you ask me, but looking at this project from start to finish, it can absolutely be one of the better horror movies of the year. That is if the second half of 2024 doesn’t have too many more surprises.

Image courtesy of IFC Films/SF Studios.

Some other things I noticed was the inclusion of not one, not two, not three or four, but something like 10 production company logos at the start of the film. That was quite funny and reminds me a lot of a ‘FAMILY GUY’ meme... But that doesn’t affect the score I am about to give ‘LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL’. Other things to keep in mind, the film does spend most of its time in a single enclosed space* However, that wasn’t any issue for me. The rather small stage where the talk show is filmed, becomes a large area for conversation and supernatural activity. The different shots used to film this movie made the area feel rather large and not boring at all. So, to say that the set design is boring, no that isn’t possible. The ending of the film is a little bit different in terms of sets & environments, but I’ll leave it at that. ‘LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL’ ends on a rather shocking note also. Perhaps the ending wasn’t my cup of tea, but bad is not the word to use here. It is rather mind-bending journey you will embark on, when watching this film.

It is nevertheless one of the most unique films of the year. Thanks to some frightening performances from David Dastmalchian and Ingrid Torelli, as well as a gripping overall narrative. It is one exceptional project that had me glued to the screen for the full 86-minute runtime. ‘LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL’ will therefor receive a rating of:    

RATING: 4,5 / 5