If you are a fan of the horror genre, then you are probably very familiar with the name, David Dastmalchian. In the last year alone, he’s exploded off the screen in films like The Last Voyage of the Demeter, The Boogeyman, and The Boston Strangler. Not to mention his foray into comic book world, writing his own horror comic series Count Crowley, published by Dark Horse comics. But it’s not just the horror hounds who know his name, he has quietly stolen scenes in major blockbusters from The Dark Knight and Dune to Ant-Man and 2024 Best Picture winner Oppenheimer. So, when he becomes attached to a film called Late Night with the Devil, the curiosity level is at an all-time high.
David Dastmalchian in Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes’ LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL. Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder. An IFC Films and Shudder release.
Written and directed by two brothers and Australian imports, Cameron and Colin Cairnes (Scare Campaign), Late Night with the Devil is about an episode of late night television that goes horribly, and devilishly wrong. The conceit is that the tapes have been found and we are getting a first-hand look at what happened that fateful Halloween night.
Australian horror films have had success in the states, films like Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Babadook stand tall amongst any in the genre. Perhaps even more notably is this year’s Talk to Me, a film about a possessed hand that will give you one hell of a ride. The talent of horror filmmakers coming from Australia is exciting to see, and more mainstream success appears to be inevitable. Whatever is in the water down under, I’ll take two.
L-R: Laura Gordon, Ingrid Torelli, David Dastmalchian, and Ian Bliss in Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes’ LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL. Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder. An IFC Films and Shudder release.
Set on October 31st, 1977, during sweeps for a late night talk show whose ratings are dwindling, the host, Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian), is desperate for a rating spike and brings on, among others, a skeptic, a guest who can commune with the dead, and a girl who is possessed by a demon. The back and forth between the skeptic and various spooky guests makes you, as an audience member, think twice before believing what you’re seeing.
Late Night does a lot of things well, but it has a few (not so) secret weapons. Blending documentary and found footage styles of filmmaking, everything that we witness from this evening feels real. This is very important for the payoff at the end. For the first 10-15 minutes, we are treated to just a regular late night episode, complete with commercials, a monologue with era specific jokes, a quippy side kick (played impeccably by the enigmatic Rhys Auteri (A Good Deed)), and a house band. The biggest weapon is the lead, David Dastmalchian. He is a convincing talk show host, showing a side of himself that we have seldom seen. He’s witty and charming, a humanity is showing through that is important for the story. The attention to story and character is mesmerizing; without this great beginning and build up, the last half of the film would fall apart and feel disingenuous. The brothers Cairnes keep it light and playful in the beginning, nothing too spooky, but as the night unfolds, the tension ratchets with every scene until soon you are firmly in its grip and it does not let go.
L-R: Ingrid Torelli and Laura Gordon in Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes’ LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL. Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder. An IFC Films and Shudder release.
The film has a comfortable and recognizable setting. It’s a sound stage set up to look like a late show, the ‘70s aesthetic is pitch perfect. The vibrant colors, wardrobe, and hair styles all feel authentic and lived in. When the camera cuts away to the studio audience or to the wings of the set, everything looks perfect. It is there to lull you into a more comfortable state, so when it gets to the “Devil” portion of the late night, there is a visceral reaction. You have to recon with what you’re seeing, you can take the side of the skeptic, or you can surrender yourself to some great storytelling, and enjoy one hell of a ride.
Setting the film in 1977 comes with its own built in stakes. It’s the height of the “Satanic Panic” movement, serial killers like Charles Manson and David Berkowitz are on the front page of every paper, and the mysterious “Satanic cults” are being talked about behind closed doors by busy body housewives, feeding into the panic. These are tangibly felt in the film, either through direct reference or inspired casting, but there is a vibe here that the filmmakers are tapping into that’s perfect for the story being created. There are definitely notes of 1992’s Ghostwatch, a television special that ran in the UK under the guise of an actual news broadcast, but in that there are cuts to other locations and it feels more like a found footage film. In Late Night, we stay on the set the entire time, there’s a claustrophobic feeling of not being able to escape, and there is a sense that the very set is coming alive to swallow you whole.
L-R: : Ingrid Torelli, David Dastmalchian, and Laura Gordon in Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes’ LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL. Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder. An IFC Films and Shudder release.
As promised, things take a turn and get out of hand. Because of the strength of Dastmalchian’s performance, his character being fleshed out, and the real-life implications of Satan making an appearance on late night, there is somber reflection on the price of fame and success. A worthy addition into the pantheon of the possession genre and even found footage genre, this is a unique and terrifying vision, one that will stick with you long after the credits have rolled.
In theaters March 22nd, 2024.
Available on Shudder April 19th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official IFC Films Late Night with the Devil webpage.
Final Score: 5 out of 5.
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Categories: Films To Watch, In Theaters, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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