Alex Moss EditorShrouded in backlash thanks to its use of Ai, Late Night With The Devil has nonetheless become one of 2024’s most talked about and celebrated horror films. But behind the headlines and the accolades does Late Night With The Devil chill in the way it hopes to?
In 1977 talk show host Jack Delroy’s (David Dastmalchian) ratings are dwindling in the wake of The Johnny Carson Show. Returning to the air after the untimely death of his wife to cancer, Jack is determined to make a splash so on Halloween risks one more roll of the dice. He invites a series of guests onto his show who will either support or debunk the possibility of the paranormal. But the showstopper will be young Lilly (Ingrid Torelli) who was rescued from a cult and who claims to be possessed by a demon.
The concept of Late Night With The Devil is brilliant; what if a late night talk show host interviewed someone claiming to be the actual Devil? It conjures all manner of fascinating ideas, the host trying to trip up the guest, the guest trying to outfox the host. The problem is, the film never quite manages to hit these highs. In fact, if anything the title is misleading as early on we’re told Lilly is not actually possessed by the Devil but rather a demon. Not to be pedantic, but if you’re going to call it Late Night With The Devil, at least make the actual Devil your character. Or perhaps our smiling host is supposed to be the Devil? Either way, neither are sold well.
Where it does succeed is in conjuring a brilliant ‘70s talk show aesthetic. The film is essentially a riff on the found-footage genre with the show playing out before we get ‘behind the scenes footage’ in black and white. Although, again, the film cheats here by ditching the studio cameras and seemingly having a much more cinematic freedom of moving around. It’s a minor quibble but it does take you out of the ‘reality’ of the situation.
The whole film plays out in a very theatrical way, as was the way of talk shows with a live audience, but it’s one in which you can see working incredibly well on the stage. The audience playing a key part in the production. It’s in these moments the film really flourishes. Building anticipation around a guest or audience member’s stories and what the payoff might be from them.
Where the film struggles is in doing in the film exactly what the talk show does to the audience. For much of the running time it shows the paranormal to be little more than cheap parlour tricks, easily dispelled with rational explanation. Once the actual supernatural forces take over we’re supposed to be scared, or at least chilled by what we see, but the result is quite the opposite. The reveals and effects feel obvious and hamfisted, as if the entire film is desperately trying to emulate the god of all possession films; The Exorcist. But while Friedkien’s masterpiece leaves you reeling, Late Night With The Devil leaves you feeling flat.
Dasmalchian is great as Delroy. A perennial supporting actor – he’s got one of those faces you never forget but are rarely seen as a headline ‘star’ – here he sells both Delroy’s desperation along with his unscrupulous nature, while still managing to hint at a moral compass.
A film that promises much but like the Devil himself sells you down the river, Late Night With The Devil is a decent Friday night in kind of film but one that will not linger for long.
Late Night With The Devil Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Box Set & 4K UHD and Blu-ray Standard Editions arrive 28 October 2024.
