Late Night With The Devil is a film that poses the question: “What if The Exorcist played out live on TV?” Starring David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy, the charming host of a 70s late night talk show on the decline, the film presents ‘found footage’ of a special Halloween episode that goes awry. Delroy’s talk show, Night Owls, had been in decline since before his wife Madeleine passed away, and Jack’s brief hiatus as a result didn’t help viewing figure either. Hoping to garner a big audience on the spookiest night of the year, Jack plans a show featuring a medium, a girl who is supposedly possessed by a demon as well as her carer, and a paranormal debunker and professional skeptic to spice things up. Of course, the show doesn’t go as planned, however some of the scares really do bank on reveals and tension, so I would be remiss to spoil them in any way. The tension throughout the movie is utilised superbly, as you know that something is coming, but it’s not always what you expect, or when you expect it.
The film’s star, David Dastmalchian, has historically been cast as side characters in very large movies, such as The Dark Knight, Oppenheimer, Dune Part 1 and The Suicide Squad. I’m very glad to see him leading a movie while playing a charismatic character that’s a departure from the odd comic relief characters that he is often cast as, and I sincerely hope this film acts as a gateway into more leading roles befitting of his talents. He plays Jack Delroy with such poise, as you can see him rolling with the punches as he is thrown curveballs while hosting a live show, as well as behind the scenes footage as he begins to crack under the pressure of the night’s events. The character of Jack Delroy is inspired by the American host of the Australian talk show, The Don Lane show. The film’s directors, Cameron and Colin Cairnes, are also Australian, and with the movie being filmed in Melbourne, I believe Australia has another horror hit on its hands after last year’s runaway success Talk To Me.
Ingrid Torelli plays Lilly, the young girl who is haunted by a demon that she dubs “Mr. Wriggles”. Torelli gives such an unnerving performance, as every sentence out of Lilly’s mouth feels so forced in the best way possible, it feels like the character is putting on a front and really does have something in her head, and I can’t help but linger on her ever-present smile towards the camera whenever it’s filming her.
Late Night With The Devil. Directed by Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes, 2024.
Being an indie movie that is at times effects-heavy, Late Night With The Devil does a fantastic job at balancing great effects and the limits of its budget. There were only one or two moments where I saw something that looked a bit off, but compared to the rest of the effects, the set design and costumes, it was a drop of oil in an otherwise pristine ocean of production value. The film has drawn criticism, however, as 3 images used as screens for the show used right before cutting to an ad break, were generated with AI. Many, including myself, disapprove of the decision and hope it doesn’t lead to studios implementing it more. It leaves a bit of a stain on an otherwise fantastic indie horror flick
The film does feature a big twist, which I won’t reveal here of course, and while the twist isn’t particularly hard to see coming, the execution of the reveal is sublime, featuring a sequence where the film switches from the 70s TV cameras that you get so used to, to modern day cameras, creating a hell of an atmosphere at the movie’s climax. Late Night With The Devil is a chilling masterclass in tension and horror filmmaking, and with the runtime coming in at slightly over an hour and a half, it really is worth your time. It’s in cinemas now and I really do recommend it, even for more casual moviegoers looking to dip their toes into a bit of horror.