Late Night with the Devil, 2023.
Directed by Cameron Cairnes & Colin Cairnes.
Starring David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Michael Ironside, Fayssal Bazzi, and Ingrid Torelli.
SYNOPSIS:
A TV chat show goes horribly wrong when the host and his guests conjure up some demons live in the studio.
There is something very familiar about Late Night with the Devil and at the same time, something very uncanny and almost ‘off’ about it. The familiarity comes with the format, as the movie is essentially a ‘lost’ episode of a fictional chat show from the 1970s, and if you are of a certain age you will no doubt recognise a lot of the aesthetics, mannerisms and layout of said show, which is called Night Owls with Jack Delroy. Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is a host very much in the vein of any late-night chat show host you can think of with his broad comedy puns, a huge ego and his need to be loved and do anything for ratings.
Where it is uncanny is in its mixing of fiction and reality, because Delroy is always playing second fiddle to real-life US chat show legend Johnny Carson in the ratings, and he is desperate to be number one. After his wife dies of cancer Delroy disappears from public life, returning after some time and carrying on with the show, but still not getting those all-important ratings. The show films its regular Halloween episode, but instead of the usual costume parade and pop singer to entertain the masses, this show features bestselling parapsychologist Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon), who is there with Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), the teenage survivor of a suicide cult who worshipped the demon Abraxas and burned themselves to death in a standoff with the police. Also on the show is Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), a medium who can contact the dead, and Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss), a sceptic who thinks he can prove all these supernatural stories are the work of tricksters and showmen. What could possibly go wrong?
Quite a lot, and it does in spectacular style. Obviously, the look and format of the show will be more familiar to US audiences, but if you are in the UK there is something of Alan Partridge about Jack Delroy, whose fake sincerity and ability to say the wrong thing a) make the character totally engaging as you wait for him to deal with the next thing to go wrong, and b) makes you realise how accurate these portrayals are and how talented David Dastmalchian (and Steve Coogan) are for picking up on those character traits and blowing them up to for us to cringe at.
Much has been made of the AI engineered transition cards and background graphics in this movie and, to be truthful, if you didn’t know they were AI then it probably wouldn’t be an issue. Much like when CGI is used with practical effects, it is a tool to achieve something the audience needs to believe, and although it is a bit odd that the filmmakers couldn’t just create some 1970-style graphics in the old-fashioned way, the use of AI doesn’t detract from the movie at all.
In fact, very little detracts from Late Night with the Devil as is thoroughly engaging all the way through, from its opening voiceover (narrated perfectly by the legendary Michael Ironside) that sets the scene of a post-Charles Manson America in the midst of the Vietnam War, through to its ending, which is a little predictable once all the pieces are in place and you can see what is happening in the studio as Lilly is put in a trance and asked to contact Mr. Wriggles, the demon that allegedly possess her, but the journey getting there is great fun, especially when you bring Jack Delroy and his mysterious private life into the equation.
The disc comes backed with cast and crew interviews an audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson, South by Southwest 2023 Q&A with actor David Dastmalchian and directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes, and a video essay with Zoë Rose Smith, but if you get the limited edition 4K USD/Blu-ray set you are also treated to Second Sight’s usual impeccable presentation, which also includes art cards, a rigid slipcase and 120-page book with Behind-the-Scenes images and several essays on the movie.
Late Night with the Devil does something that has become a bit of a rarity in the current genre scene, and that is offer up something that is both original and, more importantly, entertaining. A lot of its entertainment value comes from the chat show format, and the fact we know it is going to go wrong makes it feel like one of those ‘when TV goes bad’-type clip shows, but this one goes the whole way by showing you what is going on behind the scenes in the commercial breaks as well as what is happening in front of the camera, with David Dastmalchian and Ian Bliss going out of their way to play up their characters to the point of becoming stereotypes, which isn’t a negative because we recognise exactly who they are and how this is going to play out. The thing is, much like with real life TV, watching it all go belly up is an absolute joy and the messages about how desperate people are for fame are still relevant – will we ever learn?
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Ward
