By Ben Bright
@BrightFilmWorks
Wow.
Every year, there are a handful of stand-out films that, for whatever reason, be it entertainment value, social relevance, or how the film makes the viewer feel. This is true no matter what genre, whether it be drama, romance, comedy, or, in this case, the often panned horror genre.
Late Night with the Devil, in my opinion, is one of those that I speak of. It is a tale of demonic possession set within the framework of a 70’s late-night talk show, and it very much appealed to me. It appeared to have quite the original premise, and I am also a fan of character actor David Dastmalchian (Dune Part 1, Ant-Man) for his ability to bring off-kilter roles to life on the screen. Often playing supporting roles, I was excited to see him cast in a lead role. From watching the trailer, I knew that he would deliver and he did.
The film follows Jack “Mr. Midnight” Delroy (Dastmalchian), the once superpopular host of the late-night talk show ‘Night Owls’, whose ratings have begun to fall. In what seems to be his last chance to bounce back, he uses the opportunity that Halloween falls on the Monday of sweeps week to have an event-filled episode.
The episode warms up with a plethora of unique guests such as the mentalist Christou, Fayssal Bazzi (Shantaram, Peter Rabbit) displaying his abilities to the audience paired with the hostile skeptic Carmichael Haig, Ian Bliss (The Matrix Reloaded, Superman Returns). Along for the ride are Delroy’s onscreen sidekick and announcer Gus, Rhys Auteri (in his feature film debut). Behind the scenes, is Jack’s long-time producer Leo Fiske, Josh Quong Tart (Little Monsters, Dark Place) keeping the whole show together.
The primary focus of the episode, however, is when Jack brings on a young girl, Lily, played in a super creepy manner by Ingrid Torelli (in her feature film debut as well), rescued from a satanic cult and adopted by and studied by parapsychologist, Dr June Ross-Mitchell, Laura Gordon (Saw V, Hotel Cocaine), in an attempt to summon the devil through the unfortunate young girl.
While they do summon the malevolent spirit, there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. What follows is a series of events that drives the film into a descent into madness with an insane and satisfying climax.
The movie does everything right.
It is a movie that works across the board. The concoction of demonic possession set in a late-night talk show in 1970’s New York City, which was its own form of Hell itself, is a welcome one.
The film uses color during the broadcast scenes and black and white during the commercial breaks, displaying the transition between subjective and objective points of view.
The minimalist setting adds realism to the viewer as if they are watching an actual late-night show in the vein of Merv Griffen.
Dastmalchian gives a scene-stealing performance which should open up doors for him to future leading roles. Additionally, the entire supporting cast gives splendid and unique performances that feel like the roles were tailored specifically to each actor’s strengths.
This having come out in March, was possibly to me an early installment to the handful of standout films of 2024 to date and proof that the horror genre should not just be panned as often as it is.
I walked out of the theatre feeling fully satisfied with what I had just witnessed. It was fresh, original, and pleasing to the eye as well. Also, whether by design or not, it is not too frightening to scare off non-horror fans. I even believe that Late Night with the Devil reaches across the aisle to entertain them as well.
This is the Halloween season film that you didn’t know that you needed.
