LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
Starring: David Dastmalchian, Ingrid Torelli, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, and Fayssal Bazzi
Director: Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes
NICK
Late Night with the Devil is an impressive feat. The film not only transports you back in time to the 1970s, but it does so while seamlessly blending its timeline into our actual past. This smart directorial decision makes everything feel authentic to the period. David Dastmalchian plays the host of the proceedings, and he channels the squeaky-clean cheese of yesteryear with an era-perfect performance. You feel as if you’re sitting in the audience of this supposed pivotal moment in time, and it makes for a special theatrical experience.
KATIE
Late Night with the Devil is a smart, satirical, stylish, and spine-chilling horror film. It convincingly emulates the style and texture of 1970s late-night television, but still feels very fresh, with an impressively engaging found-footage concept driven by David Dastmalchian’s charming yet creepy performance as TV host Jack Delroy, who is forced to face the consequences of his venality. If you begin to question some of the logic in the film, it begins to not make sense, but I didn’t mind as this is a punchy, well-executed retro-style horror with a creative approach and some great scares.
PAIGE
Late Night with the Devil is a campy yet eerie film that is atmospheric and stylish. The movie makes the most of its strengths, with David Dastmalchian playing a struggling talk show host against the backdrop of the 1970s, and its unique approach of mixing a live late night talk show with found footage. It's a brisk and creative horror film overall, even though its cautionary tale about the dangers of selling yourself for fame or prosperity could’ve gone further with its scares and ideas.
QUENTIN
*Sigh* Here we are again…another critically acclaimed horror movie that everyone seems to be raving about and another genre disappointment for ol’ Q. Maybe it was too overhyped, but despite my appreciation for the authentic 70s talk show vibe and David Dastmalchian’s terrific performance, there just isn’t a lot to grasp on to here. The story is somewhat disjointed, completely lacking in scares, suspense, and tension, while the ending feels unearned as certain revelations kinda come out of nowhere. I can’t deny the film’s successes on the technical front, but I remain on my years-long hunt for the next great horror film.
CALEB
For a found footage movie to work, it has to be immersive, and Late Night with the Devil is anything but. The wonky CGI, awkward exposition dumps, and terrible AI artwork made it impossible for me to lose myself in the 70s aesthetic. It didn’t help that the movie would occasionally forget it was found footage, and the characters would begin conversing privately as if they weren’t on camera. I could forgive the inattention to detail if it were more engaging, but the narrative moves at a snail's pace, and the “scares” are laughable. Unfortunately, the only frightening thing about Late Night is the horrific corner-cutting.
