Late Night with the Devil is the cleverest found footage film since The Blair Witch Project. Rather than follow the latter film’s well-trodden path by creating fictional home video footage to tell a story, Late Night with the Devil is more interested in its characters and themes. It filters cultism, capitalist greed and personal trauma through its creative filmmaking to deliver something atmospheric and thoroughly entertaining. Now that the film is out on Blu-Ray, its singular horrors can be experienced again and again.
Via an introductory monologue, the film is framed as a documentary, using a recording of a fictional but fatal TV episode to tell its story, weaving in behind the scenes footage to connect any remaining dots. A 70s TV host, Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) makes a desperate gambit to save his talk show, Night Owls. Once a popular figure, rivalling that of Johnny Carson, Jack has been plagued by the death of his wife, and controversies surrounding his association with the elitist group The Grove, who may or may not have cultish tendencies. Capitalising on the public’s fear of the occult, Jack makes a Halloween special of Night Owls in which he invites a seemingly possessed girl onto the show in an attempt to boost ratings, an endeavour that ultimately ends in terror and tragedy.
By reconfiguring the found footage genre into a pseudo-documentarian medium, the film adopts a unique look and feel, piquing our curiosity and enhancing the immersion once we begin watching. It has all the pomp and playfulness of your average Jimmy Kimmel show, yet weaponises that format to build dread as Jack’s quest for ratings threatens to meet forces he doesn’t fully understand. That the film grain, boxed in aspect ratio, and slightly too colourful setpieces replicate the look of 70s television seamlessly adds to its sense of authenticity. Dastmalchian finally gets his shot as lead actor after a career of supporting roles, and he shines immaculately, embodying Jack’s outward charms and eccentricities, as well as his inner sorrow and avarice for success that slowly bubbles to the surface. It’s a terrific performance grounded in humanism, whether basking in his trauma or opportunistic streak.
Writer-directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes continuously sow doubt into the storytelling through the talk show format. Just like with any good episode of television, a narrative is being pushed but the antics of the characters constantly infuse it with drama and uncertainty. The apparently possessed girl, Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), and her parapsychologist June (Laura Gordon), are joined on stage by a pretentious psychic (Fayssal Bazzi) and a patronising former magician turned sceptic (Ian Bliss). All offer unique, contrasting understandings on the supernatural. This creates room for small but significant character dynamics as well as gnawing questions: Is this a genuine case of possession, or is it all just a performative cash grab on Jack’s part? It’s a thematically rich picture whose musings on greed and the occult linger long after the final shot.
Looking into the Blu-Ray’s additional features will only amplify one’s enthusiasm for the picture. On top of a full audio commentary – a much missed pleasure from modern DVDs – the Blu-Ray offers numerous interviews with the directors and various cast members, all of whom offer deeper insights and unique perspectives into how this ambitious picture was brought to life. Behind the scenes footage contained within the special features showcase how some of the most iconic moments and special effects were created. The meticulous detail that went into the film is shown on full display here, whether in the creation of special effects or the Night Owls theme tune.
The most intriguing feature of the Blu-Ray features is the inclusion of a video essay by critic and horror enthusiast Zoe Rose Smith. Using the film as a springboard, her essay explores cult hits and the depiction of cultism in movies. Tying the film with other prominent horrors, ranging from The Devils to The Empty Man, it’s an engaging piece that adds food for thought into the film’s themes and placement within the horror canon.
Late Night with the Devil joins The Substance and Longlegs as one of 2024’s finest horrors. Smart and stylistic, getting to own this intelligent and captivating film is a joy for horror fanatics everywhere. That its special features prove as intriguing as the film itself is a prime showcasing of what physical media at its best represents – a portal for deeper appreciation of the feature.
★★★★
Horror / 4K UHD, Blu-Ray, DVD / Second Sight Films /David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ingrid Torelli, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi / Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes / 15 / Pre-order/Buy [Second Sight Films]
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