Review: Late Night with the Devil – Hell of a show

Directed by Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
Starring David Dastmalchian, Ian Bliss, Ingrid Torelli, Michael Ironside

7.5/10

In a desperate attempt to halt his plummeting ratings and save his late-night talk show, Jack Deloy (David Dastmalchian) decides to conduct a radical interview. Beside his special Halloween cast of psychics and sceptics (Ian Bliss), there is a troubled young girl (Ingrid Torelli). She claims to be possessed by a devil and could provide Deloy with the showstopper that he needs.

Late Night with the Devil might not stay true to the found footage format it initially sets itself. After a brief set-up, we are reportedly shown the infamous episode (complete with behind-the-scenes footage) as it was broadcast on Halloween in 1977.

Although we predominantly witness events through the live broadcast (a format it is faithful to), the “additional behind-the-scenes” footage is less strictly accurate in terms of camera placement or if it’d be filmed at all. This isn’t a deal-breaker. The format acts more as a narrative device to give us an initial exposition dump (by Michael Ironside, no less) so we can establish background, motivation, and stakes for Jack Deloy. It’s similar to an omniscient narrator, but given the metatextual trappings of TV (like in Network).

However, the film is much more faithful to the ’70s talk show format. It is lovingly recreated by drawing on real-world parallels. The sceptic is obviously inspired by James Randi, the host by Don Lane, and “Lilly“ has more than a few parallels to “Eve” (an exploited Dissociative Identity Disorder case who had written her own tell-all in 1977).

All of this adds a veracity to the proceedings that outlasts any vestige of the found footage trope, instead generating a feel for the era through an understanding of its popular culture. Add a whiff of a Faustian deal, some post-The Exorcist possession, and late ’70s (early ’80s) inspired gore effects, and you have a very solid premise for a horror film.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that everyone appears to revel in their roles. Dastmalchian (Oppenheimer, The Suicide Squad) managed to encapsulate the casual charm of a talk show host, occasionally allowing that mask to slip and reveal desperation, fear, and naked ambition. This is Jack’s show, and the audience is riveted as he manipulates events both on screen and behind the scenes.

As for the guests, their conflicting ideologies and agendas are what fuel the drama. Ian Bliss has more than a touch of ’70s Orson Welles about him (as did Randi) and is pompous and acerbic in good measure. Ingrid Torelli’s “Lilly” channels The Brady Bunch for her performance, but she undercuts that wholesomeness by following the camera and intensely staring down its lens.

An intriguing premise combined with a rock-solid execution more than makes up for any of the small faults this film has. Late Night with the Devil is a return to must-see TV.

DAVID O’CONNELL