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That is the warning that late night show host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) gets from his sidekick Gus (Rhys Auteri) during a commercial break, as they prepare to present a demonic possession live. But love, grief, and the desire for fame can lead us to do dangerous things, like meddling with things we don't understand. That is part of what's going on in this supernatural horror film.
Set in 1977, Late Night with the Devil follows the recording of a late night talk show hosted by Delroy for Halloween. The episode features Jack's return to the show after the death of his wife from cancer. But with dwindling ratings, he seems to be desperate to cook up anything to boost his viewership, even if it means bringing psychics, magicians, and possessed people so he can talk with "the devil".
There are a lot of interesting things going on with this film. Most notably, the way it is shot as if we were watching the actual show recording (at least for the most part). To achieve that, it uses elements of "found footage" as we see the recording unfold. However, it doesn't fully commit to this, since it also features some additional footage during the commercial breaks, which kinda broke the "magic" for me.
These commercial breaks, as well as the intro, serve mostly as a means of exposition. Unfortunately, they feel a bit ham-fisted and not entirely effective. The film also requires a massive amount of suspension of disbelief for us to believe that such a recording would go through, even after their first attempts at meddling. I mean, when a psychic projectile-vomits on your guests and the camera, I guess it's time to wrap it up and call it a day.
What the film does have, aside from the inventive setup and premise, are committed performances from the cast, most of which I didn't know of. Both Fayssal Bazzi and Ian Bliss are pretty good as the "vomiting" psychic and the magician-turned-skeptic, and Ingrid Tortelli is chilling as the young possessed girl. However, it is Dastmalchian the one who carries this from start to finish, and he does it extremely well. I'm actually surprised he hasn't had more lead opportunities, but I hope this film can change that.
Overall, I don't think Late Night with the Devil holds up as well as I would've wished, but it does put forward an intriguing setup in a unique way. Moreover, it is carried confidently by the cast, especially Dastmalchian. I think some of the writing and direction could've been polished to avoid excessive and obvious exposition, and some better execution, but coming from relative newcomers Colin and Cameron Cairnes, perhaps you can say they were meddling with things they don't understand.
Grade:
LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
(2023, Cairnes & Cairnes)
(2023, Cairnes & Cairnes)
"You're meddling with things you don't understand."
That is the warning that late night show host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) gets from his sidekick Gus (Rhys Auteri) during a commercial break, as they prepare to present a demonic possession live. But love, grief, and the desire for fame can lead us to do dangerous things, like meddling with things we don't understand. That is part of what's going on in this supernatural horror film.
Set in 1977, Late Night with the Devil follows the recording of a late night talk show hosted by Delroy for Halloween. The episode features Jack's return to the show after the death of his wife from cancer. But with dwindling ratings, he seems to be desperate to cook up anything to boost his viewership, even if it means bringing psychics, magicians, and possessed people so he can talk with "the devil".
There are a lot of interesting things going on with this film. Most notably, the way it is shot as if we were watching the actual show recording (at least for the most part). To achieve that, it uses elements of "found footage" as we see the recording unfold. However, it doesn't fully commit to this, since it also features some additional footage during the commercial breaks, which kinda broke the "magic" for me.
These commercial breaks, as well as the intro, serve mostly as a means of exposition. Unfortunately, they feel a bit ham-fisted and not entirely effective. The film also requires a massive amount of suspension of disbelief for us to believe that such a recording would go through, even after their first attempts at meddling. I mean, when a psychic projectile-vomits on your guests and the camera, I guess it's time to wrap it up and call it a day.
What the film does have, aside from the inventive setup and premise, are committed performances from the cast, most of which I didn't know of. Both Fayssal Bazzi and Ian Bliss are pretty good as the "vomiting" psychic and the magician-turned-skeptic, and Ingrid Tortelli is chilling as the young possessed girl. However, it is Dastmalchian the one who carries this from start to finish, and he does it extremely well. I'm actually surprised he hasn't had more lead opportunities, but I hope this film can change that.
Overall, I don't think Late Night with the Devil holds up as well as I would've wished, but it does put forward an intriguing setup in a unique way. Moreover, it is carried confidently by the cast, especially Dastmalchian. I think some of the writing and direction could've been polished to avoid excessive and obvious exposition, and some better execution, but coming from relative newcomers Colin and Cameron Cairnes, perhaps you can say they were meddling with things they don't understand.
Grade: