Johnny Carson rival Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian) hosts a syndicated talk show ‘Night Owls’ that has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs around the country. However, ratings for the show have plummeted since the tragic death of Jack’s beloved wife. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, on October 31st, 1977, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other- unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America.
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I’d heard good things about Late Night with the Devil. So, when it popped up on streaming (this time on AMC+), I knew I was going to have to check it out. Would this more independent horror flick outdo the bigger studios – or would I be sorely disappointed/
David Dastmalchain leads the cast in Late Night with the Devil as talk show host Jack Gilroy. Shy and reserved, obviously uncomfortable with what’s happening, he’s the window to the show that the viewer relates to. He captures the attention of a late night wannabe Carson, and leads the viewer easily throughout the film. The rest of the cast follow his example, and there isn’t a bad actor in the bunch.
The whole cast – Dastmalchian included – is not readily recognizable, and that works for Late Night with the Devil. Since the credits aren’t until the end of the film, there is nothing to distract the viewers from the idea that this actually be based on a true story. Similar to The Blair Witch Project, these films in the “found footage” genre are made all the better when the viewer is unsure if the footage isn’t made up. Even though they can rationally think “this is a movie,” the footage has a sense of realism that pulls the viewers in – and without anything to distract them from that, it makes for much more of an impact.
The special effects are on point as well. Nothing seen on the screen will dissuade viewers that Late Night with the Devil isn’t found footage of a late night show gone too far. With the low-budget, 70’s vibe to the whole thing, it’s really impressive – and the grainy imaging over the more scary sequences are an interesting twist on eff3cts as well.
Unlike most horror films these days, which rely (mostly) on the same old tropes they have for years, Late Night with the Devil takes a familiar setting (a late night talk show), adds in a horror genre that seemed to have been played out (“found footage”) and puts a whole new twist on it. Gone are the shaky cams of films like Cloverfield and Quarantine. This steady, realistic setting takes the idea to a whole new level. The slow buildup is nice, putting the viewer at ease, but it almost seems to have run out of time at the end, leaving most of the action crammed into the last 10 minutes or so.
Who knows? Maybe it will inspire a whole new slew of “found footage” flicks – and one of them might be more horror than thriller.
