Late Night with the Devil delivered everything I needed found footage to be.
Forget your usual shaky cam style, the loss of dialogue, or the completely unbelievable premise that a phone or video camera can just run forever. The set up is simple, a 1977 Halloween episode of Night Owls, hosted by Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian), goes horribly wrong when he has a special guest Lilly (Ingrid Torelli) on, the sole survivor of a cult mass suicide. She is joined by her guardian and doctor, Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon), who believes Lilly is possessed by a demonic force. Without giving away any spoilers, as I believe everyone should see this movie, Late Night with the Devil has completely swept the horror community up into the very best frenzy – it’s like the most grim version of Christmas you have ever seen. People are speculating character motivations, reddit has blown up with what different scenes and lines could symbolize, and everyone is just taken back by how much they love this movie.
And with very good reason.
Dasmalchian captures that 1970’s host so well, with his quick witted banter and effortless one liners. He is a commanding presence both in and out of character, and his devotion to his show is illustrated in each and every line delivery, especially when it cuts to the behind the scenes footage. Dasmalchian balances goofy for the sake of the audience while also being genuinely disturbed by what he is witnessing. The movie becomes more uncomfortable as the horror increases and Jack himself becomes more uncomfortable – the host serves as a person of authority and comfort, and Dastmalchian owns the role so well you are immediately drawn into the nightmare we are witnessing. It’s no wonder in universe this guy was second to Carson for a long time. I’ve never seen Dastmalchian in a role that I didn’t love him in, with Polka-Dot man from The Suicide Squad being one of my favourites, however Jack Delroy is the role of a lifetime, and he’s in a found footage movie! THAT IS INSANE! Discussing this film with my friend (who was kind enough to call me while we were watching it when my video just stopped playing and helped me finish the movie via radio play), she brought up the point that Dastmalchian has well earned his place as a leading man – and I agree. Late Night with the Devil drives home that this actor can truly be anyone and anything, and I think that needs to be celebrated and rewarded. (Dastmalchian is also one of the nicest, coolest people in general, so to see him be able to be the leading man in even more would be casting well done. His story about the first horror record he ever got on LPOTL is one of my favourite things in the world. So adorable!) The supporting cast of Late Night with the Devil is phenomenal, with Torelli giving such a terrifying but sympathetic performance as Lilly. She is as commanding as Dastmalchian on stage, and when the two interact it’s truly feeling two equal forces against each other. Gordon, also, plays her role to perfection as the misguided but earnest parapsychologist. Ian Bliss as skeptic Carmichael and Rhys Auteri as Jack’s devoted sidekick Gus are two of my personal favourite characters, and the two of them deliver fun but heartfelt performances. Bliss plays skeptic to a T and is condescending but being likable enough to earn a chuckle from audiences, both fictional and real. And Auteri as Gus…sweet Gus; the best person on set, Auteri is so easy to root for and just is the epitome of a good friend and a great co-host to Jack. Always there with a retort, or an attempt to soothe the crowd, Auteri is the every man this movie needs to ground you in the reality of what is going on by giving you glimpses of true humanity.
All of the acting aside, the writing and direction of this film are brilliant. Found footage is exceptionally difficult to do well, while being frequently utilized as a cheap way to do horror. Late Night with the Devil perfectly uses the technique, for once successfully immersing audiences and keeping their focus on the details they need to focus on. Everything in this is show, don’t tell, and it makes the audience more keen to pay attention to every detail. Every line in this movie has significance, and when the drama intensifies and previous dialogue is referenced, the audience is thrilled. Their time is not being wasted during Late Night with the Devil, it is cherished. And as Jack Delroy says at the beginning of the film, nothing is more important than the audience.
In the era of churning out shitty horror sequels and unoriginal garbage meant, Late Night with the Devil is something that is so simple but so effective; it is something that is truly otherworldly. The supernatural feels, for once, like something tangible that the audience can reach out and touch, and that is more terrifying than any other found footage film to date. The cast, direction, writing – everything in this movie is so perfect, I barely have enough words to express it.
Excuse me while I mull over this film for a million more hours and encourage you all to give it all the attention it deserves. I encourage you to do the same.