Late Night with the Devil
Late Night with the Devil is a 2023 supernatural horror film written, directed and edited by Cameron and Colin Cairnes, and starring David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, and Josh Quong Tart. Framed as a found footage film with a documentary prologue, it focuses on a Halloween night 1977 talk show episode in which the host, the ambitious Jack Delroy, invites a purportedly possessed girl onto the program in an attempt to boost ratings.
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| Cinematography | Matthew Temple |
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Running time | 93 minutes[2] |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $9.3 million[3] |
An international co-production of Australia, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates,[4] Late Night with the Devil had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) on 10 March 2023. It received positive reviews from critics,[5][6] garnering praise for its performances, production design and technical aspects, though it also received criticism for utilizing AI-generated art in three still image intertitles featured in the film.
Late Night with the Devil was released theatrically in the United States on 22 March 2024 by IFC Films. The film will be released theatrically in Australia on 11 April, and will be available for streaming on Shudder on 19 April.[7]
Plot edit
The film's prologue is framed as a documentary investigating an unexplained event that occurred on October 31, 1977 during the live broadcast of the sixth season episode of Night Owls with Jack Delroy, a successful variety late-night talk show that competes on ratings with The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Through his television connections, Night Owls host Jack Delroy makes regular visits to "The Grove", an elite California camp for rich and powerful men. Sometime later, his wife Madeleine contracts terminal lung cancer despite being a non-smoker and dies, her death having a major effect on Jack as Night Owls halts its production. Jack ultimately returns but the show does not attain the same level of success. Even before she died, an episode featuring Madeleine telling her cancer story doesn't boost ratings back to the show's peak. In order to recover his rating, Jack decides to do a special occultism-themed episode on Halloween night at the show's Manhattan studio. The rest of the film comprises salvaged footage from the episode along with behind-the-scenes additions.
Special guests for the show's episode include psychic Christou, skeptical former magician Carmichael the Conjurer, parapsychologist author June Ross-Mitchell, June's subject Lilly D'Abo, and musician Cleo James. During the broadcast, Christou is exposed for giving cold readings until he suddenly experiences a real premonition about someone named "Minnie" and is left shaken. During the commercial breaks, Night Owls producer Leo Fiske stresses Jack over the show's sudden success. Christou begs to leave the show as he doesn't feel well, but Leo tells him to suck it up and stay for the ratings.
Jack brings out Carmichael, who insists that Christou is a phony, but Jack supports him after pointing out that "Minnie" was the nickname he gave Madeleine. As Christou argues with Carmichael, he becomes sick, projectile vomits a black liquid, and is rushed to the hospital during another commercial break. In the subsequent segment, June introduces Lilly, the sole survivor of a mass suicide committed by a Satanic church that worshipped Abraxas. Carmichael is in disbelief over June's claims that Lilly is connected to a demon she dubs "Mr. Wriggles". Despite June's insistence on possible consequences, Jack convinces her to conjure the demon. During another commercial break, the crew informs Jack that Christou has died en route to Mount Sinai Hospital due to internal hemorrhaging. Jack's sidekick Gus McConnell finds this out and begs Jack to stop as these events are disturbing the man of faith. Leo and Jack both shut him down, saying this episode will save the show and everyone's jobs.
During June's conjuring, Lilly becomes possessed by Mr. Wriggles, causes the electricity to go haywire, and levitates in her chair. In her possessed state, Lilly reveals that June and Jack are sleeping together and makes an oblique reference to having met Jack before "under the tall trees." Carmichael challenges June by having Gus take part in a hypnotism demonstration that causes everyone in the studio to see worms coming out of and ravaging Gus, including Gus himself. When the production team rewinds the footage, it proves that Carmichael's demonstration was merely a hallucination experienced by everyone in the studio. However, the supernatural phenomena that occurred during June's conjuring appears unaltered in the recorded playback. Jack is horrified when he notices an apparition of a spiritual Madeleine standing behind him in the footage. Carmichael angrily accuses Jack of orchestrating the events as an elaborate hoax. While the pair are fighting, Lilly starts to shake and June calls for help. No one moves to help the girl, and she quickly becomes possessed again. With no restraints, Lilly stands up and a bolt of lighting from the ceiling above connects to her left hand as a bolt from the nearby monitor connects to her right. Her head splits open down the middle and begins to glow. One by one, she telepathically twists Gus' head around, hangs June by her necklace, and burns Carmichael's body, killing them all. The audience flees from the studio and Leo pulls Jack towards the exit.
Jack is suddenly transported to a nightmarish version of the show. He relives moments in the past before it is revealed that he has a connection to the demon possessing Lilly, having encountered it during a ceremony at The Grove. It is also revealed that Jack was indirectly responsible for Madeleine contracting cancer, the price for Night Owls' sudden fame. Madeleine's spirit confronts Jack and she begs him to put her out of her misery as the cancer is causing too much pain. He initially refuses but wants to help his sick wife. Using the ritualistic dagger from Lilly's old cult, he stabs it into Madeleine's body. Suddenly, the scene shifts to the now-empty studio, with a horrified Jack revealed to have stabbed Lilly. Jack stands over the bodies of his dead guests as police sirens slowly get louder in the distance.
Cast edit
- David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy, the host of Night Owls with Jack Delroy.[5]
- Laura Gordon as Dr. June Ross-Mitchell, a parapsychologist and author[5]
- Ian Bliss as Carmichael the Conjurer, a former magician turned skeptic. The character resembles the magician-turned-skeptic James Randi; Randi was involved in a similar altercation with Australian late night host Don Lane on The Don Lane Show.[8][9]
- Fayssal Bazzi as Christou, a psychic[5]
- Ingrid Torelli as Lilly D'Abo, the survivor of a mass suicide.[5]
- Rhys Auteri as Gus McConnell, Jack's sidekick.[5]
- Nicole Chapman as Cleo James, a musician.[5]
- Georgina Haig as Madeleine Delroy, Jack's deceased wife.[5]
- Josh Quong Tart as Leo Fiske, the producer of Night Owls.[5]
- Michael Ironside as the Narrator
- Steve Mouzakis as Szandor D'Abo
Production edit
Development and casting edit
Production on Late Night with the Devil was announced on 13 February 2022, with the Emirati studio Image Nation and the American genre label Spooky Pictures attached. Describing their decision to base Late Night with the Devil around a late-night talk show, writer-director duo Cameron and Colin Cairnes stated: "In the '70s and '80s, there was something slightly dangerous about late-night TV. Talk shows in particular were a window into some strange adult world. We thought combining that charged, live-to-air atmosphere with the supernatural could make for a uniquely frightening film experience."[10]
The Cairnes brothers offered the role of Jack Delroy to David Dastmalchian after reading an article Dastmalchian wrote for the magazine Fangoria about regional TV horror hosts. Dastmalchian accepted the part after being sent a lookbook designed to resemble a 1970s TV Guide, along with the film's script.[11] Dastmalchian's casting was announced on 24 June 2022.[12]
Filming edit
Late Night with the Devil was shot in Melbourne, Australia.[13] The film utilizes practical special effects, including puppetry, along with digital visual effects.[11] The film also utilizes AI art, although the directors later said that only "three images" were AI-generated.[14]
Release edit
Late Night with the Devil had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) on 10 March 2023 in Austin, Texas, United States, where it played as part of the festival's "Midnighters" section.[13][5][15] That same month, horror author Stephen King was provided with an advance screener of the film, and he called it "absolutely brilliant. I couldn't take my eyes off it. Your results may vary, as they say, but I urge you to watch it when you can."[16][17] The film screened at the Sydney Film Festival from June 9-15 of 2023.[17]
In October 2023, IFC Films and Shudder acquired the distribution rights for North America, United Kingdom and Ireland.[18]
Reception edit
Box office edit
The film opened on 22 March 2024 in 1,034 theaters in the United States and Canada, and earned $2.8 million in its first three days, the best opening weekend for an IFC Films release; additionally, media outlets noted that the total included an estimated $666,666 gross on its third day.[19][20] Expanding to 1,442 theaters the following weekend, the film made $2.2 million, finishing in seventh.[21]
Critical response edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 172 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Delightfully dark, Late Night with the Devil proves possession horror isn't played out -- and serves as an outstanding showcase for David Dastmalchian."[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[23]
Variety's Dennis Harvey commended the film's production design and technical aspects, as well as the performances of the cast, and wrote that the film's "mix of vintage Me Decade showbiz cheese and Exorcist-y demonic doings is distinctive, not to mention deftly handled by the [Cairnes] brothers as both writers and directors."[5] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com praised the film as inventive and its use of the found footage format as clever, and highlighted Dastmalchian's "phenomenally committed performance [...] really holding the film together as he finds the right tone between smarmy and likable that dominated so much '70s culture."[24]
Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting gave the film a score of three-and-a-half out of five, criticizing the film's pacing as rapid but writing that "the ingenuity, the painstaking period recreation, a riveting performance by Dastmalchian, and a showstopper of a finale make for one Halloween event you won't want to miss."[25] Trace Sauveur of The Austin Chronicle also praised Dastmalchian's performance and called the film "totally gimmicky, but the sincere commitment to the conceit is what really makes this work." Sauveur adds that, despite finding the film's conclusion lacking, "Late Night with the Devil is able to mine plenty of effective and fun ideas out of its premise, and it works as a potent examination of the price of success."[26]
Mark Kermode of Kermode and Mayo's Take called it "really enjoyable", adding that he thought it was influenced by the 1992 British mockumentary supernatural horror TV film Ghostwatch.[27]
Wendy Ide of The Guardian gave the film a score of four out of five stars, praising its satire and comedic elements, calling it "[s]mart, cynical and at times devilishly funny, the film delivers a crackle of disruptive static to the demonic possession genre."[28]
Use of artificial intelligence edit
In the week leading up to the film's release, some reviewers pointed out the use of AI-generated art in several scenes, which were not present in the version screened at SXSW, and called for a boycott of the film. In response to the controversy, directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes said: "In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the 70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film." Star David Dastmalchian said: "So I think [Cameron and Colin] said it really well, and I stand by what they said and I completely stand by this movie as a thoroughly original piece of work that so many many hours went into this incredible artistic craftsmanship to be set in this world. So it's a good conversation to have. It's an important conversation. We've got to have it."[29][30]
See also edit
- Ghostwatch, a 1992 British mockumentary horror television film with a similar theme.
References edit
- ^ Ntim, Zac (24 October 2023). "'Late Night With The Devil:' Meta-Horror From Colin And Cameron Cairnes Lands International Sales Deal Ahead Of AFM". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on 5 November 2023.
- ^ "Late Night with the Devil (15)". BBFC. 5 March 2024. from the original on 21 March 2024.
- ^ "Late Night with the Devil — Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Late Night with the Devil". Chicago International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harvey, Dennis (23 March 2023). "'Late Night With the Devil' Review: A '70s Chat Show Becomes Must-Unsee TV". Variety. from the original on 8 March 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (13 March 2023). "'Late Night With The Devil': David Dastmalchian On Relating To Unhinged Talk Show Host In Horror Pic – SXSW Studio". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on 24 March 2024.
- ^ Navarro, Meagan (31 January 2024). "'Late Night with the Devil' Rated R for 'Violent Content' and 'Some Gore'". Bloody Disgusting. from the original on 28 February 2024.
- ^ Nicholson, Amy (21 March 2024). "Review: A talk show goes horribly wrong in sly 'Late Night With the Devil'". Los Angeles Times. from the original on 29 March 2024.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (1 November 2023). "'Late Night With the Devil': Directing Duo on Serving up 1970s-Era Chills From Down Under". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 31 March 2024.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (13 February 2022). "Image Nation, Spooky Pictures Set For 'Late Night With the Devil' (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ a b Kauzlarich, Jason (15 March 2023). "Stomach-Ripping And Throat-Slitting: Late Night With The Devil At SXSW". Fangoria. from the original on 10 December 2023.
- ^ Vivarelli, David (24 June 2022). "'Dune' Actor David Dastmalchian to Star in 'Late Night With the Devil' (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ a b Wise, Damon (10 March 2023). "'Late Night With The Devil' Review: Richly Detailed '70s Meta-Horror From Colin And Cameron Cairnes – SXSW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ Earl, William (21 March 2024). "'Late Night With the Devil' Directors Explain Using AI Art in the Film, Say They 'Experimented' With Three Images Only (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (13 March 2023). "'Late Night With The Devil': David Dastmalchian On Relating To Unhinged Talk Show Host In Horror Pic – SXSW Studio". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on 13 March 2023.
- ^ King, Stephen [@StephenKing] (26 March 2023). "Late Night with the Devil: I got a screener. It's absolutely brilliant. I couldn't take my eyes off it. Your results may vary, as they say, but I urge you to watch it when you can" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 June 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Rugendyke, Louise (2 June 2023). "The low-budget Aussie horror Stephen King 'couldn't take his eyes off'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ Brew, Caroline (1 November 2023). "IFC and Shudder Acquire Supernatural Thriller Late Night With the Devil, Starring David Dastmalchian (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ Dick, Jeremy (24 March 2024). "Late Night with the Devil Earns $666K at Sunday Box Office, Setting New Record". CBR. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (24 March 2024). "'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Leads Box Office With $45 Million Debut". Variety. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (31 March 2024). "They Have Risen: 'Godzilla x Kong' Conquers Easter Box Office With $80M Opening; Legendary Monsterverse Franchise Crosses $2 Billion – Sunday AM Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Late Night with the Devil". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Late Night with the Devil". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (14 March 2023). "SXSW 2023: Brooklyn 45, Late Night with the Devil". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ Navarro, Meagan (11 March 2023). "'Late Night with the Devil' SXSW Review – Salute to Late Night Television Transforms Into a Raucous Horror Ride". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ Sauveur, Trace (16 March 2023). "SXSW Film Review: Late Night With the Devil". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ Mark Kermode (21 March 2024). Mark Kermode reviews Late Night with the Devil (Podcast). YouTube. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (23 March 2024). "Late Night With the Devil review – diabolically funny found-footage horror". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Earl, William (21 March 2024). "'Late Night With the Devil' Directors Explain Using AI Art in the Film, Say They 'Experimented' With Three Images Only (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Bergeson, Samantha (22 March 2024). "'Late Night with the Devil' AI Usage Sparks Debate: Fair or Foul?". IndieWire. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
External links edit
- Late Night with the Devil at IMDb