Notable Cast: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian
Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, Josh Quong
Tart, Christopher Kirby, Steve Mouzakis, Gaby Seow, Michael Ironside
A dedication to the gimmick is always a welcome change of
pace from the usual mainstream, overly noted-film fodder. Late Night with
the Devil, the latest film from directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes, is
absolutely dedicated to its gimmick.
It starts like a documentary about a fictionalized 70s
late-night talk show host Jack Delroy. Then, it quickly becomes a “lost”
television show episode where wild, horrific events happen to Jack and his
guests. It’s found footage to a certain degree, but the choices around
replicating the style of a 70s late-night show fully embrace the gimmick to an
impressive end. Embracing its style with vigor while delivering a building
tension and underpinned dramatic sadness makes Late Night with the Devil
one of those cinematic experiences that sticks with you.
Does its narrative always make sense with its intentional
style choices? No, but goddamn, is the ride for Late Night with the Devil
worth taking.
From its sets to the title cards that cut from commercials
to the show or how Jack Delroy delivers some of his punchlines, the Cairnes’
are out to give this film a vibe. On the surface, it’s a ton of fun to see. The
quick banter of the script, where a skeptic magician (played by the incredible
actor Ian Bliss) goes toe to toe with a medium and a possibly possessed girl
and her guardian, drives the film forward and aligns its style with its script.
This creates a fun and often charismatic setup.
At first, the material does have a silly tone, but I would
be hard-pressed to call the film a comedy, even if that's inherently part of
the gimmick of its premise. It goes hand in hand with the tonality. Still, the
building tension underneath its talk-show punchlines continually builds to the
point that the comedy maintains a relatively desperate feeling by the end,
which then feeds into a finale that seeps into surrealism. It’s a fascinating
and subtle approach to its comedic beats and absolutely feeds the script, the
narrative, and the performance from Dastmalchian.
Yet, despite all of these great things, Dastmalchian anchors
everything in Late Night with the Devil. The man has been a stalwart of
genre cinema for what feels like decades, and all of his fantastic small
performances have built up to such a phenomenal year in 2023. Late Night
with the Devil is a cornerstone of why he deserves all of the praise. He
embodies the late-night host with the utmost confidence while the Cairnes’
smartly use his ability to be relatable as an everyman (even in the role of a
“famous” character) to maximize how the character’s personal story intertwines
with the plot and style. Although I’ve loved numerous performances from
Dastmalchian, his work as Jack Delroy might be the most intricate and
impressive performance of his career.
Horror fans will definitely want to immediately tune into Late
Night with the Devil when it gets a release via IFC Films and Shudder later
on down the line because the combination of its clever angle and a star-making
performance by Dastmalchian make it one of the best films of the year -
regardless of the genre. The horror elements are pleasantly blended with its
documentary-style structure, and the manner in which everything slides into a
nightmarish surrealism by its third act is something to appreciate on an
artistic level.
For a low-budget genre flick, there are so many stars that
align with Late Night with the Devil, and everyone should watch…and
don’t touch that dial.
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