Written and Directed by Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes
Starring David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, and Rhys Auteri

It’s best to go into some things blind, but with Late Night with the Devil a little bit of prep is useful to truly appreciate the attention to detail that’s been poured into it.

Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is trying to pull his late-night talk show Night Owls out of the gutter to compete with Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. Jack has tried everything, from bringing his cancer-riddled wife on as a special guest to performing corny set pieces, in order to plump up the ratings. Everything has failed, but on Halloween ’77 with the help of a couple of special guests, including his good friend June (Laura Gordon), the perfect storm rolls in just in time for sweeps week – the all-important period where advertisers gauge viewership to determine which shows can draw a healthy enough audience to justify another season.

From the get-go, Jack’s goal is to break records and in doing so many boundaries are crossed as he proves that he is willing to do anything to beat-out Carson, irrespective of how physically disturbed he becomes by what he witnesses on set. 

Directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes create a wholistic view of how the night went down by adding in ‘archive’ footage taped during commercial breaks, which reveals how each person feels about what’s unravelling around them. The episode itself is filmed in colour but those from behind-the-scenes are in black and white and reminiscent to found footage films of the early 2000s. This makes viewers feel one-step ahead of the in-house audience but that’s not often the case, however. Another guest, Carmichael (Ian Bliss), plays the sceptic who is there to disprove any and all paranormal phenomena, which increases suspended disbelief. 

Jack’s desperation is at the forefront of the film. He spends his time on-and-off air salivating and considering what’s next. Time and time again his worst impulses get the better of him to the detriment of his guests and co-host. Split-second moments, mostly in behind-the-scenes footage, capture grave concern sandwiched between hysterical excitement as his ratings continue to grow. The character development is a highlight all around.

The Cairnes’ make the most of their film’s relatively low budget, creating great atmosphere by drawing their audience into this replication of a 70’s talk show, which serves as the film’s only set. Glitches in the footage, a nice grain filter on the film, and the dialogue so uncanny as to what one could expect from the time. The movie takes its reproduction very seriously, until the final act when the consequences of the night are revealed.

Late Night with the Devil delivers a horrific finale. However, for those such as myself who were hoping for a good scare throughout, I would advise they taper their expectations to instead enjoy the film’s mystery and confusion, which is more than enough to keep anyone uncomfortable and in a state of sustained suspense, but rarely drive the adrenalin upwards outside of that. 

Late Night with the Devil is showing in cinemas across Australia from April 11th.

Moviedoc thanks Maslow Entertainment and Nixco for providing a screener link to watch and review this film.

Reviewed by Zak Wheeler for Moviedoc

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