REVIEW: ‘Late Night With Devil’ is a solid spin on found footage horror

If this movie was real, I feel like the host would definitely be invited on Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell in the 90s to talk about his experience.

The film centers on Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian), the host of a late-night talk show. His series has its fans and is mostly well received, but always comes in second to the classic king of late-night, Johnny Carson. Stuck with declining ratings and a personal tragedy, Delroy is looking for a turnaround.

He decides he needs to do something big for the Halloween special of his show. The solution is inviting a teenage girl on his show who could possibly be possessed by a demon, among other guests. From there, what begins as a fun night of evening television turns into something terrifying.

It’s been a while since the big boom of the found footage horror category that took place from the late 2000s to the early 2010s. It was a time where films like “Cloverfield,” “Paranormal Activity,” “The Last Exorcism,” “The Devil Inside” and “Devil’s Due” were regularly coming out.

The category eventually ran out of steam at about the mid-point of the decade, with the films starting to all seem the same. Nearly a decade later, though, the style has received a breath of fresh air from “Late Night With the Devil.”

Rather than following a protagonist holding a camera documenting events, though, this movie is an entire recreation of a television episode. In that sense, it’s somewhat closer to a mocumentary. However, it still has the feel of a found footage picture, as if this was an episode that’s been recorded on a VHS tape.

The result is exactly what a person wants from this type of movie, which is a raw viewing experience that makes a viewer feel like they’re watching something legitimate. While watching “Late Night,” it does in fact feel like you’re seeing a talk show from the 70s descend into a dark situation, and the sense of authenticity makes the movie feel all the creepier.

That’s at least true for a very large chunk of the picture. During the commercial breaks, there are “behind the scenes” moments where Delroy is conversing with staff and guests that aren’t as convincing as the actual episode moments, so a bit of immersion is lost.

They aren’t really bad, per se. Plus, to be fair, they add context, but they just don’t gel as well as the scenes that are part of the actual show. That’s also true for the film’s ending, which goes on too long after a natural finishing point and includes some over-explaining of things. So much of the film works, though, that this is fairly easy to overlook.

A lot of that is thanks to the sensational performances from the cast, especially its lead. He is absolutely fantastic as the talk show host. The character has a drive for higher ratings and ongoing grief from losing a loved one, as well as a building nervousness as to what’s happening on stage and a dangerous curiosity to see what will happen. Dastmalchian nails all of this and more.

The supporting cast is really good, too. Ian Bliss is excellent as the smug skeptic guest, Rhys Auteri, who’s acting in a film for just the second time, is solid as Jacks’ sidekick host, and Laura Gordon nicely portrays the cautious doctor caring for the girl at the center of it all.

One can also appreciate the visual identity of the movie which properly has a 70s aesthetic. This is true with the set and costumes, as well as how its filmed. There’s a graininess to the film and it seems like it was shot on older cameras. Additionally, VHS static and fuzziness is added. Even the aspect ratio is set at 4:3, a smaller, box-like style to recreate an old TV watching experience.

“Late Night with the Devil” gives the found footage style some new life. It’s a fun spookfest with some really freaky moments for horror fans. It’s also powered by a cast giving good performances and a distinct 70s look. One just wishes the behind-the-scenes and ending portions had been stronger. Still, this is an enjoyable feature and one to revisit around Halloween. 3.8 out of 5.

Author: Matthew Liedke

Journalist and film critic in Minnesota. Graduate of Rainy River College and Minnesota State University in Moorhead. Outside of movies I also enjoy sports, craft beers and the occasional video game. View all posts by Matthew Liedke