Late Night with the Devil

Late Night with the Devil - a film I missed earlier in the year but eagerly awaited its rental ability - is an example of one of those core-concept movies that just f**king works. It has been interesting to see the general praise for this film, one that was admittedly flying under my radar. In a weird way I'm almost glad I waited to see it because it became an example of a movie surpassing the hype. 

Late Night with the Devil is engrossing stuff and had me completely hooked. That's not always the case with watching things from home, as I'm sure many know. There's phones to distract, food, bathroom breaks, and general "life" that can sometimes steal your attention. For a collection of reasons, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. 

For starters, the 70's era TV show is captured perfectly, almost to the point where it feels all too real. It opens with an overview of Jack Delroy to setup the plot and the entire thing is a light documentary on the show with "the devil". It's clever and a unique concept, especially for a horror film, that helps the whole thing feel special. 

There's also something great about seeing David Dastmalchian (as Jack Delroy) lead a film. Consistently "that one guy" in the back of a movie, or playing the villain, he's been building his star power, and this is a perfect vehicle that he leads with ease. He's charismatic and convincing as a talk show host while equally being able to do equally as impressive character work in the "behind the scenes" moments. The rest of the cast does fine by my measure, but Dastmalchian's efforts are the standout. 

And then there's the horror element. Is Late Night with the Devil scary? Shocking? Truthfully, it's not all that sinister or scary, but it manages its tension with an expert hand. The ending - where I've seen the most criticism - is an example of flash-violence. It worked really well for me as a mad-cap ending to what had been building. There were still a handful of questions I feel as if went unanswered (or I'm gray on). Despite that, the clever premise of having guests on a talk show, building tension slowly, cutting to commercials (that are the behind the scenes moments of the documentary), and then finally introducing the demonic-possessed child was highly engaging. As I exclaimed earlier, it just f**king works. 

Given this is a short and sweet film too, there's not a whole lot I hold against Late Night with the Devil. It gets a lot of points for delivering on its concept, but also delivering something unique in the horror space. I would not be surprised to see it crack my Top 10 this year.

Rapid Rath's Review Score | 9/10