David Dastmalchian Shines In Retro Found Footage 'Late Night with the Devil' [Review]
David Dastmalchian has long been a beloved character actor, with memorable roles in movies like The Suicide Squad, Prisoners, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and The Boogeyman. In the creepy Stephen King adaptation (2023), the character of Lester Billings could have been a simple, one-off role, but Dastmalchian made a whole meal out of it. He really allowed himself to be vulnerable and to go to that dark place that turned a cameo into a haunting and unforgettable scene. Thankfully, in Late Night with the Devil, from directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes, Dastmalchian gets the spotlight he deserves as struggling late night talk show host Jack Delroy - and he does not disappoint.
The day is All Hallow’s Eve; the year is 1977 - the era of Charles Manson, David Berkowitz, and Ted Bundy (and the prelude to the infamous Satanic Panic of the Eighties). Viewers are reminded of this with a The Texas Chain Saw Massacre-esque introduction that shows news clips and narration from Michael Ironside himself. Dastmalchian plays the host of Night Owls with Jack Delroy, a show that, despite some success, has never been able to outrank its competitor, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Late Night with the Devil is a found footage film, with all of the action taking place in one live taping of the show, along with some background clips of backstage during commercial breaks. The lighting is overhead and unflattering, the colors are, as the Cairnes brothers said at a screening sponsored by Den of Geek, “the shit rainbow.” This is all by design. They wanted the show to look as realistic and accurate to the time period as possible. From the harsh lighting and dull color palette to the cheesy jokes and Delroy mugging for the camera, it really feels like you’re watching an old recording of a Seventies late night talk show.
It’s Sweeps Week, and Delroy is making one last ditch, swing for the fences effort to break his losing streak. Since it’s Halloween, he has arranged appearances from a clairvoyant named Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), an infamous magician turned skeptic called Carmichael the Conjurer (Ian Bliss), and Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon), a parapsychologist and author, who brought along her case study, a young girl named Lilly (Ingrid Torelli). Lilly was rescued from a cult that supposedly did human sacrifices, and of which Delroy himself may or may not have been a member.
The lineup is very indicative of the style of television at the time, not unlike YouTube in later years, with hosts trying anything to shock and awe their viewers for ratings - no matter the cost. With a parapsychologist and a clairvoyant, naturally they also invited an insufferable skeptic who inputs his two cents at every opportunity. With his colorful wardrobe and overwhelming smugness, Carmichael seems like the kind of guy who would be a nightmare to interact with in real life, but provides the necessary foil to the other guests, ratcheting up the tension as he’s either about to blow up someone’s entire career, or land himself in a whole lot of danger.
The show begins with Christou, who makes an impressive connection with two audience members who lost a loved one, after a handful of failed attempts at proving his skillset. Delroy and the audience are sold, but Carmichael sure isn’t. Something clearly goes wrong during his set, alarming Delroy’s sidekick, Gus McConnell (Rhys Auteri), as well as some other crew members. But stopping is not an option, because it’s Sweeps Week for goodness sake!
The moment Lilly walks out on stage, you know something is off. Her stare is chilling enough to make you flinch, and she moves not like a teenage girl, but more like if an alien were trying to pass as a teenage girl, or like Dexter Morgan pretending to be an empathetic person. Torelli really smashes it as the troubled teen, genuinely scaring the crap out of me, and judging by the screams and jumps, a lot of other people in the theater as well.
She’s all too eager to contact the demon that is supposedly living inside of her, despite Dr. June’s protests. As you can imagine things go horribly wrong - or do they? Late Night with the Devil is the kind of movie that plays tricks on you, making you question whether you really know what’s going on. One of the directors, Colin, said that’s what they were hoping for, “People will come to us and say, what's your theory? Well, we are more interested in hearing what other people think.” And the out-of-control third act certainly leaves room for interpretation.
Delroy’s right-hand man and sidekick Gus (Rhys Auteri) feels familiar, like Guillermo on Jimmy Kimmel Live! or Chuy on Chelsea Lately. He wants his boss to succeed, but he is also very aware that the vibes are in fact not great, Bob! Dastmalchian is instantly believable as Delroy, and very much embodies the energy of that era of television. He can be incredibly charming, but it’s also evident there is a dark side lurking beneath. Every emotion is so convincing with Dastmalchian, so authentic, that you can’t help but be on his side. That raises the stakes, because the audience becomes so invested in what’s going to happen to him and his guests. Will he come out on top? Will he come out alive?
One of the best things about Late Night with the Devil? It’s a tight 93 minutes, and makes use of each and every one of them. Not once did I find myself bored, distracted, or wondering how much time was left. The reasonable runtime allows you to really focus your attention on what’s happening. Not unlike the hidden ghosts in The Haunting of Hill House, you can definitely see flashes of foreboding throughout the movie, leaving you anticipating second, and even third viewings.
Late Night with the Devil is in theaters now, and begins streaming on Shudder April 19, 2024.
Editor’s note: There has since been a controversy over the use of three AI images in Late Night with the Devil. The concern is understandable, what with AI becoming a growing issue in Hollywood, but writing off Dastmalchian’s fantastic performance because of a few title cards feels like a bigger crime to me.
