In 1977 a live television broadcast goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms.

Late Night with the Devil was written and directed by brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes, and is a thoroughly engrossing and creative horror led by David Dastmalchian (Dune, The Suicide Squad, Ant-Man).

In the 1970s, in the world of late-night talk shows, Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian) is the host of a successful show Night Owls with Jack Delroy, that can’t topple The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from its dominant position in the ratings. Following a decline in audience share due to a tumultuous season of Night Owls after Delroy lost his wife to cancer, he decides to programme a provocative show for Halloween with an occultism-theme in order to get attention and recover his show’s rating.

A psychic, a magician-turned- skeptic and a parapsychologist accompanied by her young ward are guests on the show, there to introduce their strangeness and perturb but intrigue the audience, as Jack is hoping. However, the show brings forth so much more than he could ever have anticipated, starting with Christou, the psychic making a connection that may be to Jack’s late wife Madeleine.

Late Night with the Devil takes its time to build towards its riveting conclusion, with Delroy explored through Michael Ironside’s documentary narration and the behind the scenes moments of the filming of the fateful Halloween show, indicating to what point Delroy had come to in his life and career. David Dastmalchian leads as Delroy, and is brilliant: he is magnanimous, endearing, ambitious, self-interested and grief-stricken. Somehow Dastmalchian makes his character all of these things across the film’s runtime, and amazingly sometimes all at once - leading to the film’s impressively horrific finale. 

Late Night’s production designer needs to be recognised as a genius; the film thoroughly captures aesthetics of the 70’s, alongside its pitch perfect Late Night talk show conceit. The film’s momentary descent into surrealism felt was also profoundly 70’s flavoured, which fit it so perfectly in continuity of aesthetic but also congruity to the narrative.

Late Night with the Devil is a strikingly well realised horror led by an impressive David Dastmalchian that thoroughly captures aesthetics of the 70’s and shapes them into something thrilling, engaging and shocking. 

★★★★