‘Late Night with the Devil’ movie review: a stylish homage to horror that exudes fun
There has been much talk of late about the importance of cinema and saving its sorry ass. While the brilliantly titled Late Night with the Devil might not be to everyone’s taste, it is certainly the sort of movie that justifies its place on the big screen in this uncertain cultural climate. It is a cinematic water-cooler moment which, fittingly, goes back to the golden age of water-cooler moments in general, tapping into the inherent engagement of a time when primetime TV was ‘talked about’.
David Dastmalchian stars as Jack Delroy, a late-night TV show host whose early buzz hits the skids before he can ever get a firm grasp on Johnny Carlson’s coattails. The tragic death of his wife leads to further questions over his future as ratings continually falter, and murmurings of ties to the Bohemian Grove boy’s club create a sense of mystery around the slightly off-kilter comic host. So, in a bid to recapture the days when he was heading for the big time, he decides to cook up a classic Halloween episode.
That’s the very straightforward subtext. And one of the great successes of the 90-minute movie is that the subtext in question is delivered just about as briefly as the paragraph above. This quick, ‘let’s be clear and then get on with the good stuff’ ethos typifies the triumphs of the film: it knows what it is and what it’s about—only taking its time where time must truly be taken.
This attitude extends throughout the ensemble, which all seem very clear about what they need to deliver. Likewise, the 1970s talk show aesthetic of the set, intersecting adverts (that cleverly allow for respite), and general period feel are all impeccable. This gives the film an elevated artfulness that allows it a license to be hammy where it needs to be throughout.
This is a license that it isn’t afraid to take up at any turn. It boldly tosses in a few laughs, seemingly not worried about throwing the fear factor off for a few seconds. It happily courts pastiche, bowls in reference that might be lost on many, and when it needs to accelerate, it does so in a thrilling flash. The result of all this is very good fun—a word that was seemingly dirty for a while within indie cinema but is now rising back to prominence.
Dastmalchian is terrific in what is a very difficult role to nail. Such a meta job is hard to pull off—he is tasked with playing a distinctly middling TV host and simultaneously a man in turmoil while also holstering the bubbling mysterious undercurrent that lavishes question marks throughout the picture. His cool and captivating ways are emblematic of a movie that pairs artistry and measured suspense with giving an audience what they want.
However, the minor flaw that stops it from truly cooking up the level of the frenzy of films, like The Exorcist that inspired it, is that too many of those lavish question marks feel flimsy and fail to truly set a finale – that is neither ambiguous nor clear – ablaze. It’s a fun watercooler horror but perhaps not one with enough to keep the discussion going beyond kind words regarding its simple merits.
All in all, it is a cracking concept – albeit not one that has never been done before, but one that seems fit for a revival all the same – delivered on with enough craft and curated artistry to ward off any real calls of cheesiness. This smart approach to modern horror is furthered by the fact that it favours constant captivated engagement rather than a stream of terrifying scares that can often hit with diminishing returns or purpose.
Late Night with the Devil never loses sight of itself and broods with a finely pitched thrill that is well worth the ticket price.
