Late Night with the Devil has been on our radar for the longest, and we finally got the chance to check it out. The film comes from filmmaking duo Cameron and Colin Cairnes and stars David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy.

Set in the 70s, the film introduces us to Jack, the host of a semi-popular late-night show known as “Night Owls.” Jack is known to attend a secretive club for the elite, but despite his connections he can’t seem to compete with other late-night shows, specifically “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” To make matters worse, Jack’s wife, Madeleine (Georgina Haig), passes away from cancer.

As a final effort to save the show, Jack hosts a special Halloween edition of his show. Of course, a late-night show isn’t complete without their sidekick, and in this case, he’s played by Rhys Auteri who brings moments of humor. On this particular episode, there are four guests with some connection to the occult: Christou (Fayssal Bazzi) who claims to have the ability to speak to the dead, Carmichael Hunt (Ian Bliss) who is a skeptic, Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon), and Lilly (Ingrid Torelli); June is a parapsychologist and Lilly is her patient, a girl she claims is possessed by a demon.

The film utilizes a mixture of filming methods, with a mockumentary set-up, found footage, and a traditional narrative style in between takes of the found footage. Despite this range of methods, I think that they all worked well to deepen the story and give us more insight rather than a straight up found footage film. It also added to the eventual chaos and confusion that Jack experiences, leaving us questioning what was real and what wasn’t. Set in the 70s, there are several references to the era’s culture through the mention of celebrities, politicians, and of course the film’s set designs and artistic styles.

Late Night definitely has creepy moments and imagery that really sticks with you through special effects, gore, and of course, the acting. Dastmalchian does a great job playing a charismatic host, who quickly descends into madness. Auteri, Bazzi, Bliss, Gordon, and Torelli each play really different characters that all bounce on one another, adding to the skepticism, horror, and shock of the story. The gore, although limited, is really impactful and will make you squirm!

We give Late Night with the Devil a 5/5.

Late Night with the Devil will have a limited release March 22, 2024. It will then be available to stream on Shudder April 19.