Cook review: ‘Late Night with the Devil’ is fiendishly clever
What a fiendishly refreshing spin on horror.
“Late Night with the Devil” is clever, fast-paced and oh-so-intelligent. It’s a found-footage take on late-night television from the 1970s.
Brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes have created a fictional story that’s being touted as actual video discovered in the archives of a television talk show from the 1970s. (Shades of “The Blair Witch Project!”)
‘Late Night with the Devil’ (IMDb)
The host is Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian, who has been a in number of films from “Prisoners” to “Dune,” and who may be catapulted to the Next Big Thing with this movie.
He’s perfectly cast as the dapper, competitive talent who wants nothing more than to earn better ratings than his rival Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show.” “Night Owls with Jack Delroy” has its following, but it can’t seem to catch up to Carson.
On Halloween night, Jack hosts a medium, a skeptic, and a parapsychologist with a girl who says she is possessed by a demon (she’s played by Ingrid Torelli, one of the finest young actors to grace the screen in a long time.)
The guests have real-life 1970s counterparts, Those familiar with de-bunker James Randi will immediately recognize the inspiration for the Carmichael the Conjurer character (Ian Bliss.)
We watch the whole episode unfold in real time, with terrific glimpses backstage as everything begins to unravel.
Everything about this film – from its capable ensemble to its deft direction – delivers. From the graininess of some of the segments to the colors of the set, fonts and design of the graphics, it absolutely nails this era. (Those old enough to remember will be transported back in time.)
It doesn’t need a ton of CGI to create its shudders and shocks, some of which are gasp-inducing.
The film was a hit earlier this month at the South by Southwest festival. Horror aficionados will see why.
3 ½ stars
Rated: R for foul language, gore, disturbing images, and violence.
Running time: One hour and 33 minutes.
At Cinemark, Davenport.
Watch the trailer here.
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