The demonic possession movie goes retro in Late Night with the Devil, a brilliantly conceived and executed mockumentary that taps into the cultural impact of horror and TV during the gritty 1970s.
From The Exorcist to Dawn of the Dead, there is no doubt the most iconic horror movies were made in the 1970s. The fear and violence and paranoia of that decade had a strong psychological and spiritual effect upon the American populace, especially when scenes of chaos and war were displayed on TV sets across the nation as Charles Manson and Anton Lafey jockey for screen time against Johnny Carlson.
The latter name is important here, with Late Night with the Devil focused on struggling late night host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) who after time away to grieve the death of his wife (Georgina Haig) returns to his show, Night Owls, with a special Halloween episode that features a medium named Christou (Fayssal Bazzi) and renowned sceptic Carmichael the Conjurer (Ian Bliss.)
The real attraction, though, is a teenage girl named Lilly (Ingrid Torelli) who was recently saved from a satanic cult and placed under the charge of parapsychologist June Ross Mitchell (Laura Gordon). It turns out, though, that Lily has a demon inside of her, a frightening fact that Jack and his audience will soon have to reckon with.
Presented as a lost recording of the “live TV event that shocked a nation!”, Late Night with the Devil blends The Exorcist with The Larry Sanders Show to create a unique horror movie experience in which scares are delivered under the bright lights of prime time. It is a feat that Australian directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes (100 Bloody Acres) pull off with impressive flair, with the transparent nature of the late-night TV format restricting the usual horror cheat-codes of dark lightning and jump-scare sound trickery.
The Cairnes brothers tap into 1970s fringe cultural figures both obscure and notorious, most notably American talk-show host Don Lane (who often delved into the supernatural on his Australian day-time show) and sceptic James Randi, who once appeared on Lane’s show in a notorious segment in which an irate Lane stormed off set. Coupled with the on-brand retro production design with its mesh of browns, creams, and purples, and Late Night with the Devil succeeds as a horror time-warp in which paranormal shenanigans play out to chilling and at times gruesome effect.
Dastmalchian delivers one of his best performances as a man whose desire to ascend his status as a mid-tier talk show host results in ramifications sinister and deadly, yet sure to boost those slagging ratings. Great too is Ingrid Torelli as a wide-eyed teen dealing with demon’s literal and metaphoric, and Fayssal Bazzi whose portrayal as a medium plagued by a nefarious spirt provides a number of scene stealing moments.
A curious conclusion that takes a foray into the surreal might put off some, yet those who are seeking something different and unique in their demonic-possession movies will dig what Late Night with the Devil has to offer.
