Late Night with the Devil

Damn, I was almost sure I'd be more excited. After watching it, the hype bubble burst pretty loudly. The grit of the film is a pastiche of 70's TV shows, with a retro atmosphere that feels authentic. I was hoping it would realistically work as a horror film, but unfortunately, there's only a trace amount of horror. Plot-wise, the film doesn't surprise much, especially considering the few opening minutes of explanation. And for me, it kind of incomprehensibly and bizarrely fails to even stick to its concept, dropping out a couple of times. As a result, I find Late Night with the Devil to be at most an enjoyable, noteworthy little genre flick. Not a major work by any means. (20/04/2024)

Late Night with the Devil is a fine treat with an original concept – the film is like a recording of an episode of a 1970s talk show in which paranormal things start to happen. And it gets serious. The excellent David Dastmalchian plays the talk-show host and the supporting characters are also well cast. The film has a feeling of authenticity and nice visible effects. Though we have to wait quite a while for them, the moments of horror are impressive. Viewers who actually believe in the paranormal, i.e. those for whom this isn’t merely an attractive film motif, will be satisfied with them. However, I think it’s a shame that the screenplay didn’t further develop the motifs of the deceased wife and the forest with tall trees, which could have enriched the film. [Sitges Film Festival] (08/10/2023)

The mass hypnosis obviously worked, but that’s not surprising, because in the usual slim pickings of genre festival programmes, viewers willingly let themselves be deluded by anything with a hint of distinctiveness or an atypical approach. With a clear head, however, the whole film’s shortcomings are readily apparent. We can hope that Late Night with the Devil started out as an ambitious project that, however, was taken out of the filmmakers hands by the producers, who told them that they had to add an explanatory introduction so that even the dullest viewers would understand what they were watching, but it unfortunately also tells them how everything will unfold. Through numerous clues, however, it becomes apparent that the creative duo behind the film are exceedingly lackadaisical in terms of screenwriting, so they slavishly incorporate everything that is literally said in the introduction into the narrative in a way that’s anything but organic. That this can actually be done right is demonstrated by Amanda Kramer’s virtually identical Give Me Pity! from a year prior, which not only manages to stick with the chosen concept of a television show, but also abounds with real inventiveness and captivating creativity despite the low-cost production. By comparison, Late Night with the Devil comes across as a desperately limp knock-off that’s unable to replicate an identical concept, let alone fulfil it, and can thus only pretend to be unique while actually being just another run-of-the-mill trash flick. (15/02/2024)

It's not a groundbreaking horror film that is shockingly violent or scary, but it gets points for its original concept (and they say it’s not possible!) and for being different, definitely a film that can't be compared to anything else. The film manages to win the viewer over from the beginning with an artificially contrived Talk Show that is simply fun, and once it gets into the horror gear, it’s fine too. I liked the faithful 70's retro feel, the performances from everyone involved (Dastmalchian shines for perhaps the first time) and the decent atmosphere. Surprisingly, it's also decently brutal at the end, and there's an interesting twist. So even though it's not a genre film that should be attacking the top rungs of the horror charts, it's definitely something that should be supported for being fresh and different. Paranormal a little different. 75%. (20/04/2024)

The superb supporting actor David Dastmalchian shines as the host of a late-night talk show whose 1977 Halloween special is disrupted by a sinister uninvited guest. The entire film is formatted as a newly discovered account of the show's fateful episode, its footage gradually weaving a thread of chilling unease and tension between the show's machined jokes, variety acts and artificial stunts, which builds and builds as the minutes tick by until the startling finale. It's reminiscent of the British cult hit Ghostwatch, also set in a television studio, but which pushed authenticity first and foremost. Late Night with the Devil doesn't try to fake it completely and instead, by deviating from the format, reminds the viewer that it is still primarily a narrative film, and a very impressive one at that. You know all along that something terrifying is coming. And when it comes, it's worth it. (14/10/2023)