With his late-night talk show floundering, host Jack Delroy turns to more unconventional means in search of ratings. But when he invites a doctor and her supposedly possessed patient onto the show for a live demonstration, things quickly take a turn for the worse.
After a string of solid supporting performances, David Dastmalchian deservedly gets his chance to lead a film and is superb in the role of Delroy. He appears to relish the chance to play against type as the beguiling host of Night Owls, a talk show complete with house band, that for all Delroys efforts is playing second fiddle to American favourite Johnny Carson. Desperate for a ratings boost, he assembles a special line up for his Halloween episode which he hopes will shock and captivate audiences.
Flamboyant medium Christou (Fayssal Bazzi) is followed by author and sceptic Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss), before Delroy introduces his headline act, Parapsychologist June Ross-Mitchell and her patient Lily, a young girl rescued from a suicide cult who allegedly has a demon inside her.
Laura Gordon and Ingrid Torelli take on the parts of June and Lily, with the latter, in her debut film role, particularly excelling as she effortlessly shifts from angelic school girl into a crazed demonic persona.
Written and directed by Aussie brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes, the films 70’s talk show setting is a masterstroke, putting a unique spin on what could otherwise have been another Exorcist rip-off.
After an opening run through of Delroys life and career to date, which reveal that he’s rumoured to be a member of a Freemasonesque club and has recently lost his wife to cancer, the story unfolds in a found footage style. Recovered material from an incident broadcast on live TV is interspersed by an ominous voice over which adds fuel to the rising dread.
As with all found footage films, the trick does wear a bit thin at times and doesn’t completely hang together. We’re treated to whispered backstage conversations and occasional hallucinations which beg the question who’s behind the camera now?
All that matters little as you’re swept along by the narrative, waiting for the reluctant doctor to summon the demon within Lily and for Delroy and his live audience to get way more than they bargained for.
Late Night with the Devil marks the Cairnes brothers out as directors to watch on the horror scene. They draw convincing performances from their cast and build tension superbly. Even though the film loses it’s way slightly in the messy final act, it will, at times, send chills down your spine.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paul Steward
X @grittster
20/03/24