A live television broadcast in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms.
Writer/directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes begin “Late Night with the Devil” as if it were a documentary. The opening moments, narrated by Michael Ironside, chronicle the rise of late-night TV host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) and his show “Night Owls.” His ratings are never quite good enough, and following some personal troubles, the show is in danger of being canceled. To boost ratings during Sweeps Week, Jack and his producers decide to air an occult-themed episode on Halloween night in 1977, complete with a medium (Fayssal Bazzi), a magician turned pragmatist (Ian Bliss), and a parapsychologist (Laura Gordon) with her subject in tow – a young girl possessed by a demon (Ingrid Torelli).
After the introduction, the rest of the film plays out like we are watching the aired Halloween (or Hall-Owl-ween, as the commercial card puts it) episode of “Night Owls.” Immediately, it’s easy to see why Jack’s show is in trouble. Jack is something of a second-rate showman. He’s not quite charming enough to carry the show, giving off desperate vibes to his audience. Whether this is intentional or not is questionable. Are we supposed to believe that Jack can carry his own with Johnny Carson or think he’s something of a hack?
Seeing his first guest, Christou (Bazzi), we begin to think that this man is perhaps a never-was. Christou’s act is, in a word, dreadful. The medium is so clearly grasping at straws that the audience even begins to poke fun at him. Did Jack’s crew bring this character on for this reason? Are Jack’s guests always this bottom of the barrel? Then, Christou hits a sudden bullseye, wowing Jack and the audience, leaving us to question whether this medium is real.
Jack’s second guest is Carmichael Haig (Bliss). Haig is belligerent and quick to fight to disprove and discredit his fellow guests. Bliss’s performance is one of the best aspects of this movie; he nails the character perfectly—you don’t want to be on the receiving end of this curmudgeon’s verbal attacks.
Finally, we get to the main show – parapsychologist Dr. Ross-Mitchell (Gordon) and her subject, Lilly (Torelli). While events start to go slightly off the rails by this point in the show, viewers will be disappointed that things stay relatively tame. The possession bits are rote, not offering much excitement. Of course, the cantankerous Haig has to try to disprove what everyone in the audience has witnessed, leading to a world of trouble.
“Late Night with the Devil” is a slow burn, taking its sweet time getting to the main act, but each moment plays into the film’s general mood and theme. For the most part, the Cairnes keep up the TV episode façade. When they do, the movie works. However, during commercial breaks, the grimy 1970s-era photography changes into black and white, and the camera follows people around verité-style, breaking the illusion and presenting things in a more typical narrative film fashion.
By the end, the Cairnes finally let loose some mayhem. This leads to another shift in the film’s visuals, completely losing and breaking from the TV episode illusion to play mind games with Jack before returning to the TV show gimmick for the final moments. As much as I hoped to like this movie, it didn’t come together. While there are some fun practical effects sequences and performances, I feel that the filmmakers could have found a better way to integrate the information presented in the narrative sections to stay in line with the tone and feel of the rest of the movie.
In Theaters Friday, March 22nd
