Late Night With the Devil Review: David Dastmalchian Anchors a Fun Retro-Horror Movie

David Dastmalchian has long been one of our best lil’ freaks in movies, and though his name is the first in the credits for Late Night with the Devil, he has not lost his magic as a performer. Embodying movies like the classic Ghostwatch and recent cult hit WNUF Halloween Special, Late Night with the Devil reveals the Halloween-centric broadcast of talk show host Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian), who is desperately chasing stardom. Previously the subject of a meteoric rise on the late-night scene, the movie frames itself as being the master tape of that specific broadcast, wherein Delroy brings not only a psychic and a skeptic onto the show, but a psychologist and the young women she’s working with who claims to be possessed by a demonic entity. A heavy-handed introduction to the entire film presents all this in a mostly succinct manner, and it helps that Michael Ironside is the voice delivering all of the exposition, as his talents help soften some of the clunkier bits. 

The strength in the storytelling found in Late Night with the Devil is that the structure of the broadcast/script finds a balancing act between lampooning the supernatural and depicting it as believable. In a way, the movie leaves it up to the viewer to decide what’s going on, until it unsurprisingly goes all gas, no brakes. Boasting a small cast, Late Night with the Devil is an ensemble piece, as it bounces between the alleged supernatural, the member of the show who is quick to disprove it, and Dastmalchian’s host, who is doing his best to climb the TV ladder and make all these pieces work together to his benefit.

Dastmalchian’s Delroy embodies the best parts of late-night comedy hosts like Conan O’Brien, maintaining a fun amount of self-deprecation but also remaining unpredictable. The role proves that Dastmalchian can continue to practice his character-actor appeal even while anchoring the entirety of the narrative as its lead. He’s funny and has charisma, but also knows exactly when to turn toward his dramatic chops. It’s a great performance from someone we’re used to seeing in small bites, and this time he’s giving us a meal as a man who feels alive and layered.

Other standouts alongside Dastmalchian are Ian Bliss as Carmichael the Conjurer, a hypnotist turned skeptic who has an answer for every little trick on display, and Ingrid Torelli as Lilly, the young girl who may or may not be demonically possessed. Bliss finds himself a unique anchor that complements Dastmalchian as he manages to keep the audience guessing about what’s really happening; while Torelli navigates the troubled waters of playing a young girl forced to act in a demonic manner. It’s easy to go over the top when exploring that, but Torelli manages to deliver distinct looks and movements when performing her two sides.

If there’s an element where Late Night with the Devil falters (beyond the unfortunate use of AI for video graphics that could have certainly been made by a human artist), it’s in the interstitials to be found during the master tape’s “commercial breaks.” A frequent issue with any found-footage movie of this type is that the idea of why the camera is on and running is the question hanging over the narrative at all times, and it’s nearly impossible to not consider this when these moments occur. Major character beats do happen in these spurts so they’re not entirely without merit or narrative thrust, but they pull you out of the entire experience, which is largely fluid, making these scenes even more peculiar.

One thing is for sure, like the few other “broadcast” horror movies you’ll find out in the world, Late Night With the Devil rewards repeat viewing. Once you’ve experienced it in full, additional time with it will only enhance it all by confirming that most pieces fell into place where they did for a reason and that certain imagery is both more recurring than you realized, and also permeates the entire DNA of the piece. Like Twin Peaks, the owls are not what they seem.

Horror fans will find a familiar structure at the heart of Late Night with the Devil, the execution is what keeps it engaging and, for the most part, interesting. Though some moments break the larger illusion, the majority of the film harnesses a specific type of aesthetic and production value that makes it feel real. When it needs to, Late Night with the Devil finds a balance between retro prosthetic effects and some modern CGI that is appropriately filtered to stay of the era, and it all works together in tandem to bring viewers something that feels fresh and unique.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Late Night with the Devil is in theaters now.