Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Late Night With The Devil

This is one of the greatest horror films I’ve seen in years! Now I have seen a handful of truly outstanding horror films in the last two years but none compare to the sheer brilliance of this captivating and chilling film! As the plot of the film is very straightforward it is about a talk show host that has a halloween themed episode in order to try to boost his viewer rating but from the beginning of the show things start happening that no one could expect. Using such a simple narrative and then layering it with horror, incredible writing a truly outstanding leading performance by David Dastmalchian Who commands the screen with such a amazing on-screen presence that is both emotionally devastating and also so anxiety riddled. The film is a homage to 1970’s horror like films and the sheer atmosphere it is set in is perfectly shown onscreen as you feel transported back to the late 70’s Late Night With The Devil delivers on so many creative levels from the acting, set design, storytelling and thrills and chills this is a gem of a film I hope does not get overlooked at is one of the most creatively captivating horror films I have seen since Hereditary. 

Firstly, This film’s ability to tell its story really is the strongest aspect of the film! It takes place in a single night which in my opinion make for some of the Best films great examples of that being Good Time, Collateral, Don’t Breath, The Crow and so many others. It is able to create this tense and horror like atmepshhore on a sound stage without it feeling like something we have seen before. Now what is so freaking genius about how this story is told is the attention to detail, the way the film sets up the story within about five to ten minutes telling you everything you need to know and just presenting the characters onscreen in a way that makes you want to know what the outcome will be. For instance the film sets up within the first few minutes about this talk show host and how he has always dreamed of having that respect Johnny Carson had and having a respected reputation in the television world. At the same time we also see his personal struggles of how is wife passed and how he had to take a step back from his career to reposition his mind as her death affected him very deeply and we learn as the film goes on just how much of an emotional toll its taken on him. Then we are told that his ratings aren’t great and he has very few chances left to boost them before the station pulls the plug on his show so he needs to put on a show that will bring peoples eyes back to his show in a way that will boost the rating but also gain that respect he has so much been longing for. This is all set up in a few minutes and then we are presented with the talk show host knowing now what we know it makes for such a more interesting viewing experience and way of telling the narrative as it never felt like it was a overkill of exposition but a brief and in depth look at this man we are about to be seeing for the rest of the film told in a way that also suits the time it is set in. The way the graphics look to the announcers voice over the montage of clips we are seeing it felt so fitting of the period it is set in. The film also delves deep into themes of belief, trauma, the impact a death can have on someone and skepticism among many more and all of it is shown in a way that really grabs your attention in such a genuine way. As we have the talk show host who is dealing with the loss of his dear wife and also with trying to keep his career together at the same time so he has a lot going on for himself already before they even start airing what would become a train wreck of a episode of television that would shock the nation. Then you have the woman who is the firm believer in the paranormal and shows hard hitting facts to present the case that it shouldn’t be used for entertainment purposes as it can easily go wrong by doing so. Then you have the skeptic who questions everything about paranormal research as he himself was once a firm believer in that world and has shifted his focus to question people who pursue a career in that filed and calling them fakes or con men and is very much a conspiracy theorist and skeptic on any person who thinks they have successfully crafted a career within the paranormal. So when you take those three traits the emotionally gutted host, the doctor who is very much a paranormal driven practitioner and then the skeptic so getting all those different personalities in one room and having them bounce off one another was great as each one of them got their moment to say their piece and what they think is true. The film shows as the night goes on the tension in the room become higher and higher as you can see in the beginning how optimistic and fun the environment as they want to capture this Halloween feel to the telecast so they invite a mind reader, a doctor who has had an encounter with the devil and a skeptic on the show and the people running the show and even the host think this will boost the ratings and make for good entertainment but as the night goes on they don’t realize what they have got themselves involved with until its to late. What was supposed to be a harmless fun night of television turns into a nightmare and that slow descent into insanity and the unnerving nature really is greatly done as the film is very much a slow burn and you feel the shift from the optimistic feeling turn into this creepy unsettling tone and it makes the switch effortlessly. The film is able to still deliver the thrills and scares of a horror film while also raising great moral questions at the same time. So the way the style and themes compliment one another is amazing as for some people they may not like the slow burn feel but I think it really benefits from taking its time to built the narrative slowly instead of just being a blood and gore fest. Now there is blood and scares but those happen slowly overtime it does not rely on cheap scares to keep the audience entertained. It’s able to both be thought provoking and terrifying with its presentation. So the way the film delves into deep rooted themes is exceptional and the sheer style and way they intertwined trauma mixed with horror and at the same time be a homage to old school television this film is multi layered and delivers on all fronts stylistically and thematically. 

Secondly, The performances from the cast is superb! First off the whole cast give solid performances but the one performance everyone will be talking about is David Dastmalchian gives the performance of his career he has always played supporting or smaller parts in films here he finally gets the opportunity to take on the lead of a film and wow is he amazing. I cannot express enough how tremendous he is onscreen he explores so many sides of this character emotionally that will astonish you and rip your heart out. Then you have a great stand out performance by Ian Bliss as the skeptic who brings his strong opinions on the talk show and firmly believes every person who has a interest to make a career out of the paranormal is a fake and the way he presents this character is so dry and sarcastic and he plays him so damn well. As he has these condescending comments that just gets under your skin and he knew the right tone and facial expressions to use to convey those emotions that would perfectly reflect the character its a truly outstanding performance that shouldn’t go unnoticed. He sits in anger and doubt that he will be blown away by someone to prove him wrong and it’s just such a truly captivating performance you can’t take your eyes off of. The entire cast does a solid Job but it’s David Dastmalchian that walks away with this film performance wise giving a truly phenomenal leading performance. 

Lastly, Late Night With The Devil is one of the most Compelling, terrifying, well acted, original films I’ve seen from its genre in years as its ability to both be a homage to old school talk shows while using its single setting to tell this truly chilling story was perfect. It takes something simple and expands upon it and builds it up as it goes along and it explodes in such intense imagery the film is a slow burn with genuinely frightening scares that will terrify you the acting by the entire cast is great but its the tremendous leading performance by David Dastmalchian who is anchoring this film that will have you in total awe. Late Night With The Devil has so much depth and complexity to its narrative that will stay with you long after the film is over it is truly one of the best films of the year and one of the greatest horror films I have seen in many years. I recommend everyone go see this film run don’t walk to see this. 

This film centres around a talk show host who’s been through emotional hell and is gripping onto his show to keep it on air and in a final attempt to keep his show on screens he hosts a big Halloween episode that he hopes will boost the rating but it quickly goes off the rails in ways he never thought imaginable 

Rated R : (Some Gore|Language|A Sexual Reference|Violent Content

David Dastmalchian : Dastmalchian delivers a truly staggering performance that will amaze you! Now this actor has played small roles in big movies. From playing one of the jokers thugs in The Dark Knight a small role in Oppenheimer to Dune and even having what I thought was a scene stealing performance in 2021’s Suicide Squad he is a terrific actor but never has gotten the chance to take on leading duties of a film until now. He finally gets to be centre stage and take on a vey juicy role and he excels brilliantly at it as he plays late night talk show host Jack Delroy. This character is complex emotionally haunted and been through some traumatic events in his life and yet he still tries to put on the best show he can for his viewers in order to keep them yes entertained but also boost his ratings to keep his show on the air and the way David brings this talk show host who’s at the end of his ropes to the screen was amazing. When we are introduced to him we see this very confident man who creates a space to belong on the TV scene that wants to carve a legacy like Carson and then he goes through a tragedy with his partner and it changes his being and so when he returns to the show after taking a step back we see the affect the loss of his wife had on him and deeply hurt his heart as he seems to be a man who wants nothing but the best for his audience but when he does learn if he can’t boost rating that they will pull his show he Starts to abandon his moral ethics in order to put on a solid show. We see the showman the entertainer once the cameras are on this charming and very quick witted personality but once it goes to commercial and we see the person he is in between the commercial breaks we see the anxiety and stress wash over him like a wave because he is a good guy but he is clearly knowing if he can’t put on a good show his time on television will be over so we see that anxiety eating at his brain constantly throughout the film and it slowly rises more and more and we see the sheer lengths he goes to as the film progresses. As in the beginning he thinks everything is going to go smoothly they will give a fun spooky halloween themed episode but once things start going weird onstage and backstage he can’t help but want to keep cameras rolling as he knows it will make for great television despite people telling him to be carful and not just exploit these things he has not a full grasp on for the sake of ratings and he sees what happens when he goes through with it and it goes places he couldn’t of imagined. We see the cracks of his heart through his eyes and the body language he presents onscreen for instance their is a whole plot point with a girl who claims she is the Devil and the doctor who studies her warns Jack many times to pull the segment because the girl is becoming more unpredictable but he refuses to listen and sure it makes for a spooky segment but at what cost and David is able to bring that confidence and also ignorant nature of Jack’s heart to the surface in such a entertaining and gripping way without it coming across mean spirited. As Jack means well but he’s choosing wrong things thinking it will have a positive outcome and as the craziness furthers he realizes he is way over his head and has no idea what he is doing and The way Dastmalchian is able to be so charming and give the wit of a talk show host from that era is incredible all the while their is a storm of anxiety in his eyes and heart the entire time. You can see the sheer sadness and heartache through his eyes and his patience grows shorter and shorter with his guests as he not only is spooked but he knows that big studio heads are watching this show and everything must go to plan. He also shares stuff about his personal life with his viewers so they have a better understanding of who he is as a human but their are some things he won’t revel that is to painful for him to discuss with anyone. David delivers a tour de force performance that is outstanding and truly in my opinion the best work of his career so far as he explores the complex nature of this mans heart and mind in such a authentic way that will have your eyes glued to the screen. I hope he gets more leading role’s in films as he has proven here he can do it successfully he truly is amazing what a spectacular performance of the talk show host who is going through emotional hell behind the scenes and keeps the show going. One of the best performances I have seen this year. 

Colin Cairnes & Cameron Cairnes : These two have crafted a modern day horror masterpiece that will be discussed for years and become a staple of halloween viewings every year! These filmmakers I had not heard about until this film as they have not done many films but after seeing how they did Late Night With The Devil I  hope they get more directional opportunities as they have given one of the best, most compelling horror films in years with their work on this film. The film is a homage to old school talk shows like Carson and very much leans into the style and aesthetic of that world with the way they built the sets, the onstage band, the backstage crew everything was so accrete matching the time it was set in making the viewer feel totally transported back to that period. It made the world we are viewing feel very much lived in and Then you have the sharp writing and great style that is intertwined into the great setting the film is set in. They are able to make the film feel like a nightmare hellish Network like look at this story in so many ways. It is a horror but it feels like an old school 1970’s horror like rosemary’s Baby it felt like a film that could have come out at that time it has an old school filmmaking flare to it. It is able to showcase the horror element in a way that builds slowly its not a in your face blood and gore film it very much is a psychological horror film as it builds up over the course of the film and draws you in which I love as some of the best horror films do that Get Out, A Quiet Place and Hereditary have done that same approach when it comes to horror. The film also is able to ask deep rooted questions to the viewer that will have you think all the while keeping you engaged into the story at hand and constantly guessing how the events of this film will play out. It shows themes of death, how far someone is willing to go in order to stay relevant and the morals they will abandon in order to keep themselves in the public eye. It also delves into skeptics and how they thrive off making people question paranormal researchers but that theme is clearly trying to present what conspiracy theorist are like when you put them onstage for people to hear their thoughts and it is able to put political messages into the narrative without it sounding preachy as it is so tightly written and done so well the incredible themes that are touched upon is taken on headfirst and in such a blunt way but never feels annoying its brilliantly captured onscreen in such a authentic and natural way. It also goes places visually that is so striking and has a ending that will puzzle people but I love that as it opens the floor for discussion of what they thought the ending meant to them as it very much is left up to interpretation and I love those kind of endings as it makes you theorize what you think it can be. The film takes old school horror and mixes it with such great ideas and emotional themes and then results in such a explosively well told story that just lights up the screen in such a immersive and yet terrifyingly entertaining way and all the while at the centre of it all is a tremendous leading performance by David Dastmalchian giving a career best performance. So overall The Cairnes give tremendous direction that gives a breath of fresh air to the genre with their original storytelling that will have you truly mesmerized its solid direction on their part and I cannot wait to see what they do next.