Late Night with the Devil (2023) Review
- Viktoria
- May 5
- 5 min read
Director: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
Year of release: 2023
Countries of origin: Australia, United Arab Emirates, United States
Spoiler status: Light spoilers
Genre: Psychological horror
Late Night with the Devil is an intriguing take on the topic of demonic possession and greed. It dives into these topics, among others, and shines a light on everything that's wrong with show business. The story alone isn't that scary. A TV host tries to boost his ratings, so he invites a medium, a skeptic, and a young girl who's supposedly possessed by something demonic. There's nothing here that will make you cover your eyes or ears in fear. But even though it doesn't seem scary at first, the way the movie is set up will slowly but surely plant the seeds of unease in the depths of your mind. The behind-the-scenes segments they incorporated made the movie feel even more lifelike, pulling the viewer deeper into this fake reality.
Late Night with the Devil is a unique psychological horror that pulls the viewer in without them noticing. It feels real and forbidden, and that's why it's so captivating.
If you like slow-burn horror movies with a great story, an amazing cast, and a creepy vibe, this one will be right up your alley.
The plot of Late Night with the Devil
The movie is about Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian), a late-night host whose ratings are rapidly declining, so he has to find a way to boost his viewership to remain relevant (and to keep his job, most probably). And what was one of the most relevant topics in the 70s? That's right, the rise of the Satanic Panic: a widespread fear of everything strange or unknown. So he decided to get a medium, a skeptic, and a seemingly possessed child onto his stage to use them for his own gain. At first, everything seems staged, but we slowly realize that the sinister things unfolding in the background are, unfortunately, real. There are also a few subtopics they touch on, like tragedy, greed, and desperation. All these things are woven into one story that won't necessarily give you goosebumps, but it will slowly grow into something that evokes unease and makes you question everything you see on the screen.
Is Late Night with the Devil actually scary?
As I mentioned before, this psychological horror is more unsettling than scary. It has some heavy topics that it touches on, like children in cults, The Grove (which was based on the real-life Bohemian Grove), and the greed that leads to exploitation in the TV industry. There's also the gullibility of the people in the 70's, which led to a widespread panic that ruined lives. I've said it once, and I'll say it again. The horror genre is real life's mirror, and honestly, nothing is as scary as human cruelty and privilege. The movie also has a few gory scenes scattered around that work well with the plot, elevating it to a more grotesque level. So this movie isn't scary in the traditional sense, but it will definitely creep you out. It's the kind of social commentary that will stay with you long after the credits roll. You won't watch this movie for the scares, but for its disturbing atmosphere.
Who is the demon in Late Night with the Devil?
The movie never gave us a concrete answer to this question. We know that Lilly calls it Mr. Wriggles, because she can feel it wriggle in and out of her mind. June Ross-Mitchell's theory is that the entity controlling Lilly is a lesser demon, but a dangerous one nonetheless. Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss), the magician-turned-skeptic, at first theorizes that June hypnotized the whole crowd, including the audience at home, to make them see Lilly as something she's not. Unfortunately, this theory was soon debunked. This back-and-forth between the skeptic and the believer was very entertaining, and more importantly, very realistic. They included all the go-to doubts, questions, and explanations regarding the existence of the supernatural. But slowly, the focus shifted from Lilly and her "friend" to Jack and his connection to the supernatural. We learn about his link to an elite group, where he met this exact demon and struck a deal with it. I don't want to go too deep into this topic because it would spoil some of the best revelations of the movie, but what he did to get to Number 1 is despicable. The saddest part of this whole ordeal is that he didn't even get to enjoy the fruits of his greed because he never reached the top of the charts.
Is Late Night with the Devil good?
This movie isn't just good, it's great. It attacks multiple topics at once, and it perfectly embodies the problems of the rich world. Jack sold his greatest treasure to the devil to get to the top of the food chain, and he very quickly realized that desperation mixed with greed is a very dangerous thing. The fact that the movie isn't based on a true story, but they did pull inspiration from real life when creating the characters, adds to the story's magic. Jack's character was greatly modeled on Don Lane, an American-born host of an Australian TV show which, on occasion, tackled the topic of the supernatural. Carmichael Haig's character was based on James Randi, an ex-magician who turned into a professional skeptic. These little fun facts give the movie a more authentic aura, making it feel a lot more realistic. However, I do need to put a caveat here. While doing my research (after watching the movie), I found out that they used AI for the images used for their commercial breaks. While I don't have anything bad to say about the story or the performance, this fact definitely affects my rating. It's just hard to believe they weren't able to pay an actual artist to create a few images for these segments. So yes, the movie is definitely great, but after stumbling upon this bit of info, I definitely lost a great amount of respect for the director and the rest of the people who were involved in this decision.
Rating: 🕯️🕯️
Even though I enjoyed the movie, I'm deeply disappointed in their decision to use AI-generated images. So, the original rating would be 5/5, but I will take away a candle for every "commercial break" they had in the movie, which is 3. It's just really hard for me to believe they had money for all the crazy visual effects, but they couldn't put aside a bit of that money to get an actual human being to create a few images for them. No matter how good the movie is, if the team behind it doesn't appreciate and respect humanity and their effort, it's just not worth your time. Their decision to use AI directly mirrors Jack's decision to strike a deal with the devil and then watch his life burn to ashes. Talk about irony, right?
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