Creeptober Day 11: Late Night with the Devil
Late Night with the Devil is one of 2024’s most acclaimed indie horror films. Join us as we revisit Jack Delroy’s final episode of Night Owls on day 11 of Creeptober!
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Late Night with the Devil seems destined to be a Halloween favorite. Being set on Halloween night helps, but it’s also because the movie is spooky in a fun way. It’s scary at times, but not too scary overall. It has received a lot of praise since its general release earlier this year, and for good reason. We’ve decided to revisit Late Night with the Devil as part of Creeptober because it’s a movie that begs for a second viewing so you can see how it all comes together from a fresh perspective.
Read on for our thoughts on Late Night with the Devil as well as a recap of the movie, and join the conversation on our Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
Reacting to Late Night with the Devil
This Creeptober viewing is the second time I’ve watched Late Night with the Devil this year. My first viewing was colored by hype, so I’m glad I was able to take the time to watch it again without the self-imposed burden of hopes and expectations. I had been excited for this movie ever since I’d first heard about it more than a year before its eventual release. I try to never set my expectations too high for any movie, but with that much time to think about it, I’ll admit that I couldn’t help but set the bar high for Late Night with the Devil. I did enjoy it on my first viewing, but I think I enjoyed it slightly more this time.
Let me get something out of the way before I talk about what I enjoy about Late Night with the Devil. The thing that bugged me the first time I watched it, and still bug me on this second viewing, is the format. Or, I suppose I should say, the failure to commit to the promise of the format bothers me. It begins as a pseudo-documentary, which is fine. This part of the movie gives away too much of the story in my opinion, but the concept works.
However, the majority of the movie is presented as the “actual” tapes made the night of the doomed Night Owls broadcast. The found footage aspect of the movie is what intrigued me the most, but they don’t commit to it. The live, on-air footage is all really good. I love the way it builds, and it leads to some truly clever moments. But there are two big problems here. First, the “behind the scenes” cameras shown during the show’s commercial breaks make no sense. The cameras should be clearly visible to the people being filmed, but even when they’re having private conversations clearly not meant to be heard, they don’t acknowledge them. At one point it’s also apparent that there are at least four different behind-the-scenes cameras recording, but none of them are ever seen by any other camera. It just doesn’t make sense, and it breaks the immersion which is so important for found footage.
The other breakage in the found footage format is obviously the final sequence. Jack Delroy’s delusion is interesting, but it would fit better in a movie that doesn’t proclaim itself to be actual footage. The movie sets us up to accept things that aren’t real in the scene where Carmichael hypnotizes Gus, but the ending sequence doesn’t work the same way the earlier one does. The main problem for me is the changing of aspect ratios and video quality. I like the idea that we’re seeing Jack’s delusion as he is influenced by the demon. In my head it’s sort of like how Sadako’s mind imprinted images onto a tape in Ring (1998). But to make that work in Late Night with the Devil, the aspect ratio can’t change. We have to believe it’s all on the same tape as the show. The ending, as it is, would work better in a more traditional narrative format.
Despite my gripes about the format breaking though, I really do like Late Night with the Devil. The live, on-air TV show segments are the best, and they are extremely well done throughout. David Dastmalchian is wonderful as a talk show host who hovers between endearing and conniving. Jack Delroy seems likable, but you can tell by some of his mannerisms that he wants so badly to be successful and loved that it drives him to compromise himself. That all comes through in David’s performance in the on-air segments. He is so believable that the behind-the-scenes aren’t even necessary to get these ideas across. I truly hope this movie leads to more leading role opportunities for David Dastmalchian.
I also enjoy the overall story of Late Night with the Devil. The reveals felt obvious to me on my first watch, which was due to the documentary segment at the beginning of the movie providing too much exposition. However, on this second viewing I paid more attention to how the story is developed throughout the on-air segments as if the documentary wasn’t there. Without being explicitly told about The Grove and their rituals, the movie does a really nice job of building up to the big reveal at the end. I think lots of horror fans would see it coming. It’s like an homage to the themes of “The Monkey’s Paw.” But it’s well done.
My favorite moment in the whole movie might be Carmichael’s hypnotizing of Gus. It’s gross and creepy, which I love. The special effects are great. They might not all look completely realistic, but they work beautifully in context. And I adore the idea of the in-studio audience and at-home viewers also being hypnotized. It doesn’t really make sense when you think about it (especially since the spiral used for hypnotizing isn’t kept on screen long enough for us), but it’s a super fun idea.
My second favorite moment is the scene where June speaks to Mr. Wriggles. With the slightly heightened reality of everything else we’d seen to that point, seeing a true horror moment is jarring in a fantastic way. Ingrid Torelli is suitably creepy both as Mr. Wriggles and as Lily, and this whole scene is remarkable. If the ending had expanded on something like this, Late Night with the Devil would’ve been in my top ten of the year for sure. As it is, I still like it a lot, and I’ll probably watch it again next year during October.
Late Night with the Devil – A Recap
Late Night with the Devil begins as a pseudo-documentary chronicling the career of late-night talk show host Jack Delroy. His show, Night Owls, grew in popularity after its beginning in 1971, and his status as a celebrity grew along with it. His personal life became the subject of public curiosity, and his marriage to an actress named Madeleine was seen as mutually loving and supportive. Jack was also thought to be involved with a mysterious (and potentially insidious) men’s club called The Grove.
After a few seasons of Night Owls, the show’s ratings are good, but not where Jack wants them to be. He’s a perennial runner-up in the race to the top of late night. In 1976, Madeleine is shockingly diagnosed with lung cancer. After she dies, Jack disappears for a short time. When he returns, Night Owls attempts more outlandish, shock-TV tactics to try to reverse the ratings free fall it’s in. As a final attempt to capture the eyes of viewers everywhere, Jack plans a spectacular show. On Halloween night in 1977, Jack plans to interview a young woman who is possessed by a demon. The remainder of Late Night with the Devil is presented as the actual master tape of the live Night Owls episode which aired that night.
Night Owls is a typical late-night talk show. Jack performs a monologue before introducing a series of guests. Whenever the show goes to a commercial break, we are shown what is presented as “behind the scenes” footage which is supposedly filmed by handheld cameras separate from the on-air TV production.
Jack’s first guest is Christou, a psychic medium who claims to be able to speak to the dead. Christou’s first attempt is a failure, but his second seems plausible. He also gets a painful message from a spirit called Minnie, but no one in the studio claims they know the name. Next on the show is Carmichael Haig, a former magician and current skeptic. Carmichael doesn’t really have an act to share other than being a naysayer in a condescending way.
Next, Jack brings out June, a parapsychologist, and Lily, a young woman found in a fire which started as the result of a Satanic cult’s mass suicide. June believes Lily is possessed (psychically infested) by a demon. After some prodding, Jack gets June to agree to have Lily allow the demon inside her to show itself. While Lily is restrained, the demon speaks through her. The audience is shocked, but Carmichael attempts to explain what everyone just saw through a convincing example of mass hypnosis.
After Carmichael’s explanation, Lily is once again taken over by the demon. The demon uses supernatural powers to kill multiple people before Night Owls seemingly goes off the air. Then, the show is back. Sort of. We now appear to be inside Jack Delroy’s mind as he goes through a nightmarish experience. Jack’s role in Madeleine’s death is illuminated as the demon plays with his (and the viewers’) mind. As Jack is forced to sacrifice Madeleine in his delusion, we cut back to reality. Jack has stabbed Lilly while on stage among the bodies of the dead. Jack tries to snap himself out of what he hopes is a hypnotic state as the show goes off the air for real.
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