Have you ever gone to see a movie that you were so sure you would love, but left the theatre not sure if you liked it? That was the experience I had with Late Night with the Devil. My local theatre had this one just one showing per day so I knew I had to check it out soon as it surely was not going to have a long theatrical run.
How to Download Late Night with the Devil
Late Night with the Devil was released on 22 March 2024. You can expect to be able to download or stream the film from a digital platform such as Apple TV about two months later. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and check the current availability.
The Movie Review
High Expectations and First Impressions
I had been keeping an eye on this one for a few months. I saw the trailer for this and thought that it looked pretty interesting. In the week leading up to me going to see it, I was reading nothing, but good things about it. People saying it was clever, unique, and pretty damn scary! By the time I was in my seat and the lights went down, I was pumped up for something really special.
The Core Concept and Its Execution
Perhaps it just didn’t click with me or maybe I just didn’t get it, whatever it is. I say that because Late Night with the Devil was a movie that I thought was ok. It has a fantastic premise and the idea of it is something that I was sure I was going to find a ton of fun. Yet, even as I write this, I am not sure how much I liked it.
Setting and Story: A 1970s Occult TV Show
Late Night with the Devil takes place in the 70s. Jack Delroy is the host of a show called Night Owls and after a personal tragedy, the show is starting to lose steam. This leads to Jack doing a show about the occult and what starts out as some kind of debunking type show or a show done for shock value turns into something else.
Reflecting on the Film’s Unique Style and Cinematography
I thought that the idea of a demonic force getting unleashed on a TV show for the nation to see was a really clever idea. There are some pretty gruesome and twisted moments in the movie and as I write this, I am not sure why it did not wow me like it did other people. Outside of a couple of pretty horrific scenes, there is not much here that I will probably remember a week from now if I am being brutally honest.
Recognizing Talent: David Dastmalchian’s Performance
The movie is filmed really well, it certainly has that 70s look down which gives it a rather unique style. I also think that David Dastmalchian was great as Jack Delory. It was bugging the hell out of me the whole time I was watching the movie where I knew him from and it was my wife who said he was in the somewhat recent Suicide Squad movie and then I remembered he was in stuff like Ant-Man and The Flash TV show too.
A Mixed Reception with Potential for Reevaluation
If someone were to tell me that they thought Late Night with the Devil was a great movie and one of the smartest and most unique horrors of the last few years, I would not disagree with them. This is one of those movies where I can see that there is something unique and special there, but for whatever reason, it just did not do it for me. I think that this is one I am most certainly going to have to watch again to see if it grabs me more the second time around.
