Chicago Film Festival: Late Night with the Devil showcases KC’s David Dastmalchian

Courtesy Image Nation Abu Dhabi

A late-night talk show host literally sells his soul for ratings in Late Night With the Devil, a ghoulishly fun (if inconsistent) new horror movie that gives Kansas City native David Dastmalchian a long-overdue starring turn.

Australian sibling duo Cameron and Colin Caines’ third film puts a clever spin on the found-footage genre, presenting its horrors as an infamous episode of ‘70s late-night television, complete with “newly discovered” black-and-white, cinéma vérité-style behind-the-scenes clips showing what went down during that evening’s tumultuous commercial breaks.

An opening sequence introduces us to Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian), the unctuous host of the fictional talk show Night Owls. Although Michael Ironside’s narrator tells us that Jack’s show “helps an anxious nation forget its troubles,” he’s forever chasing Johnny Carson’s ratings dominance. Underpinning his smooth-talking, genial exterior is his affiliation with The Grove, a secretive boys-only club with cultish overtones. By 1977, Jack’s beloved wife Madeline (Georgina Haig) has died of cancer and Night Owls’ ratings are plummeting despite his attempts to win viewership via increasingly sensationalist segments.

When Late Night begins, it’s Halloween night, and Jack is pulling out all the stops to save his talk show during fall “sweeps” week… even if it means inviting evil onto the airwaves. 

In classic Halloween special tradition, all of Jack’s gusts for the evening are somehow affiliated with the strange and supernatural. There’s Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), a psychic who just might sense Madeline’s presence from beyond the grave; Carmichael the Conjurer (Ian Bliss), an ex-magician-turned-outspoken skeptic; and most consequentially, Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon), a parapsychologist and author. She’s brought along the subject of her latest book, “Conversations With the Devil”: Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), a young teenager who’s the only survivor of a Satanic cult’s mass suicide. She claims to be possessed by a demon she calls “Mr. Wiggles,” a wink to the demonic “Captain Howdy” from The Exorcist.

Jack seizes on Lilly’s revelation, convincing June to commune with Mr. Wiggles live on air. It’s a greedy Faustian bargain, yes, but also driven by his quietly building desperation to prove that if a demon wriggling inside a young girl is real, so is his wife’s lingering spirit. As anyone who’s even glanced at the title of the film could guess, all hell breaks loose.

Late Night takes its time getting to the demonic main event, inviting viewers to luxuriate in the film’s impressively rendered period setting. An on-stage band plays Jack in and out, complete with his put-upon side-kick Gus (Rhys Auteri). Meanwhile, the Night Owls set is covered in delightfully kitschy ‘70s staples, from groovy earth-toned rainbow panels to busy geometric wallpaper and plush orange carpeting. And of course, the fateful Halloween episode is shot in a classic three-camera, 4:3 aspect ratio, its fuzzy grain occasionally punctuated by creepy glitches that may or may not foreshadow what’s to come.

The world of Night Owls being such a delight to spend time in is a saving grace for a film that struggles to maintain a level of steadily building dread amidst its spooky mockumentary-style humor. Yes, there’s all manner of exploding heads, projectile black goo vomiting, and worm-filled stomachs to enjoy once the action gets going. But even with its slight, 93-minute runtime, the conceit starts to feel stretched beyond its limits in a manner that Late Night’s surreal ending doesn’t help.

Courtesy Image Nation Abu Dhabi

Despite the events of the film often feeling like a foregone conclusion, the cast’s well-pitched performances are commendable. Torelli is the clear standout of Late Night’s ensemble cast, imbuing Lilly with a quiet yet genuinely unnerving magnetism that would make ‘70s teen horror icons like Carrie White and Regan MacNeil proud. Well-deserved credit for shouldering the film, of course, goes to Dastmalchian. Often tapped to play creeps and quirky villains in films ranging from crime thriller Prisoners to major genre works like The Suicide Squad and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, the character actor’s piercing brown eyes and twitchy, disarming grin make him the perfect actor to embody Jack’s dueling grief and damning ambition.

While Late Night doesn’t ultimately have something major to add to the found-footage and possession genres, I can see it becoming an infectious cult classic perfect for throwing on with a gaggle of friends on Shudder — just keep an eye out for trickster spirits.