My quick rating – 7.0/10. Let’s see what all the hype is about. I can tell you what the fuss was about—a refreshing breath of air in the horror genre. Late Night With The Devil delivers a creative twist on the found footage formula, ditching the “I lost my hand-cam in the woods” cliché and opting instead for something far more original: the recovered footage of a 1977 late-night talk show broadcast that went catastrophically wrong. What we see is the supposed “unaired episode” of Night Owls with Jack Delroy, hosted by a wonderfully unhinged David Dastmalchian. What starts as a routine Halloween special soon devolves into chaos, unleashing something far darker than anyone expected—evil, live on television.
The film’s presentation is a stroke of genius. It blends behind-the-scenes footage, on-air segments, and the chaos during commercial breaks to give us a full sense of the world within the studio. The pacing is superb—this isn’t a film that tries to make you jump every two minutes but one that keeps you utterly absorbed, waiting for the next unsettling thing to happen. It feels like watching a train wreck you can’t look away from, only this train happens to be possessed by a demon.
The cast deserves plenty of credit. Ian Bliss as Carmichael, the magician and professional skeptic, adds just the right amount of tension and cynicism, grounding the increasingly bizarre events. But the real standout is Ingrid Torelli as Lily, the young girl supposedly channeling a dark presence. Her performance is eerie, controlled, and hypnotic—those wide, curious eyes scanning the set like she’s seeing through the world itself. She nails that unsettling blend of innocence and menace, and every moment she’s on screen feels charged.
The scares here are more psychological and atmospheric than outright shocking, but when the finale arrives, the gloves come off and the film dives headfirst into nightmarish territory. Unfortunately, that’s also where it stumbles a bit. The ending, while wild, feels like it doesn’t quite match the inventiveness that came before it. I was hoping for a more creative or emotionally resonant resolution after all that excellent build-up.
Even with that small gripe, Late Night With The Devil is a clever, immersive, and surprisingly stylish horror experience. It perfectly captures the look and feel of 1970s television while giving horror fans something fresh to sink their teeth into. If you grew up watching Letterman, Johnny Carson, or even The Larry Sanders Show, this twisted time capsule will feel eerily familiar—and by the end, you might never look at a live broadcast the same way again.
