“Late Night with the Devil” is not a horror movie, at least in the sense that scaring the viewer is quite low on the film’s priorities. What brings substance to the film is not the lack of jumpscares, nor is it even really about the plot itself, instead it is about the journey, not the destination. Lucky for the viewer, this journey is played out across some of the most fun and engaging blends of visual styles one will ever get to watch.
All that is not to say “Late Night with the Devil” is all eye candy, far from it. Every actor does a great job capturing the atmosphere and mannerisms of the 1970s, but the film is held quite carefully in the hands of David Dastmalchian. Without a performance as immersing and perfect as Dastmalchian’s, the film does not work, as simply as that. He was long overdue for a starring role, and he did so perfectly here, depicting an angsty, ominous and confusing fictitious rival to powerhouse host Johnny Carson.
The film finds Dastmalchian, as Jack Delroy, in a desperate attempt to match Carson’s ratings and earn a contract renewal. Set on Halloween night, Delroy’s plan involves an entirely supernatural lineup of guests, which one can guess goes poorly in a horror movie. This tortured character’s grief, desperation, and near-absolute selfishness are played so masterfully that one feels both disgusted by and pity for Delroy throughout. This plot is not complex, and it is not difficult to see where things are going, but that does not matter. If you come to the movie for a plot twist you have never seen before, you can turn away now.
Now is the time to dissect what truly makes the film a must-see. “Late Night with the Devil” uses the visual medium to its fullest extent, doing things that are far too fun to miss. The film’s admittedly hard-to-explain plot opens with a fictitious documentary about Delroy’s late-night show, then the viewer actually watches the episode of late night, interspersed with behind-the-scenes footage from the documentary. The entire film plays out in real-time as the late-night show is taped, which adds to the slow-burn tension since literally every minute of the film is building towards its climax.
This dichotomy is visually noted with the use of color and black-and-white cameras for the show and documentary, respectively. Though many films have recently jumped on the trend of using half color and half black-and-white cameras, this movie does it in a way that works because it genuinely serves a purpose. The color shots are grainy, and the set design’s colors pop in a way that screams 1970s, while the black-and-white ones are a bit clearer and look exactly how one would expect documentation of behind-the-scenes to look back then. There is even a third visual style used at a vital moment in the film, but that is best seen rather than explained.
The film caught itself amid a scandal when it came out that it used AI-generated art in a handful of the “Be Right Back” commercial screens, but this takes up such an insignificant amount of the runtime that it is quite difficult to let this ruin the rest of the film. While that art was not made by artists, so much of the film was, and the film’s particular strength is in practical effects. The effects, like everything else in the film, are very era-accurate, as they look quite similar to those used in John Williams’ “The Thing,” as well as every classic David Cronenberg flick.
The 93-minute runtime of “Late Night with the Devil” may sound short, but do not expect it to feel as such. So much is fit into the brief time that the viewers will find themselves feeling quite different when the credits roll than they did when they sat down. As for whether that’s a good or bad thing, that is entirely up to the viewer. As a tip, maybe try not to focus too hard on the hypnotism scenes, to avoid driving home with one more entity in the car than was originally present.
