Demonic possession isn’t as compelling as it used to be. In the half-century since The Exorcist (1973) reportedly prompted theater audiences to faint, vomit or suffer panic attacks and medical emergencies, supernatural horror films would become legion in the following decades. And yet the ‘70s and ‘80s were the ripest era for this brand of occult horror, as Anton Lavey and his Church of Satan held a prominent place in American counterculture and the satanic panic phenomenon would grip the nation. As possession-themed horror yielded diminishing returns among desensitized audiences, more modern entries would often set their films during these two decades, as seen in The Conjuring (2013) and The House of the Devil (2009), and often found success in doing so.
Late Night with the Devil takes a similar approach, setting this found footage horror comedy by writer-director duo Cameron and Colin Cairnes during a 1977 live television broadcast. The film opens in a mockumentary style, as a narrator describes 1970s America as a time of “unrest and mistrust” and “fear and violence,” set over images of the Vietnam War and riots in the street, along with shots of Charles Manson, the Son of Sam and Richard Nixon. Television is described as a medium that channels horror into living rooms, but also a technology that offers comfort, and we learn the backstory of Jack Delroy (an excellent David Dastmalchian), a TV host driven to unseat Johnny Carson as the King of Late Night, and someone who has had involvement with a group of well-heeled occultists. His show, “Night Owls,” is floundering but gets a shot in the arm through tragedy, as his beloved wife, Madeleine (Georgina Haig), dies of lung cancer, prompting the show’s all-time best ratings (though it still trails Carson).
With this crucial bit of backstory packed into the film’s opening minutes, the film is presented as the “rediscovered” footage of a fateful Halloween episode of “Night Owls” during sweeps week. Along with his trusty sidekick Gus (Rhys Auteri), Jack swings for the fences with this broadcast. His guests include medium Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), master illusionist and chief skeptic Carmichael (Ian Bliss) and paranormal researcher June (Laura Gordon), along with her ward and the subject of her latest book, a possessed girl named Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), who was rescued from a cult led by a Levay-like figurehead.
What follows is wicked satire of the contrivances of television juxtaposed with its capacity to capture objective reality, of how it can both verify and obfuscate the truth, and of the soulless price of fame. Hammy talk-and-variety-show schtick meets unsettling occurrences as the night unfurls. Christou first appears to be a charlatan and then seemingly taps into malevolence from the other side. Carmichael scoffs and snarks at June and the purportedly possessed Lilly, and then hypnotizes the entire audience to horrific effect. Goaded by Jack, a reluctant June conducts a session with Lilly in which the girl introduces the audience to her resident demon, who she calls Mr. Wriggles (because he enters her mind like a worm), but then there’s some question about whether this may simply be a parlor trick.
Trippy and at times gory, this is not a particularly scary film by any means. Late Night with the Devil’s primary tension is interpersonal rather than supernatural, as Jack clashes with June and Gus about the prudence of tampering with forces beyond human control. Dastmalchian is brilliant in an overdue lead role, with Jack a conflicted soul who is nevertheless most prone to siding with his most self-serving impulses. The Cairnes brothers’ film nails the ‘70s aesthetic in all its earth tone glory, while showcasing the amorality of an industry fueled by sensationalism over substance. Presented in 4:3 aspect ratio during the broadcast, the film shifts to black-and-white widescreen during the commercial break interludes, in which showrunner Leo (Josh Quong Tart) mostly presents Jack with horrible details that nevertheless are lighting up the switchboard and will draw huge ratings. Much like the fame-obsessed Jack, this is a film that isn’t afraid to go over the top, and by its climax it earns the right to do just that.
Photo courtesy of IFC Films
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