Late Night with the Devil (2023): A Fun, if Flawed Séance in the Studio
Late Night with the Devil (2023): A Fun, if Flawed Séance in the Studio
“Do not adjust your set.” — And don’t expect perfection, but do expect a wildly entertaining Halloween night. — 3.5/5 Stars
I’ve been hearing about Late Night with the Devil since it dropped—a buzzed-about “instant cult classic” that fused analog horror, found footage, and 1970s late-night TV into something supposedly groundbreaking. As someone who followed ARGs likeThe Mikaeli ARG(yes, the “hitting metal 17 times” guy— In my opinion a defining voice of modern analog horror, whose project concluded just last year), I went in hoping for a feature-length version of that same immersive, broadcast-based dread.
What I got was something far more modest—but still very fun. This isn’t a masterpiece. It’s not even terrifying. But it is a wildly entertaining, impeccably styled Halloween movie that absolutely earns a spot in your annual rotation.
Nailing the Era, If Not the Mythos
The film’s greatest strength is its aesthetic. From the VHS grain to the CRT scan lines, the cigarette smoke, the garish set design, and the awkward camera cuts—it all feels ripped from a 1977 broadcast. And at the center of it all is David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy, the smarmy, desperate host of Night Owls. He doesn’t just play the role—he inhabits it. Every grin, every nervous pause, every performative chuckle feels authentic to the era. It’s a 5/5 performance in a 3.5/5 film.
As a piece of mockumentary / analog horror, it’s a standout. The film leans into the format’s strengths: the illusion of liveness, the tension of things going off-script, the uncanny valley of “real” footage that’s just slightly too staged. It’s a love letter to Ghostwatch, The Blair Witch Project, and the golden age of public-access weirdness—and it nails the vibe with remarkable fidelity.
A Séance Without a Soul
Where the film falters is in its storytelling. The plot is thin, the rules of its supernatural logic are vague, and the third act rushes through revelations that deserved more room to breathe. There’s a rich allegory here about fame, grief, and Faustian bargains—but it’s buried under jump cuts, mockumentary framing, and a finale that prioritizes spectacle over emotional payoff.
I kept waiting for the true horror to sink in—the kind that lingers after the credits, the kind that makes you question the medium itself. But Late Night with the Devil is more interested in homage than innovation. It’s a stylish séance that summons the spirit of analog horror… but forgets to give it a soul.
Final Verdict: Not terrifying, not profound—but undeniably fun. A stylish, well-acted, and cleverly constructed Halloween treat that’s perfect for a group watch with the lights off and the VCR humming. 3.5/5 stars.
Official trailer for Late Night with the Devil (2023) – IFC Films
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