Late Night with the Devil is a 2023 supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by Colin and Cameron Cairnes. It stars David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, and Josh Quong Tart. Incorporating elements of documentary filmmaking and found footage, the film follows the events of a late-night talk show episode aired on the night of Halloween 1977, during which the host attempts to boost ratings by inviting an allegedly possessed girl onto the show.
An international co-production of Australia, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, Late Night with the Devil had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) on 10 March 2023. It received positive reviews from critics, garnering praise for its performances, production design, and technical aspects, though the revelation that it utilized AI-generated art in three briefly featured still images received criticism. It was released theatrically in the United States on 22 March 2024 by IFC Films and in Australia on 11 April, grossing $12 million. The film became available for streaming on Shudder on 19 April.
Plot[]
The film's prologue is framed as a documentary investigating an unexplained event that occurred on the night of Halloween 1977, during the live broadcast of a sixth season episode of the successful variety late-night talk show Night Owls with Jack Delroy, which competes for ratings with The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Through his celebrity connections, Night Owls host Jack Delroy, who is based in New York City, makes regular visits to "The Grove", an elite California camp for wealthy and powerful men. After his wife Madeleine dies of cancer, Night Owls halts its production. Jack ultimately returns and, in order to boost the show's low ratings, does a special occult-themed episode on Halloween. Special guests for the episode include self-proclaimed psychic and medium Christou, skeptic and former magician Carmichael Haig, parapsychologist author June Ross-Mitchell, and June's latest subject, a 14-year-old Lilly D'Abo who is purportedly possessed by a demonic spirit.
During the broadcast, Christou experiences a premonition about someone named "Minnie", which Jack reveals was his private nickname for Madeleine. Christou becomes sick, projectile vomits a black liquid, and is rushed to the hospital. In the next segment, June introduces Lilly, the sole survivor of a mass suicide by a Satanic church and its leader Szandor D'Abo that worshipped Abraxas. Jack convinces her to conjure the demon inside her, whom Lilly dubs "Mr. Wriggles". During a commercial break, the crew informs Jack that Christou has died from hemorrhaging in the ambulance.
During June's conjuring, Lilly becomes possessed and levitates in her chair. The demon notes having previously met Jack "under the tall trees", revealing that Jack and June are romantically involved and suggesting that Jack wanted his wife "out of the way". Lilly's possession then subsides and the show continues.
Carmichael challenges June by subjecting Jack's sidekick Gus McConnell to a hypnotism demonstration, which causes everyone in the studio to see worms pouring out of him. When the production team rewinds the footage, it proves that the demonstration was merely a joint hallucination experienced by everyone in the studio; however, the supernatural phenomena that occurred during June's conjuring is unaltered in the recorded playback. Jack is horrified when he notices Madeleine's ghost standing behind him in the footage, but Carmichael accuses him of orchestrating the events. Lilly becomes possessed again; her head splits open and begins to glow like lava. She brutally kills Gus, June, and Carmichael, and Jack is suddenly transported to a nightmarish version of the show.
He relives moments in the show's past before it is revealed that he indeed had a connection to the demon possessing Lilly; he indeed encountered it during a ceremony at The Grove, where he made a pact with the Devil by sacrificing the soul of his wife in exchange for fame and the TV success of Night Owls. Thus, he was indirectly responsible for Madeleine's cancer. Madeleine's ghost begs Jack to put her out of her misery, as the cancer is causing pain. Using the ritual Athame dagger from Lilly's former Satanic cult, he then stabs her to death; and the scene suddenly shifts to the now-empty studio. A horrified Jack realizes he has stabbed Lilly on live television. He stands over the bodies of his dead guests as police sirens approach in the distance.
Cast[]
- David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy, the host of Night Owls with Jack Delroy
- Laura Gordon as June Ross-Mitchell, a parapsychologist and author
- Ian Bliss as Carmichael Haig, a former magician turned skeptic. The character resembles the magician-turned-skeptic James Randi; Randi was involved in a similar altercation with Australian late night host Don Lane on The Don Lane Show.
- Fayssal Bazzi as Christou, a psychic
- Ingrid Torelli as Lilly D'Abo, the survivor of a mass suicide
- Rhys Auteri as Gus McConnell, Jack's sidekick
- Georgina Haig as Madeleine Piper, Jack's deceased wife
- Josh Quong Tart as Leo Fiske, the producer of Night Owls
- Steve Mouzakis as Szandor D'Abo
- Paula Arundell as Diane
- Christopher Kirby as Phil
- John O'May as Walker Bedford
- Michael Ironside as the narrator