21. Late Night with the Devil Special Edition Steelbook (2023) from RLJ Entertainment
It’s Halloween in 1977. The once-popular late-night talk show Night Owls is celebrating by having several spooky guests on. The host, the likable and funny Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchain), is under pressure to bring in higher ratings after he returned to the show following the death of his wife.
On this “lost” episode, Jack’s guests include Christou (Fayssal Bazzi) who claims to be a psychic. Christou is challenged throughout the show by magician Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss). The wild card on the show, or so Jack hopes, is author Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon). June has brought with her a special guest as well. 13-year-old Lilly D’Abo, who is allegedly possessed by a demon.
Carmichael does not believe that Lilly is possessed at all. He believes that June and the young girl are playing a trick on everyone, and he attempts to prove it. Things do not go according to plan as it appears a demonic force has invaded the studio.
I missed Late Night with the Devil when I was at the Telluride Horror Show in 2023, but it was the talk of the festival. I was excited to sit down and finally watch it on Blu-ray. It is a clever way to use the “found footage” angle. Of all the sub-genres of horror, found footage is my least favorite. It is severely limited in the story it can tell. The creators of Late Night with the Devil found a way around this by presenting it as a TV show and showing you behind the scenes of the show and flashbacks as well.
The actors are all great, David Dastmalchain is pitch perfect as a late-night host that seems innocent at first but is holding a dark secret.
The film slowly builds the suspense in an impactful way by introducing the demon and some pretty hardcore gore.
Grade: B+
Late Night with the Devil Video Quality
Oscillating between an era-appropriate look to the TV show and a more cinematic look during “commercial breaks”, the film hits all the right beats. The 1080p disc replicates this beautifully from the light orange-y color of the set, to the title cards, everything pops on this disc.
Grade: A
Late Night with the Devil Audio Quality
Sounding as clear as a Beatles record backward, the moans and the groans of the devil feed through the speakers with great clarity. The mix is on point with a 5.1 DTS-HD MA that captures dialogue in all the right spots.
Late Night with the Devil Special Features
Sporting the eerie look of the theatrical poster, the steelbook is handsome and ominous. The release also comes with some fun swag. A Night Owls air freshener, “autographed photo of Jack Delroy, Conversations with the Devil bookmark.
Behind the Scenes: A quick look at the overall making of the film.
Monster Shock Theater: From “1971” this talk show program is a fun way to further explore the world of Late Night with the Devil.
Commentary: Actor David Dastmalchain and producer Leah Kilpatrick.
Q and A: Directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes at a screening of the film. They talk about the genesis of the film with a cool antidote on how the idea came from an Australian talk show that would have the kind of guests seen in the film on the program.
Grade: A
Late Night with the Devil succeeds at bringing a new and creative way of the tired troupe of found footage. Horrors abound in the film with gore and scares to spare. The collector’s edition steelbook looks great, comes with some neat collectible swag and a solid assortment of extras.