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LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL (2024)
If you have your finger on the pulse of modern horror, you have no doubt heard of Late Night with the Devil. Part "found footage" and part mockumentary, it plays like an episode of a syndicated talk show. Host Jack Delroy is in a rut. After losing his wife to cancer, he finds himself in a ratings battle against the likes of Johnny Carson. Jockeying for position and desperate to draw viewers, he unspools a Halloween special. That's what we get to see, and we are told that the footage may shock us into oblivion. Aside from behind-the-scenes stuff, the conceit of the film is to show us an ordinary block of network programming. High-concept scares are a mixed bag, but Late Night feels like the genuine article. For the most part.
Before I go too much further, I will say that the similarly-themed WNUF Halloween Special comes across as more authentic, and thus, more effective. Directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes clearly did their homework, though. This is a fresh spin on legerdemain and demonic possession. Well-timed commercial breaks assist in keeping the pace afloat. If I had to single out a drawback (and I don't have to, but roll with me), the character of Jack isn't exactly sympathetic. Your protagonist can be flawed to a point, but in my estimation, the script goes a bit too far in fudging the lens, so to speak. However, it ends with a bang. I can appreciate the fact that Late Night with the Devil isn't afraid to get messy. Recommended to fans of opening monologues and stomach worms.
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