Late Night with the Devil is a 2023 independent postmodernist supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by brothers 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 analog horror, "found footage" and documentary filmmaking, 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 was released theatrically in the United States on 22 March 2024 by IFC Films and in Australia on 11 April. The film grossed $16 million and was generally well-received.
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 struggling 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 Dr. June Ross-Mitchell, and June's latest subject, 13-year-old Lilly, who is purportedly possessed by a demonic spirit. Carmichael promises to give anyone a huge check if they can prove that supernatural events do exist. During the broadcast, Christou suffers an intense headache while experiencing a premonition about someone named "Minnie". Carmichael dismisses it as a performance, starting a confrontation with the weakened Christou which Jack interrupts by revealing that "Minnie" was his private nickname for Madeleine. This causes Christou to fall ill, projectile vomit a black liquid, and be rushed to the hospital. In the next segment, June introduces Lilly, the sole survivor of a police raid that lead to a mass suicide by a Satanic church and its leader, Szandor D'Abo, who worshipped Abraxas. Jack persuades Lilly to communicate with the entity she claims possesses her, which she refers to as "Mr. Wriggles". During a commercial break, Jack's producer Leo informs Jack that Christou has suddenly died from a brain hemorrhage 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", and reveals that Jack and June are romantically involved. 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 nearly everyone in the studio to see worms pouring out of him before Carmichael ends it with the phrase "Dreamer, Here, Awake". When the production team rewinds the footage, it proves that the demonstration was merely a joint hallucination experienced by nearly everyone in the studio; however, the supernatural phenomena that occurred during June's conjuring are 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 then brutally kills Gus and June. Carmichael is finally convinced that what he sees is a true supernatural event and begs for his life, as well as offering Lilly the previously mentioned check, only for him to be burnt as well. Jack is suddenly transported to a nightmarish version of the show. He relives moments from the show's past before it is revealed that he had a prior connection to the demon possessing Lilly. During a ceremony at The Grove, he made a pact with the Devil, sacrificing his wife's soul in exchange for fame and the 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 her 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 and killed Lilly on live television. He stands over the bodies of his dead guests, repeating the phrase "Dreamer, Here, Awake", as police sirens approach in the distance. (At the bottom of the screen, the line "End of Transmission" changes to "So It Is Done".)
Cast
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