Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) hosts Night Owls, a late-night show that has never beaten Johnny Carson in the ratings. After his wife's death, his career is slipping. For a Halloween special, he gathers a psychic, a sceptic, a parapsychologist and Lilly, a teenage girl who survived a satanic cult and is said to be possessed by a demon.
The film looks and feels exactly like a 1970s TV show, with garish sets, cheesy music, an orange suit and studio audience applause. During commercial breaks, it switches to black-and-white backstage footage, where we see Jack's desperation growing.
David Dastmalchian is superb, charming and sleazy at once, and you can see the panic behind his showman smile. Ingrid Torelli is creepy as Lilly, and the slow build of dread is expertly handled.
The final act goes wild, with effects that some viewers find too much, and a few AI-generated images caused controversy. But Late Night with the Devil is fresh, clever and a lot of fun, a great addition to the found footage genre.
