All it takes is one mention of the phrase “found footage” to elicit a reaction typically leaning in the direction of an eye roll. For decades, this genre, once brimming with promise, having produced now-classics ranging from the likes of “Cannibal Holocaust,” “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield” has worked its way into an oversaturated avalanche crushed under the weight of countless imitators and slew of “Paranormal Activity” follow-ups. “Late Night with the Devil “could comfortably find a home within this category, a film that a block of opening narration describes as containing an assemblage of raw, unedited clips taken from the broadcast of one particular 1977-set late-night talk show the night something horrific took place. It’s a decent setup, thankfully short, and immediately arms the viewer with questions as the main content begins.
David Dastmalchian leads the film as Jack Delory, host of Night Owls, a somewhat prototypical late-night program of the time that, despite having achieved an adequate level of success, has played second fiddle to Johnny Carson in the ratings for some time. Jack isn’t without skeletons lurking about the closet of his personal life; his affiliation with a sinister cult-esque organization is one of those curiosities present in the opening, and the loss of his devoted wife to cancer sees the genial comedian take a mysterious hiatus from the show before returning with a vengeance, now seemingly focused on ratings war victory. Could there exist a better way to achieve such a goal than via a sweeps week Halloween special, complete with guests ranging from psychics to skeptics and a possible demonically-possessed teen? Is it likely that one of these guests might be more than meets the eye regarding the supernatural? Should any further descriptions of the premise end right here?
Indeed, delving further would venture heavily into spoilers, but there nonetheless still exists enough meat to pick off the bone in the way of a further look at “Late Night with the Devil.“ For starters, to see Dastmalchian achieve leading-man status after countless years in character actor territory can’t help but feel enormously overdue, and to witness a gradual reveal of Jack’s apparent two-faced mentality does allow Dastmalchian to stretch those acting chops at long last. This, however, doesn’t always stick the landing; the Jack Delroy seen before the live studio audience comes complete with the tacky humor and affable rapport signature of the era, perfectly emulating his onscreen rival in Johnny Carson but lacking a bit when the action shifts backstage; as the narrator describes, the footage presented includes everything from that evening, with the action from in front of cameras perfectly capturing the look and feel of a ‘70s-era late evening program but a slightly more cinematic feel when the action shifts backstage, complete with cuts and perfect audio that feels less like something captured guerilla-style but rather more polished, as if to suggest a small team of videographers and boom mic ops were following the action at every turn. This also fails to benefit Dastmalchian, who the film unveils as possessing near-obsession with ratings above all else, but whether a failing on behalf of the actor or the material with which he’s given, the presumed intention to make him out to be a villain of sorts never truly works.
It isn’t solely Dastmalchian, either; one of the evening’s guests is Carmichael the Conjurer (Ian Bliss), immediately projecting solid vibes of a James Randi as it’s shown he once worked in the field of magic but now spends his days debunking cases of anyone who claims to possess paranormal abilities of any type. Famously, Randi once publicly clashed with self-proclaimed illusionist Uri Geller. On this episode of Night Owls, Carmichael expresses his skepticism to every other individual appearing that evening, from a parapsychologist (Laura Gordon). Her supposedly possessed teenage subject Lilly (Ingrid Torelli) to the night’s Geller replica, a cold-reading “psychic” adopting the moniker Christou (Fayssal Bazzi). Bazzi and Gordon easily sit as the best of the bunch, with Bazzi quickly transitioning from the onstage persona of a tacky, mysterious foreigner supposedly gifted with mentalist abilities to suddenly finding himself possibly attacked by a sinister force as the audience looks on, while Gordon handles more of a straight woman role as Lilly’s handler well. Bliss, unfortunately, attempts to give Carmichael an aura nothing short of ornery, always quick to retort when a fantastic moment occurs as if ready to twirl the ends of the mustache he sports; it’s traits such as these that worked well for the late Randi but feel far more like a second rate bad guy in Carmichael, one that becomes more and more of an annoyance as the film moves along and we wait for the real villain to appear.
If there’s an area where the film truly succeeds, it’s in the build; from start to finish, “Late Night with the Devil “ratchets up the tension gradually, with several spikes in action that quickly telegraph a climactic moment yet to come. It even allows for twists, though just as many untapped questions exist throughout, such as Delroy’s supposed involvement in a -like organization that may or may not factor into what’s yet to occur, and a final moment just as shocking as it is confounding. There’s enough potential to tee up something truly memorable, perhaps even genre-defining, but the sum total of the film’s shortcomings significantly hold it back. At least the presence of Michael Ironside as the opening narrator makes perfect use of his husky baritone in establishing the mood, never an unwelcome addition to any cast.
The duo of Cameron and Colin Cairnes handled both directorial as well as writing credits, but the jury’s out on whether something slightly better exists for the two in the time to come; while far from a poorly-made effort, “Late Night with the Devil“ tries to take on too much and only slightly hovers above average in this regard. There’s no question its location on the lengthy list of found footage outings over the years will indisputably see it placed higher than others. Still, in the greater scheme of memorable horror, it stumbles in warranting repeated viewings. Dastmalchian, at the very least, happily, remains a unique talent, and there’s still enough present onscreen to indicate he’ll continue doing just fine. [C+]