Late Night with the Devil (2023)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A struggling late-night talk show host attempts to boost ratings by hosting an occult-themed episode on Halloween night.
The story
Set on Halloween 1977, the film follows the production of a special occult-themed episode of the struggling variety talk show 'Night Owls.' To boost falling ratings, host Jack Delroy invites a series of guests, including a psychic, a skeptic, and a young girl purportedly possessed by a demonic spirit. The broadcast aims to create a sensation, but the line between staged entertainment and genuine supernatural occurrence begins to blur as the live broadcast progresses. The film utilizes elements of analog horror and found footage to depict the escalating tension within the studio as the host and his guests confront the unknown.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film is framed as a documentary investigating a 1977 broadcast of 'Night Owls.' Host Jack Delroy, seeking to boost ratings after his wife's death, hosts an occult special featuring a psychic (Christou), a skeptic (Carmichael Haig), and a girl (Lilly) allegedly possessed by 'Mr. Wriggles.' During the broadcast, Christou dies of a brain hemorrhage after a confrontation over a secret name. Later, Lilly becomes possessed, levitating and revealing that Jack and the parapsychologist are romantically involved. A demonstration by Carmichael causes the crew to hallucinate worms. During a second possession, Lilly's head splits open, and she kills several people. Jack is then transported to a nightmarish realm where he realizes he made a pact with the Devil, sacrificing his wife's soul for his career. He sees her ghost and, using a ritual dagger, stabs her to end her pain. He returns to the studio to find he has killed Lilly on live television. The film ends with Jack repeating 'Dreamer, Here, Awake' as police arrive.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 93
- Production countries
- Australia; United States; United Arab Emirates
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Cameron Cairnes
- Writers
- Colin Cairnes · writer; Cameron Cairnes · writer
- Cast and characters
- David Dastmalchian · Jack Delroy; Laura Gordon; Ian Bliss · Carmichael Haig; Fayssal Bazzi; Ingrid Torelli; Rhys Auteri; Georgina Haig; Josh Quong Tart
- Genres
- postmodernist; supernatural horror; mockumentary; satirical
- Themes
- the price of success; sacrifice; media ethics
- Tone and mood
- tense; eerie; claustrophobic
- Premise and plot tags
- found footage; analog horror; demonic possession; 1970s aesthetic
- Content notes
- horror
- Reception
- The film was generally well-received and praised for its production design, period atmosphere, and the lead performance.
- Production trivia
- The film was inspired by the 1970s and 80s atmosphere of late-night TV.; The film features a limited glow-in-the-dark VHS release.; The directors experimented with AI for three still images in the film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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