A sharp, high-concept horror film that turns a live TV broadcast into a pressure cooker of dread. It’s strongest as an atmosphere piece and a performance showcase, with a clever format that keeps the tension tight even when the story stays more controlled than shocking.
Late Night with the Devil
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Horror
Tue · 1h 33m
Director: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
Starring: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss
Overview
A live broadcast of a late-night talk show in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms.
Director
Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
Cast
David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, high-concept horror film that turns a live TV broadcast into a pressure cooker of dread. It’s strongest as an atmosphere piece and a performance showcase, with a clever format that keeps the tension tight even when the story stays more controlled than shocking.
Best for
viewers who like contained horror with a formal gimmick
fans of retro 1970s media aesthetics
people who enjoy possession and occult horror with a showbiz angle
audiences who prefer tension, mood, and performances over gore
Skip if
you want relentless scares or extreme violence
you’re tired of mock-broadcast or found-footage-adjacent formats
you dislike stylized period recreation or media satire
you need the horror to escalate into something truly unhinged
Overview
Late Night with the Devil is built on a wonderfully nasty premise: a live talk show in 1977 becomes the perfect vessel for a demonic breakdown. The film understands the seduction of television as well as its menace, using the rhythms of a broadcast to make every smile, cue card, and commercial break feel like a trap closing in.
Worth noting
The movie’s biggest asset is David Dastmalchian, who sells the host’s desperation, charm, and creeping moral collapse. The production design and faux-archive texture do a lot of heavy lifting, and the format gives the story a steady, escalating momentum. Even when it plays things a little safe, the concept is strong enough to keep you leaning in.
Bottom line
It lands best as a mood piece and a showcase for performance and style rather than as a full-throttle shock machine. If you like horror that feels like a cursed artifact from another era, this is an easy recommendation. If you want the movie to go completely off the rails, you may come away wishing it had pushed harder.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Gizmo · 22947 likes
Listen. There’s AI all over this in the cutaways and “we’ll be right back” network messages. For this reason I can’t enjoy the amazing performances and clever ending. It actually feels insulting when that skeleton message shows up repeatedly, like the filmmakers don’t give a shit and want to let you know that you’ll accept blatant AI in your 70s period piece. Don’t let this be the start of accepting this shit in your entertainment.
Haunted Hippie (4★) · 21187 likes
This should happen to Jimmy Kimmel
hyde graves (0.5★) · 7072 likes
I would normally never, ever even think of review bombing like this, but I'm heartbroken and furious. While in the taxi on the way to go and see this movie at the cinema, I learned that it contains several AI generated images. I sat and watched it anyway because my ticket was prepaid and I couldn't afford to waste that taxi fare either. I'm genuinely crying as I write this. I'm ashamed that my time and money has gone towards
Fruns · 6471 likes
didn't know AI Art was this popular in the 70s
DanielN Georgi (5★) · 6059 likes
Longest episode of the Eric Andre Show I ever watched
Themes
occult horror, live television, media satire, desperation for fame, possession, 1970s nostalgia, performance anxiety, broadcast breakdown