Late Night with the Devil (2023)

For anyone growing up in the 70s, 80s, and 09s, “Late Night with the Devil” Will feel all too familiar. The late-night talk show battles, the fascination with the paranormal along with the debunkers like James Randi, and the obsession with the devil are all cliches of the time. For a mockumentary/found footage story to come along playing with all these ideas feels all too natural. Plausible is not the right word, but non-shocking might work.

Set in the 1970s, the story follows Jack Delroy, the host of a struggling late-night talk show desperate to boost ratings. On Halloween night, he plans a sensational broadcast featuring supernatural guests, including a parapsychologist and a young girl allegedly possessed by a demonic entity. As the show progresses, eerie and increasingly horrifying events unfold live on air, blurring the lines between reality and performance. What starts as a gimmick for ratings quickly descends into genuine terror as dark forces take over, turning the live broadcast into a night of chaos and dread.

The backstory mockumentary intro turns out to be important to the events of the night depicted in the show. Jack is a broken man following the sudden sickness and death of his beloved wife. As it turns out, her sickness was not unexpected. Jack was involved in a secret, infamous society that was reputed to be involved in devil worship. Jack had made a “deal with the devil” for fame. His gimmick is really more of a case of his bill coming due.

The story is a shlocky horror one. However, as with all the good ones, it is a morality tale. Fame and fortune are not the goal of life. People should be careful and consider what they are willing to sacrifice to get the things they want in life. Playing with idols who promise to deliver is always a losing game.