Horror movie with 100% Rotten Tomatoes score will chill you to your core-Rebecca Sayce-Entertainment – Metro

Late Night With The Devil hit our screens in March and has already been lauded by some as one of the scariest films of the year.

Starring The Dark Knight and The Boogeyman actor David Dastmalchian, the Cameron and Colin Cairnes film had its world premiere at South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) almost a year ago, immediately dazzling and chilling viewers in equal measure.

With a cast rounded out by Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, and Georgina Haig, the found footage flick is now available to stream from the (dis)comfort of your own sofa on Shudder via Amazon Prime Video.

And it’s easy to get excited beforehand, with the film initially achieving a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics hailing it ‘electrifying’, ‘effective’, and what I’m sure most horror fans look for, ‘terrifying.’

Master of horror Stephen King has also urged film fans to watch this ‘brilliant’ horror movie, saying he ‘couldn’t take his eyes off it.’

But just days before its release, the film received intense backlash after film fans and creatives aired their anger over the use of AI art within the fictional show’s title cards.

The film has received praise from iconic horror author Stephen King (Picture: IFC Films)

The Cairnes brothers addressed the scandal in a statement (per Variety) which read: ‘In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the 70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film.’

It continued: ‘We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and passionate cast, crew and producing team go above and beyond to help bring this film to life. We can’t wait for everyone to see it for themselves this weekend.”

Late Night With The Devil has been compared to the iconic BBC mockumentary Ghostwatch, which chilled a nation to its very core in 1992 when it aired on BBC1 on Halloween night, with its style leading many to believe the supernatural events that unfolded were actually real.

Many films have tried to emulate the same formula, and many have failed, so how does Late Night With The Devil fare?

The film follows late-night TV host Jack Delroy during a special broadcast of his talk show Night Owls on Halloween night. Following the death of Delroy’s wife Madeleine (Haig), the ratings for his beloved show have plummeted, with everything riding on this one 1977 episode.

The film’s narrative plays out over one dreadful night (Picture: IFC/PLANET PHOTOS)

Delroy interviews several interesting guests including medium Christou (Bazzi), former magician and sceptic Carmichael Haig (Bliss), parapsychologist Dr June Ross-Mitchell (Gordon) and the subject of her new book, 13-year-old Lilly (Torelli), the sole survivor of a Satanic church’s mass suicide.

The broadcast descends into chaos as an evil spirit plagues not only the host and his guests but also the studio audience and those at home with the recorded show and behind-the-scenes tapes serving as evidence of what happened on that fateful night.

Unfolding in real time, it captures the eerie atmosphere Ghostwatch mastered more than 30 years ago with the tension ramping up as minor hauntings soon explode into a fiery, psychedelic hellscape of spiritual energy.

The schlocky costumes of audience members, stilted mildly-humourous banter between the host and his co-star Gus (Auteri), and the gimmicky electronic spooky music immerse us straight into the seventies and enhance the realism which makes the scares all the more spine-chilling.

The use of practical effects over CGI is a nostalgic touch to the seventies narrative (Picture: IFC/PLANET PHOTOS)

The cheesy and nostalgic style of a seventies talk show is the perfect vehicle to deliver the dark story within, exploring the vast world of the paranormal from a medium contacting the spirits beyond, to a full-blown exorcism broadcast to the masses.

Late Night With The Devil utilises charming practical effects and gore throughout, and, though it doesn’t quite reach the blood-curdling, terrifying heights of Ghostwatch, it delivers some solid scares as the tension builds and its depiction of possession and demonic entities is a sight to behold.

Leading us into hell itself is the magnetic Delroy, who hides his shady past with the secretive society The Grove and the pain of his wife’s death behind a bright smile and zinging one-liners. He is expertly brought to life by Dastmalchian in a performance that is sure to be career-defining.

David Dastmalchian delivers a captivating performance as Jack Delroy (Picture: IFC/PLANET PHOTOS)

The actor is no stranger to our screens, though he is best known for his supporting roles in the likes of The Flash, The Suicide Squad, and Prisoners rather than a leading man.

But it’s a position that suits the accomplished star, in a role that takes him out of his typecasting as a dark, brooding side character to an electric, warm host showcasing his impressive acting range.

Torrelli provides another standout performance among the ensemble cast as the deeply disturbed Lilly, who haunts every scene she graces with her thousand-yard stare and sinister smirk. She radiates danger, and you’ll want to look away in fear yet won’t be able to take your eyes off her.

Late Night With The Devil is a true horror gem (Picture: Vertigo Releasing)

Each star perfectly balances becoming a one-note caricature with portraying believable, fascinating characters who you genuinely care about and want to survive the onslaught of horror (apart from the snarky Carmichael Haig, possibly) making the surreal final act all the more shocking.

Late Night With The Devil proves once more that horror isn’t dead – and in fact, it never was, despite what you might read – as it showcases yet more innovative storytelling and captivating scares that continue to keep the genre exhilarating.

This clever TV satire has it all – haunting demons, killer performances, and a stylish approach to a horror trope that offers a fresh look at the classic possession story. It’s certainly not one to be missed – if you dare to tune in.

Late Night With The Devil is available to stream on Shudder via Amazon Prime Video.

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