Sometimes concept movies or tv show episodes turn out to make for some of the best stories. The Gentleman episode of BtVS came from a snide reviewer comment that the show was only good because of its snarky quips. Solution: an entire episode of silence. Likewise the kitchy sounding episodes of Supernatural like Dean Dog Afternoon, Scoobynatural, and The French Mistake, remain my favorite episodes.
Late Night with the Devil is entirely shot as a late night tv show from the late 70s. Combining the explosion of media culture and the Satanic Panic, the movie follows Jack Delroy’s cursed last late night filming. After the tragic and painful death of his wife from cancer, Jack tries to throw himself back into the late night show they created together. However his ratings are lagging. Trying to keep the show on the air. Jack takes advantage of sweeps week falling over Halloween to load his show up with sensational paranormal guests.
With nods to Uri Geller, Sylvia Browne, James Randi, the Michelle Remembers madness, and a bit of The Exorcist, Late Night with the Devil is a brilliant sleeper movie that telegraphs exactly where it’s going, but still remains disturbing and enthralling. The gore is not cartoony, but is outrageous, and adult themes are present, but not over the top, making this a great horror movie for teenage and above audiences.
Highly recommended, especially as a night cap to binging the American Hysteria podcast.