Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is not your usual TV host - he's lively, upbeat and is down for anything in something akin to a variety show than "The Tonight Show." But there is something deeper, something slightly unsettling about Jack and his topsy-turvy life. He starts off as a success but bad luck emerges. Jack's wife dies of cancer and he disappears for a month only to return to a show that is tanking in the ratings. A Halloween 1977 episode, however, offers Jack the opportunity to bounce back by inviting an alleged psychic (Fayssal Bazzi); Ian Bliss as a James Randi-type skeptic (no doubt that the first two guests were inspired by a famous Tonight Show episode); a worried parapsychologist and best-selling author June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) and her intriguing subject, a frequently demonically possessed 13-year-old named Lilly (Ingrid Torelli). Lights flickering and consistent electrical outages are the abnormal occurrences when Lilly appears with June - for some reason, it takes a while before Lilly is convinced not to stare at the TV cameras.
"Late Night with the Devil" has a few devilish tricks and treats up its sleeve and they will make you squirm on occasion (the ugly worms just might do it). When the psychic vomits a black ooze after his alleged premonitions from random people in the audience, the show's demeanor starts to get heavy and we know trouble is coming. The film uses the cliched gimmick of found footage -as an existing live episode - and I would have been fine with that minus the grating behind-the-scenes footage that interferes with the snappy pacing. Technically, this film would've been perfect at 74 minutes.
Aussie filmmakers Colin and Cameron Cairnes have mostly done an inventive and witty job of keeping us intrigued by this novel concept. Dastmalchian is an enormously canny actor whose very demeanor suggests someone with a sad inner life who might spring a surprise on you. "Late Night with the Devil" may not be a swinging success in the annals of horror but it has oomph, some major jolts (the replay of a live segment will keep your teeth chattering) and it is often vividly tantalizing. Show this movie on network TV and you will get a 30 share, easy.
