Get ready for a found-footage horror flick set in the late seventies during a live television broadcast on Halloween night that goes wrong, unleashing evil into our nation's living rooms! But what did you expect from... "Late Night With The Devil?"
The seventies aesthetic works well with the low-budget considerations (if the multiple, modern logos of the various collaborative studios undermine that feel even before the movie starts), while some of the more modern-looking effects seem out of place and over-the-top amidst some classic practical effects and gore.
But for a 93-minute movie, the seventies on-air pacing makes this drag a bit and feel longer. When it gets cooking it works well, although it's more entertaining than scary. Even so, it does have some great creepy scenes here and there, and what it lacks in pacing it makes up for in creativity. Still, it could have benefited from either a more meaty script or a shorter edit; one that just admits that it didn't have enough to flesh out a 90+ minute movie. There's nothing wrong with a tight, sub-90-minute movie, folks! There's a feeling of padding to make this a 93-minute flick.
But this is still a good time, preferably with a group of people raised on flicks like "The Prince of Darkness." It has enough thrills and chills to qualify as horror, and some surprises to keep you interested to the end. It's "Bonaduce Approved" and in theaters now, but you can also watch it from home with a subscription to Shudder, which might enhance the experience since it's found footage from a TV show people watched in their living rooms.
Late Night with the Devil (2023)
MPAA: R
Running Time: 1 hr 33 min
Genres: Horror
