Late Night with the Devil: The Horror Film with Horrifying Implications
‘Late Night with the Devil’ is a horror film written and directed by Australian brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes, released in 2023. David Dastmalchian stars as the film’s lead, playing a 1970s late-night talk show host, Jack Delroy, who is attempting to produce a spectacular night of Halloween television that will save his show’s falling ratings. However, after meddling with forces he does not fully understand, Jack receives his wishes... but not as he imagined.
Movie fans will likely recognise Dastmalchian from his countless roles: he’s been in ‘Oppenheimer,’ the ‘Ant-Man’ series, ‘Dune’, ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ to name a few, and honestly that’s only scratching the surface of his filmography. My guy stays employed. Unsurprisingly, he delivers an excellent performance as Delroy- this certainly isn’t his first rodeo. Despite his experience and faultless performance, it was not Dastmalchian who caught my attention the most during this film. Rather, his co-star Ingrid Torelli. Torelli plays 13-year-old Lilly, who has been rescued from a demon-worshipping cult… unfortunately, she did not escape unscathed. Lilly is invited onto Delroy’s talk show ‘Night Owls’ and is brought along by her guardian, June. June, a parapsychologist, has concluded that Lilly is infested with a demonic presence - leading to their invitation to appear on ‘Night Owls.’
A main theme of this film is exploitation - how we exploit those around us to achieve material success.
We see this dynamic throughout the film’s runtime, explored between all the characters. We see it play out between Jack and June as he persuades her to ignore her concerns about parading Lilly in front of an audience. We see it in the way June intends to capitalise on her guardianship of Lilly by selling a book based on their conversations. We see it in the backstage conversations between Jack and his producer, as the producer urges Jack to ignore his reservations about meddling with the paranormal world. We even see it emerge through the psychic featured on ‘Night Owls’ before June and Lilly’s segment. A psychic who seeks to profit from appearing to connect those grieving with their lost loved ones. Each and every character attempts to further their journey through the manipulation of those around them.
Near the beginning of the film, the viewer is informed of Delroy’s connections with the infamous and very real men's-only ‘Bohemian Club.’ Specifically, Jack is said to have spent summers at the lucrative Bohemian Grove located in San Francisco. The Grove has acted as a summer base for some of the US’ most influential men, from previous presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Regan to world-famous scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The club is shrouded in secrecy, and its current members remain unknown to the general public, leading many to speculate they have something to hide.
As part of their summer activities, effigies are built and burnt at the Bohemian Grove. Rehearsed rituals and performances are also scheduled during its active weeks. Conspiracy theories suggest that these rituals are performed to contact forces beyond our own to secure the success of the club’s members. The Cairnes brothers effectively locate their leading male within an authentic organisation to strengthen the film’s supernatural elements.
Be warned: this next segment discusses spoilers. It is suggested that before the film’s events, Jack offered his wife Madeleine as a sacrifice to ensure the success of his show. So, when June and Lilly’s live demonstration of Lilly’s possession goes wrong, the blame ultimately lies with Jack. The ensuing carnage, which unfolds live on television, presents Jack with his highest-ever ratings... and results in the deaths of four people, five if you include Madeleine.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching ‘Late Night with the Devil’. Setting the bulk of the narrative across one single night, live in front of a studio and broadcasted audience, creates palpable tension. The only time the characters have to process anything is the brief minutes while the advertisements run. We see and feel each character’s anxiety as more and more of this broadcast runs off track while they are forced to hide their worries behind a smile… as we all know, the show must go on. Until it can’t anymore, and Jack must confront whether compromising his morality was worth it for his fifteen minutes of fame.
I entered this viewing mostly unaware of the film's details. However, before watching, I did learn one single thing about 'Late Night with the Devil.' One thing that didn’t sit right with me and still doesn’t. For some of the images used in the film, the directors turned to Artificial Intelligence- they used AI-generated art. When the ‘Night Owls’ broadcast cuts to and from the commercial, TV bumpers flash on the screen. For three of these bumper images, AI art was featured. AI use and its increasing adoption into mainstream media is an issue I hold very close to my heart for many different reasons.
Firstly, the most glaring and immediate problem with AI is its environmental impact. In an article from September 2024,the UN Environment Programme outlined four primary concerns regarding the effects of AI on the environment:
Rare materials are required to build the operating components of AI. These are often mined in ways which damage the environment.
Typically, the computers required to power AI are stored in large data centres, which produce electronic waste. This electronic waste ‘often contains hazardous substances, like mercury and lead.’ - UN Environment Programme
These data centres require water while their systems are operating to keep the electrical apparatus cool. The Independent reported that between 2021 and 2022, Microsoft used over one billion gallons of water for its data centres. Fresh water used for machinery when around ‘1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water.’
AI requires a considerable amount of energy to even run. According to the UN Environment Programme report, Chat GPT requires 10 times the amount of energy than a Google search to complete a prompt.
The evidence clearly details the ways that AI is worsening the current climate crisis and depleting Earth’s natural resources. This is not my only issue with artificial intelligence - don’t get me wrong, it has its benefits. AI’s ability to analyse data and identify patterns has enabled this tool to become a possible assistance in the medical world; for example, AI can help to identify anomalies on X-rays or potential concerns within a patient's health record.
If artificial intelligence can effectively improve the quality of healthcare then I absolutely support these medical developments.
However, I find my dislike for AI arises from its use in the creative fields. This is exactly how ‘Late Night with the Devil’ employed this tool. Generating art that an actual human artist could have made. A job lost for a human being, in favour of a machine pumping out slop.
One of the AI images features a skeleton with fingers sticking out in every direction, ribs that don’t align, and bones that just fail to follow the rules of physics in general. Another features an owl with nine toes sitting atop a TV set. The TV has different-sized dials, and the owl’s feathers have that uncanny AI quality where none of the lines line up quite right. The Cairnes brothers have admitted to further editing these images before featuring them in the film. So why not save the time, effort, and energy wasted to generate this sort of mediocre art, only for a real human to fix it… when you could have hired a human in the first place?
Why are we even calling upon artificial intelligence to generate art or media of any kind? What are we as humans if we are not the art we make and consume, the connections we forge, and the emotions we feel? I have previously discussed the immense impact media can have on its consumers in my review of I Saw The TV Glow, and I will continue to argue for the value of real art of any and all kinds.
It is slightly insulting that a film with such a talented cast and a captivating script would then turn to artificial intelligence for aspects that could have been completed by a human artist. A human artist with the capabilities to invest the piece with the detail and emotion required to make any media worthwhile. For artificial intelligence to generate art it requires a database of pre-existing work to draw on. Work made by real artists. Real artists who then go uncompensated for the use of their work in artificially generated images. Ironic for a movie so concerned with exploitation.
Therefore, despite how entertaining I found ‘Late Night with the Devil’ and the captivating performances of its cast, I cannot view this film through entirely favourable eyes. Would I still recommend you watch this movie? Reluctantly, yes. I cannot discredit all the hard work and the collective effort of the cast and crew in producing an excellent film. A portion of reviewers decided to boycott the film entirely or wait until it was available to stream. Those following this boycott argue that if we accept any sort of AI content in film, it will show studios that audiences are accepting of this medium - resulting in an increased usage of artificial intelligence in cinema. This is a viewpoint I fully understand and respect, power to ya, honestly!
It isn’t hard to find examples of large corporations already attempting to push AI onto our screens. Coca-Cola has recently released a slew of AI slop Christmas adverts.
If they can get away without having to pay an artist, why the hell would they?! So if you do decide to give this film a miss, I wouldn't blame you.
But, at this point, 'Late Night with the Devil' is available to stream on Shudder, so you can use your free trial to watch it guilt-free.
