David Dastmalchian deserves to be bigger star, hopefully he gets his own Cillian Murphy-type moment one day!

“Late Night with the Devil” stars David Dastmalchian as a 1970s talk show host who on Halloween night brings on a clairvoyant, a skeptic, and a purportedly possessed girl in an attempt to boost ratings. Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, and Fayssal Bazzi also star, while Colin and Cameron Cairnes write and direct.

I’m not the biggest fan of possession horror films, mostly because I often don’t find them overly scary (the demons are often cracking jokes which ruins any tension). I went into “Late Night” not knowing much anything about the plot or even that it was a possession movie, so it was a welcome surprise that the film ended up having a fairly creepy atmosphere and some great practical effects, even if at times it struggles to maintain momentum.

David Dastmalchian is one of those “oh, it’s that guy!” actors, showing up often in Christopher Nolan or Denis Villeneuve films, as well as the “Ant-Man” trilogy. I think he has an effective, inherently unnerving sense about him (said as a compliment) that adds to the scenes he’s in. He hasn’t led many films of his own, so this was a refreshing opportunity for him. Playing Jack Delroy, a midnight talk show host who is constantly finishing second behind the likes of Johnny Carson, Dastmalchian has a desperation behind his eyes but still is able to produce a few easy chuckles early on. As the film progresses, he becomes more desperate to keep viewers watching, even as the stakes and danger in-studio grow. Ian Bliss is also a hoot as a supernatural skeptic, determined to expose Delroy’s other guests as frauds.

There are a handful of practical effects here that deserve major props, and they gave me major “The Thing” vibes. I don’t get grossed out easily in movies but even I jumped at one shot in particular. One of the things I really appreciated is how much directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes allow tension to build, and how they don’t show their hands at just how crazy they’re willing to let the film become. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and several fake out moments really make the final explosion of chaos all the more satisfying. There are several truly unnerving images and bits here, and while the ending may not be for everyone I think I really liked how they played it.

The film is presented in found-footage format, half as “what was aired” and half behind-the-scenes during the “commercial breaks.” The break segments are mostly used to give semblances of character development and some of it is appreciated, but they do sometimes ruin the creepy tension being built up while the cameras are rolling.

“Late Night with the Devil” feels like a product of its retro time, and I think it would make for a great watch on a chilly Halloween night. It’s nice to see David Dastmalchian get a film where he can be calling the shots front and center, and I really do think the Cairnes do an effective job creating an unnerving atmosphere, as well as a sense of mistrust with their audience. I can see this becoming a midnight movie cult classic in the years to come, and is worth catching with a crowd in a theater if you can make time in the meanwhile.

Critics Rating: 7/10