Late Night with the Devil

Late Night with the Devil — which plays out as an episode of a ’70s late night talk show in which spookiness ensued — takes its nifty premise and really runs with it. Directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes do a great job with the fake talk show conceit (they never cheat, outside of behind-the-scenes footage during commercial breaks), and the whole thing is just a lot of fun. It has a great, slow-burn eeriness, and while it does go off the rails a bit at the end, it’s hard not to admire the movie for really swinging for the fences, even if it doesn’t entirely work. The film also features a fantastic central performance from character actor David Dastmalchian, who makes a very convincing case that he should be getting meatier roles.

*** out of ****