#26: Late Night with the Devil

Release Date: March 22nd, 2024

Format: Theater (Cinemark at The Pike Outlets in Long Beach, CA)

Written by: Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes

Directed by: Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes

2 Stars

My main critique of Late Night with the Devil is that I thought I was going into an innovative, creative story idea, but it ended up being completely derivative. 

Some found footage a la Blair Witch Project, a young girl possessed a la The Exorcist (and makeup effects), a performer making a pact with a satanic covenant a la Rosemary’s Baby, and some Carrie and Poltergeist mixed in for good measure. It even borrows from real life figures Uri Geller and The Amazing Randi, a con artist mentalist and renowned skeptic, respectively.

Maybe I’m just getting old and recognizing when younger filmmakers take aspects from existing movies. I will say it’s not hard to spot borrowed material when you’re borrowing from some of the most recognizable horror films of the 20th century. 

I will give this 2 stars, though. It’s a fun watch and mostly well-made, even if it is a patchwork of aspects of better horror flicks.