Every subgenre has its day, and the time of the found footage horror films has passed. Thankfully. What began as an innovative concept with 1999’s The Blair Witch Project was bastardized over countless inferior sequels, remakes, copycats, and crummy imitations that sank to some extremely low points (2013’s Shallow Creek Cult, anyone?) While the salad days of these movies have seen their crescendo, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few lingering notes left to be played, and some of them are worth sitting down and listening to.

With its unconventional approach to storytelling, blurring the lines between reality and fiction, Late Night with the Devil is an Australian film written and directed by Colin and Cameron Cairnes that emerged with good buzz from the SXSW Film Festival in 2023. Set against the backdrop of the terrifying final episode of a fictional variety and late-night talk show from the ’70s whose footage has been recently rediscovered, this one has the goods to elicit a few nice shocks. Courting our recent love of nostalgia and the golden era of late-night television, the filmmakers lean into the glitz and fearlessness running rampant in pop culture, setting the stage for a supernatural special that never got a rerun.

An opening montage brings us up to date on the history of Night Owls, a late-night talk show from the ’70s hosted by Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian, The Suicide Squad). Constantly competing with Johnny Carson, Delroy suffered a personal setback and had only recently returned to the air alongside his announcer Gus (Rhys Auteri) when the infamous Halloween broadcast of 1977 aired live. According to the voiceover, not only was the master tape recovered, but also footage shot during commercial breaks that was filmed in black and white.  The events of that fateful evening are then played for the viewer.

On the broadcast, Delroy hosts the mind-reader Christou (Fayssal Bazzi, Peter Rabbit) with all his theatrical flourish and former magician turned skeptic Carmichael “The Conjurer” Haig (Ian Bliss, pleasantly contrarian about everything until it is too late), who has no trouble exposing Christou for the trickster he is. Trouble emerges early on that should send warning flags of what’s to come. Yet, Delroy pushes on, bringing out parapsychologist Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon, adding a surprising amount of believable depth to the role) and the subject of her newly published book, Lilly (Ingrid Torelli). Lilly was the sole survivor of a Satanic cult whose congregation all perished in a mass suicide, and, as we will find out, they may have conjured up something that they shouldn’t have.

For the first hour of Late Night with the Devil, the Cairnes brothers get into a groovy groove with the kitsch factor, recreating the décor of a 1977 talk show set down to the period costumes and awful scenery. Production designer Otello Stolfo and costumer Steph Hooke should be commended for sticking to the history books and matching up some truly hideous colors and patterns with one another. The plot believably builds up to the appearance of Dr. June and Lilly, filling time with Christou and Carmichael, as well as constant showman Gus attempting to keep the nervous crowd happy.

The “behind-the-scenes” shots that fill time during station breaks start to unravel the film. While the found-footage style initially draws the audience in, its sporadic adherence to the rules it lays throughout the narrative can leave you feeling somewhat disjointed. While a creative direction to attempt, the juxtaposition of the lost broadcast footage with behind-the-scenes segments loosens the grip of the effect, detracting from the overall immersion and removing some of the intensity being built up. Had the black-and-white footage been worse looking or done in one take with a handheld camera, it would have been a greater success.  However, it looks so cinematic with artfully staged shots and thoughtful lighting that it appears like a recreation of events rather than reliving it as it happened.

As you might expect, Dastmalchian’s performance as Jack Delroy is a standout, injecting the character with a showman’s flair yet maintaining an ominous presence that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. His portrayal anchors the film during its supernatural twists and turns, offering a compelling glimpse into the psyche of a man grappling with forces that are beyond his comprehension.  Unafraid to take an almost Shatner-like approach to his line readings, the role could easily stray into comedic, but Dastmalchian finds the film’s tonal balance, keeping the banter light-hearted and the growing terror at bay until a rather messy finale.

Late Night with the Devil arrives amidst a wave of Australian horror that has been making ripples across the globe, further cementing the country’s reputation as a fertile breeding ground for genre filmmaking that has been growing ever since 1975’s The Picnic at Hanging Rock and reaching more recent mainstream acclaim with 2014’s The Babadook. The Cairnes brothers, themselves hailing from Down Under, have embraced their nation’s rich horror tradition, infusing their work with a distinct flavor that resonates with both local and international audiences while evoking such thoroughly American films as The Exorcist, Network, and The King of Comedy. I’ll be interested to see what project they announce next because it’s guaranteed that the success of this is their ticket to a high-profile endeavor.

While it occasionally stumbles in its execution and has a supernatural finale that isn’t nearly as strong as the previous 75 minutes, Late Night with the Devil remains a strong watch for horror fans and nostalgia buffs. Sure to resonate beyond lovers of the found-footage niche, it offers unique thrills, and as the credits roll, you can’t help but feel a newfound appreciation for the bygone era of late-night television that has been so lovingly recreated.