--- title: "Late Night with the Devil: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/late-night-with-the-devil/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/late-night-with-the-devil" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Late Night with the Devil (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 11 reviews: 10 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics are won over, and they largely agree on why. The praise clusters on David Dastmalchian as the failing chat-show host, described again and again as the film’s anchor, and on the recreation of a 1977 late-night broadcast, from the sets and sound to the rhythm of a live studio. The found-footage conceit is widely judged fresh, with several reviews reaching for Ghostwatch and The Exorcist as reference points. Reservations are consistent too. The final act, where the broadcast tips into chaos, is where enthusiasm cools, with Vulture finding it loses steam and Deadline judging the ending carries excess baggage. The Guardian is cooler than the rest, arguing the film captures the strained feel of studio television without ever becoming disturbing. Sight and Sound goes further, saying the concept is undermined when the film stops obeying its own formal rules. The spread is narrow: ten positive, one mixed, none hostile. ## The AV Club — Matthew Jackson Rating A. 21 March 2024. The high-concept horror film succeeds as a forbidden, immersive 1970s nightmare anchored by Dastmalchian’s magnetic performance. Jackson singles out the meticulous production design, sound design, and escalating tension as making it one of the year’s best horror films. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/late-night-with-the-devil-movie-review-1851349890) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 4/5. A found-footage frightener that freshens demonic possession clichés with jet black humour and superb effects in a 1970s chat show setting, briskly entertaining and unnerving. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-l0vhqw/late-night-with-the-devil/) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 14 March 2024. Praises it as a diabolically brilliant found-footage horror, like Alan Partridge by way of The Exorcist, with clever ideas and creepy atmosphere. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/late-night-with-the-devil-2024) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 March 2024. David Dastmalchian shines in this sophisticated horror movie that stands out for its clever premise and execution. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/late-night-with-the-devil-review/) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 March 2024. Dastmalchian delivers a star-making turn as a slick yet uncertain late-night host in this inventive horror film set during a single 1977 broadcast. Ebiri praises the actor’s layered performance and the film’s structural conceit but notes it loses steam in the final act. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-david-dastmalchian-carries-late-night-with-the-devil.html) ## The Guardian Rating 3/5. 18 March 2024. The directors have fun sending up TV conventions as a failing host attempts to revive his career by communing with a demon supposedly possessing a teenage girl. The film capably bottles the strained ersatzness of studio television but does not cut through to anything genuinely disturbing. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/18/late-night-with-the-devil-review-demonic-talkshow-channels-horror-of-1970s-tv) ## Empire — Helen O'Hara 22 March 2024. The critic finds this found-footage horror a chilling success that blends Network and The Exorcist, focusing on the venality of fame-seeking in late-night TV. Praise goes to the tension-building and strong central performance by David Dastmalchian. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/late-night-with-the-devil/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich 19 March 2024. The film is a clever found-footage satire in which a desperate 1970s talk-show host invites the supernatural onto live TV. Ehrlich praises David Dastmalchian’s leading performance while highlighting the film’s effective recreation of period television. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/late-night-with-the-devil-movie-review-1234965813/) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson 21 March 2024. The critic describes the film as a sly, aw-shucksy chiller that cleverly reminds viewers the entertainment business was built on hocus-pocus, centering on a talk show host whose desperate ratings grab unleashes supernatural chaos on Halloween 1977. She highlights the lead performance and period satire as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-03-21/review-late-night-with-the-devil-horror-david-dastmalchian) ## Screen Daily 31 July 2023. Festival review. Inventive and entertaining blend of found footage and possession in a 70s talk show format, with excellent performance by Dastmalchian; distinctive despite Ghostwatch comparisons. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/late-night-with-the-devil-fantasia-review/5184211.article) ## Sight and Sound 25 March 2024. The critic finds the ingenious concept of a demonic live TV broadcast undermined by failure to stick to its formal rules, resulting in an underwhelming film despite strong performances and production. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/late-night-with-devil-underwhelming-horror-with-ingenious-concept) ## Slant Magazine — Ross McIndoe Rating ####. 18 March 2024. The Cairnes brothers deliver a devilishly fun horror satire by transplanting occult tropes into a 1970s talk-show format. McIndoe highlights Dastmalchian’s charming yet shadowed lead performance and the film’s retro practical effects while noting some loss of tension midway. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/late-night-with-the-devil-review/) ## The New York Times — Alissa Wilkinson 21 March 2024. The critic finds the film a trimly effective horror pastiche that captures an occult-obsessed nation through its found-footage format of a late-night show gone wrong. She praises its nasty, delicious flair for menace and real-time structure that transforms viewers into 1977 audiences. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/21/movies/late-night-with-the-devil-review.html) ## Variety — Dennis Harvey 23 March 2023. Festival review. The critic calls the film a clever construct blending found-footage horror with 1970s TV satire, where a live broadcast devolves into supernatural chaos. He praises its fresh satiric gloss on Me Decade showbiz cheese and deft handling by the directors, though notes its impact is more ingenious than indelible. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/late-night-with-the-devil-review-1235562221/) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 March 2024. The critic calls it the best horror movie of the year so far and one of the most inventive takes on found footage in years. They single out the original Ghostwatch-inspired approach, exceptional retro production design, and strong performances, particularly from newcomer Ingrid Torelli as Lilly. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a60254854/late-night-with-the-devil-review/) ## Polygon — Austen Goslin Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 March 2024. The critic calls it the year’s most stylish horror movie thanks to its meticulous recreation of a 1970s late-night broadcast and its playful found-footage structure. They single out David Dastmalchian’s twitchy, transfixing lead performance for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/24108737/late-night-with-devil-horror-movie-talk-show-style/) ## Collider — Chase Hutchinson Rating 8/10. 11 March 2023. Festival review. The review highlights Dastmalchian's commanding performance and the film's shift to fearsome fun when it embraces chaos, but notes the found footage framing can be restrictive. [Read the review](https://collider.com/late-night-with-the-devil-review/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2023. Festival review. The critic finds the film an experiential, intelligent fusion of Network and Rosemary's Baby that delivers well on the organic goose-bump level of a well-told urban myth. He singles out the richly detailed recreation of 1970s late-night TV rituals and Dastmalchian's performance as the chat-show host for particular praise, while noting the ending adds some excess baggage. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/03/late-night-with-the-devil-review-colin-and-cameron-cairnes-1235283828/) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 March 2024. The critic praises the film's authentic 1970s late-night TV setting and especially David Dastmalchian's charismatic yet desperate lead performance as host Jack Delroy. They note strong direction and nightmarish imagery but wish there were more scares and question some aspects of the mockumentary structure. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/late-night-with-the-devil-review-david-dastmalchians-finest-hour/) ## Paste — Jacob Oller Rating 7.4. 18 March 2024. The critic praises the film's commitment to the 1970s talk show format and David Dastmalchian's lead performance, calling it a winning midnight staple. They note it finds substance in its satirical script but occasionally loses control in the chaos. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/shudder/late-night-with-the-devil-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/late-night-with-the-devil.md