Late Night with the Devil, available on Netflix, is it inspired by a true story? Let's find out together!
 |
| Image Credit: IFC Films |
In recent years, the horror genre has found new ways to engage audiences, often playing with the boundary between reality and fiction. Late Night with the Devil is a perfect example of this trend, presenting itself as a lost television show from the 1970s, restored and re-proposed to the public. Directed by the Cameron brothers and Colin Cairnes, the film follows the story of a television host who, in an attempt to boost the ratings of his show, decides to dedicate an episode to paranormal events, ending up evoking something truly terrifying. But what many viewers are wondering is: is the film based on a true story?
The plot of Late Night with the Devil
The film is set in 1977 and follows Jack Delroy (played by David Dastmalchian), a charismatic host of the talk show Night Owls. After initial success, the show is going through a crisis, with viewers becoming less and less interested. In an attempt to reverse the trend and win back viewership, Jack organizes a special Halloween episode, inviting occult experts, psychics and, most importantly, a young possessed girl, accompanied by her doctor.
What begins as a sensational television experiment soon turns into something much darker. During the live broadcast, inexplicable events begin to occur, sending the show into a spiral of pure supernatural horror. The idea of a live talk show, with degraded images and a found footage style, helps make the experience extremely immersive, so much so that some viewers have wondered if the film was based on real events.
Is it a true story or just fiction?
Despite its incredibly realistic aesthetic, Late Night with the Devil is not based on a true story. The talk show Night Owls and its host Jack Delroy are completely fictional characters, and there is no documented case of a television show having such a terrifying outcome in 1977. However, directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes drew inspiration from real television shows of the time, such as The Don Lane Show, and iconic horror films, including The Exorcist (1973) and Network (1976).
One of the most fascinating aspects of the film is the way it mixes fiction and reality, using the aesthetics and filming techniques of the 1970s to deceive the viewer. The use of vintage cameras, typical editing of the time, and a deliberately degraded visual format help to give the illusion of a real historical relic. This effect, already tested in films such as The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, is one of the keys to the success of Late Night with the Devil.
The charm of mockumentary horror
Late Night with the Devil falls into the genre of mockumentary horror, that is, those films that present themselves as documentaries (or in this case, as authentic television broadcasts), but which in reality are works of pure fiction. This subgenre has given birth to cult titles such as The Poughkeepsie Tapes, Lake Mungo and Ghostwatch, a 1992 British television film that managed to scare viewers so much that it was mistaken for a real investigative special on the paranormal.
The success of these films is based on their ability to deceive the audience, leveraging their visual and narrative credibility. Late Night with the Devil succeeds perfectly in this intent, creating an atmosphere of psychological terror that grows as the supernatural events intensify.
A horror that plays with reality
Despite not being based on a true story, Late Night with the Devil is a film that manages to confuse and engage the audience thanks to its realistic style and immersive narration. The combination of vintage aesthetics, growing tension and a compelling story makes it one of the most interesting horror films of recent years.
If you are a horror fan and you are fascinated by stories that play with the perception of reality, this is a title you cannot miss. With its mix of mockumentary, supernatural horror and criticism of the world of entertainment, the film is destined to become a cult among lovers of the genre.
0 Comments