Studio: IFC
Release Date: 10/8/2024
Rating: R
Film Grade: B-
The Story: In 1977, a syndicated late night talk show called Night Owls was slipping in the ratings. As a desperate move to battle back against Johnny Carson’s dominance, Jack Delroy made a move to reverse his show’s decline by airing a very special Halloween episode.
The guest lineup includes regulars Christou (Mentalist and medium), Carmichael Haig (former magician turned skeptic and debunker), and singer Cleo James. But the real attraction is parapsychologist June Ross-Mitchell and her ward, Lilly, who claims that the girl is possessed by a demon.
The film records the fateful events of that show, along with newly unveiled behind the scenes footage.
My Take: As a kid of the 70’s and a fan of horror movies, this fit perfectly in my wheelhouse. My mother was fairly lenient when it came to bedtime, so if there was a guest of particular interest, I was allowed to stay up late to watch The Tonight Show. And, during the summer, there were the Mike Douglas and Merve Griffin shows, which usually featured older or less popular celebrities. That second group is where Night Owls fits in.
The movie starts out as a pseudo-documentary, narrated by Michael Ironside, it shows a montage of the social conditions that permeated the times, with an emphasis on the occult concerns that would eventually turn into the Satanic Panic of the 80s. We have clips of The Son of Sam, Charles Manson, and the leader of a cult, illustrating how the idea of evil had influenced the minds of the public. From that background, we get the details of Jack Delroy’s rise and abrupt decline, leading to the legendary broadcast.
After that short introduction, the movie moves along in real time, with behind-the-scenes footage replacing the commercial spots. It’s an effective technique, giving the audience a glimpse of both the show’s production and the tensions between the staff and guests.
The film does a fantastic job of recreating that era. The production design is spot-on, including the stylish graphics, dais seating with coffee table, band area to the side, costume design, and lighting. David Dastmalchian gives Delroy an unexpected range of depth. While he is rightfully concerned with ratings, his character has an additional classically tragic element that is integral to the story. His cheesy jokes are delivered perfectly, as is the banter between him and bandleader/sidekick, Gus, who’s played by newcomer Rhys Auteri. Gus is there not only as Delroy’s naïve foil, but also provides heart to the show. Josh Quong Tart is the other major player in the TV show’s cast, playing the ruthless producer, Leo Fiske, who’s driven to keep the show alive despite its falling popularity.
The guest star cast is a little more mixed. Fayssal Bazzi is the questionable clairvoyant, Christou, who attempts to connect audience members with dead loved ones. Ian Bliss plays Carmichael Haig, the flamboyant former conjurer who has a standing offer of $100,000 for anyone that can prove their supernatural abilities. Laura Gordon gives Dr. Ross-Mitchell an underlaying earnestness in getting the truth out to the public, and Laura Gordon is the odd girl Lily, who has given her demon the harmless-sounding name of Mr. Wriggles. There are some uneven performances here, with some a little less natural feeling than could be expected.
But the full product is quite remarkable when one realizes that the two brothers behind the script and directing chores, Cameron and Colin Cairnes, are Australians and only have a passing knowledge of those American talk shows. As discussed in the extras, Australia did have its own late night talk show, and some of that influence made its way into the movie, but the film feels firmly rooted in the good old USA.
Amazingly, the most captivating parts of the movie were the ones involving the actual production and tension of the Night Owls TV show, rather than the horror aspects. In most of these movies, the secondary part of the story will stand in the way of the horror, but that wasn’t the case at all with this one; it was almost the other way around.
And that’s where the third act has a few problems. The movie starts out rather low-key and gradually raises the stakes, but by the end it goes all out. A little too far out for me, losing some of its charm and authenticity. It also ends ambiguously, with my wife and I coming to different conclusions.
Visuals: The movie features three different aspect ratios, with the TV broadcast portion being in 4:3, behind the scenes shots are in 16:9 black and white, and yet other later segments are in 2.35:1. If you have adjustable masking, you’ll want to settle on 16:9 to see everything without any cropping. The quality itself is what you’d expect for the recreation of a TV show from the 70s. There aren’t any scan lines, but you’ll notice some aberrations around the edges of the picture, adding to the authentic feel of the movie.
There is one element in the movie that didn’t work at all for me. It’s so minor and will only matter to a handful of people, that it’s barely worth mentioning, but there is a prop pumpkin on the TV set that doesn’t fit the era. I probably wouldn’t have noticed it had I not bought it from Costco just a few years ago. It’s an anachronism for a film set in the 70s that pulled me out of the movie every time it was in frame.
Audio: The DTS HD MA 5.1 mix isn’t very lively, with most of the sound coming from the front speakers. This is to be expected since TV was only mono back in those days. There are some instances of crowd sounds coming from the surrounds, along with a few other effects, but nothing particularly noteworthy.
The jazzy TV theme music is perfectly fitting for the light nature of the film’s setting. It’s supplemented by a minimalist score for the spookier parts that is low-key but effective.
Special Features: The making-of extras and discussion with the directors are worth watching if you liked the film, even if they are brief. I can’t say the same for the Monster Shock Theater featurette, which tries to emulate those local horror TV shows, but falls mostly flat, lacking in both cleverness and humor.
- Commentary with David Dastmalchian and Leah Kilpatrick
- Q&A with Directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes
- Behind the Scenes of Late Night with the Devil
- Monster Shock Theater
Final Verdict: The Cairnes brothers have created something fun, unique, and interesting with this entry, putting a fresh spin on an old genre. While the theme of the TV show is light and fluffy, the movie itself is serious. Older viewers will get a kick out of revisiting the second tier talk shows that existed in those times, while fans of horror will find the setting to be different from the standard.
I wish the ending had been toned down a bit, but it was still worth watching for the overall entertainment value. My wife liked it less than me and didn’t care for the ending at all but enjoyed the rest of it.
Fun Fact: The movie generated some controversy when it was revealed that AI was used in the creation of a few of the images used for the cuts between broadcast segments.
As with so many trailers these days, it gives away far too much of the plot. I don’t recommend watching past the half-way point.
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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