The 32nd annual Philadelphia Film Festival runs October 19-29, 2023 and features over 80 feature films (and numerous shorts!) from over 25 countries. Most films play twice and our own Justin Nordell will be sharing “Philly Film Fest Fast Reviews” to give you a taste of the festival so you can pick and choose which films to make for the second screenings!
For Halloween weekend, the Philadelphia Film Festival has a real treat for horror fans with a film that racked up a number of awards (audience choice, screenplay, etc.) at festivals around the world, Late Night with the Devil.
Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian, The Suicide Squad) is the host of a struggling syndicated late night talk show Night Owls, that seems to be constantly on the verge of a breakthrough or a cancellation – whichever comes first. For his Halloween 1977 broadcast, Jack and his producers have put together a rogues gallery for a paranormal panel including a psychic medium (Fayssal Bazzi, Peter Rabbit), a magician turned debunker (Ian Bliss, The Matrix Reloaded), a paranormal psychologist (Laura Gordon, Saw V), and the subject of the psychologists new book: possessed tween Lilly (Ingrid Torelli, Showtime’s The End). Throughout the night, little goes to plan as the psychic medium’s on air reading references Jack’s recently deceased wife, the debunker won’t shut up, and the psychologist is worried about Lilly’s safety if she were to try and connect with the entity living inside her. It’s make or break in the ratings game with Johnny Carson as their competition, so Jack and his team talk Lilly into letting the spirit Mr. Wriggles out live on air…
With the popularity of the V/H/S found footage throwback horror anthology series on the rise (the sixth installment just came out this month) Late Night With the Devil plays out like the best segment from that series expanded to feature length. With a crisp seventies tv aesthetic when the cameras are rolling, and lush black and white film between takes, this film looks FANTASTIC. Simply put, it’s an immense amount of fun, especially with a packed Philadelphia Film Festival audience, Late Night With the Devil has no release date, so this may be your only chance to check out this absolute delight of a ’70s horror throwback in a Philly theater.
Grade: A-
Catch it at PFF23: Saturday, October 28th at 10:00pm at the PFS East
Tickets available here.
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