Henry VIII once said, “Never be afraid to kill your darlings.” Many years later, William Faulkner read that and thought, “That also pertains to writing.” Nothing is more dangerous for a writer than falling in love with an idea so much that they refuse to recognize that the concept hurts the overall project. Maybe I’m wrong about this, but I believe that Late Night with the Devil is a prime example of creative minds refusing to kill their darlings. 

97%. That’s where Late Night with the Devil sits on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, I would never challenge Mr. Tomatoes or his opinion of a film, but when you see something sitting as high as 97%, it’s impossible to ignore it, especially while watching the movie. Maybe it’s because I had such high expectations, or perhaps because I loved 90% of the movie, but when the credits rolled, I was left with the worst feeling a movie can leave me with, frustration. Frustration that a film with so much potential and creativity couldn’t pull it together to make what should be one of my favorite movies of all time. I understand that’s a lofty goal to put on a movie, but it’s all there: a unique setting, a great cast, and an original story that’s impossible to forget. So what went wrong? Structure.

I absolutely love the structure of Late Night with the Devil. Don’t worry; I’ll get to the negative part eventually. We spend the entire movie on the set of a late-night talk show in a ratings war with Johnny Carson. A guest comes on the show, they do a segment, then the show cuts to a commercial, and we get to see how the show’s crew reacts to the previous segment as they prepare for what’s next in the show. Think Birdman, but a talk show instead of a play. Late-night host Jack Delroy might be all smiles in front of the camera, but what’s he really like when he doesn’t have to put on an act? Is he nice to the crew? Does he actually care about putting on a good show? How is he towards his guests? It’s also a genius way for the movie to naturally introduce story beats without having to hold the audience’s hand. This, unfortunately, is where the movie stumbles. See, I told you.

Don’t get me wrong—the movie manages to execute this type of storytelling flawlessly, but it’s what happens at the beginning of the film that causes all of the damage. Opening with a campy narration, Late Night with the Devil chooses to tell the audience everything. A shady past, a tragic moment, the rise and fall of our main character, it’s all there, and this is where I think Cameron and Colin Cairnes, the writers and directors of the film, should have considered killing their darlings. Either build the entire movie around this pulpy narration or cut it and have enough confidence that this fantastically original story can stand on its own. 

Without the opening, this movie’s ending is one of the most memorable, insane events I’ve seen in a long time. It would have left audiences wanting to rewatch the film so that they could discover and discuss everything that happens. Instead, audiences get a visually surprising ending filled with already-explained substance. Am I being overly critical of Late Night with the Devil? Absolutely. There’s a reason why it sits so high with critics and is currently breaking records for the streaming service Shudder. Maybe on a rewatch, I’ll be able to join the crowd and recognize my own faults when it comes to watching this, but for now, I get to walk away from Late Night with the Devil, giving it a rare review of a “near classic.” It is a movie that frustrates me because of how close it got to being an all-time classic while remaining on my immediate list of recommendations for anyone looking to watch a good horror movie.