Late Night with the Devil 4K 2023

Horror movies are currently experiencing a renaissance of sorts. Critics praise them for their postmodern attitude and reinvention, while audiences praise them for their drama and actors.

The long-awaited and highly praised “Night Show with the Devil” (that's the more correct title) can hardly be categorized as such a neo-horror, but another thing that sets it apart is its visual style.

This is not just another “found footage” film, but an aesthetic flirtation with the audience on the theme of 70s shows. From the music to the costumes, from the camerawork to the soundtrack, it feels like actually watching a digitized VHS tape.

The events of the entire movie take place during the pavilion shootings, so the picture also flirts with the format of the show: the show is broadcast in 4:3, and behind-the-scenes footage - in 14:9, as if making breaks between intense scenes.

In the story, a TV talk show host decides to return to television after the death of his wife and, in search of ratings, invites a girl who has supposedly been possessed by demons. At the same time, there is a skeptic on the show who exposes psychics and tries to give a rational explanation for everything that happens. This deliberate mix of magic and science continues to confuse the viewer throughout the movie - are these really sessions of talking to a demon or are they great tricks?

If you want to watch a frightening horror movie, you're in the wrong place. “Midnight with the Devil” doesn't seek to scare the viewer or make for a tense viewing experience. What's there, there aren't even any screamers here. However, the picture is so beautiful and visually aesthetically pleasing that it doesn't pull you away for a minute. The actors really act like they're on a talk show and are constantly distracted by the camera. It's like being immersed in an illusory nostalgia, watching something that never happened, but as if you remember it.

Who to advise: for fans of visually beautiful movies and 70s aesthetics. Yes, it's a horror, but it's not scary, it's gripping.