2024's Highest Rated Horror Movie Is A Reminder To See A Terrifying 32 Year Old Cult Classic
Using documentary filmmaking techniques to serve up chills and thrills, Late Night With the Devil is 2024’s highest-rated horror film so far — though it certainly recalls a classic British horror mockumentary that made waves back in 1992. Starring David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy, the host of the fictional Night Owls with Jack Delroy late-night talk show, the movie chronicles the events that unfold during the 1977 Halloween night episode of the show. In order to boost the talk show’s ratings, Delroy decides to craft an occult-themed episode.
From a self-proclaimed medium to a magician-turned-skeptic, the Halloween episode of Night Owls with Jack Delroy features a whole host of fascinating guests. As the film progresses, viewers learn that Delroy, who was a frequent visitor to California’s cult-like camp “The Grove,” lost his wife, Madeleine, to cancer. Madeleine’s death led production on Night Owls to come to a screeching halt, hence Delroy’s scramble to boost the program’s ratings with a Halloween special. While Late Night With the Devil feels fresh thanks to its inventive setup, it pays homage to other genre standouts, including 1992’s Ghostwatch.
Ghostwatch, a TV horror movie done in a mockumentary style, was first aired on the BBC on Halloween 1992. Part of an anthology series, the pre-recorded program was framed as a segment of live television — employing The Blair Witch Project-style marketing tactics years before the found-footage film was released. Hosted by Michael Parkinson, the Ghostwatch program centers on trying to prove the existence of paranormal phenomena by presenting concrete evidence on camera. The fictional program launches an on-air investigation, sending producers to a family’s supposedly haunted home.
Terrorized by a poltergeist who’s dubbed “Mr. Pipes,” the family claims that one of their daughters, Suzanne (Michelle Wesson), is frequently possessed (and harmed) by the poltergeist. While Parkinson is the program’s lead host, he’s joined by Sarah Greene, who spends a night in the haunted home; Mike Smith, who screens phone calls from the ghost-fearing public; and Craig Charles, a comedian who interviews locals about the alleged supernatural history of the area. Clearly, the record-breaking Late Night With the Devil utilizes a very similar framing device — though it’s presented as fiction, unlike Ghostwatch.
While Late Night With the Devil‘s ending may be haunting in its own right, the fallout from Ghostwatch was more like the 1938 radio broadcast of Orson Welles’ The War of the Worlds. That is, Ghostwatch‘s marketing angle — presenting itself as a segment of live television — seriously spooked viewers. An estimated 1 million phone calls poured into the BBC switchboard on the night of the broadcast, with many viewers finding the program irresponsible. While some admired the clever mockumentary approach Ghostwatch took to its subject, the outrage dissuaded the BBC from ever airing it in the UK again.
