Director(s): Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes

Writer(s): Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes

Starring: David Dastmalchian, Ingrid Torelli, Ian Bliss

So I get it; this film has received so much FEARtastic buzz already from both critics and fans alike, it doesn’t NEED the power of my vault to propel it to fame and fortune. However, after watching this gem myself, I found myself wanting to talk about this flick because I was so elated on the innovative premise and its eerie execution! With the power of the Shudder horror streaming network, that have produced some solid shows and movies since its inception (send dem checks), this movie was able to be made with the simple premise of what would happen if an exorcism was taped live in front of a studio audience? Okay, the premise was simple enough, right? Let’s add another layer though and set it in the 70s where late night talk shows were a HUGE part of the cultural makeup of society. Also, let’s throw in the fact that not only is it going to have a late-night talk show feel, but we’ll also add in “found footage” clips that were presented as “Behind the Scenes” footage. Brilliant, just absolutely splendid in the mere idea of how this flick would work and all of this was presented quite well with the trailer, so now it’s all about the execution. 

The flick does a great job starting off by fully immersing you into the 70s through narration and exposition and why late-night talk shows were so impactful. They introduce you to the fictional late-night talk show host, Jack Delroy who is in constant ratings battle with the legendary Johnny Carson of the Tonight Show. Some tragedies come into Delroy’s life and the story is set up where he needs to get more viewers in fear of losing his fame, show and in some ways, his sanity. Since the format of the movie is pieced together from a taping and behind the scenes footage, this brings another layer to the arguably tired format of the found footage horror flick. There are rarely any shaky-cam shots (that wasn’t plot driven) and this isn’t something that is part of research or documentary, this is literally a slice of (fictional) history where you as the viewer gets to take part in a lost taping of a show and where it all went terribly, frighteningly wrong.

Before I get into the wonderful performances in this flick; I’ll be very transparent in that I’m extremely and favorably biased when it comes to David Dastmalchian. I’ve gushed over the seemingly endless content provided by the Shudder network which includes several documentaries about the horror genre and Mr. Dastmalchian makes several appearances in these docs. He gives very thoughtful and often funny blurbs on several subjects regarding the genre so I obviously root for this guy in all of his creative endeavors! He’s been getting a lot of mainstream success in the superhero genre with beefy roles in the Ant-Man and Suicide Squad flicks (yup, both comic book universes suckas!), but my creepy dude is no stranger to the horror genre so I’m glad to see my comrade come home. He gives an energetic yet empathic performance as the once successful host of late-night show, “Night Owls.” His performance is one of conflicting personalities because on one hand, he has to be entertaining, charming and energetic as a host of a late-night show but when we cut to the behind-the-scenes footage, you can tell he is a human filled with grief and anxiety with his future being held in the balance with the success of his show. The solid performance from Ingrid Torelli as the possessed child that is the focus of the episode was also quite chilling. You never can really tell whether the character was naturally off-putting, prior to the possession but she gave me the chills even with her being in “human” form.

The pacing of the flick follows your basic format of a late-night talk show, but each little segment gets a bit more unsettling, and you find yourself in the middle of pure chaos by the time you reach the climax of the flick. It’s a slow burn which is common for found-footage horror flicks but since the premise of this movie is based on a taping of a TV show the segments feel more familiar since it follows a recipe that’s still used in late-night talk shows today. You have your monologue, a first guest then a second guest which is then usually closed out by a musical act. The movie does a great job of giving eerie hints of the horror to come early on in the “show” and the creepiness starts to swell into terror and ends in disturbing fashion which at first glance seems to be all within the same wheelhouse of feelings but to any horror fan, these are quite distinct so to have them blend so well together in progression is quite the feat.

Now, I mean this in the best possible way, but this movie seems like an entry in a wonderful horror anthology flick that was fleshed out to be a full-length feature. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of any movie or show that gives us doses of entertaining horror and one of the biggest compliments I can give a segment is a version of “Great concept, let’s f*cking go already in a full-length flick!” (language may vary). Again, although this flick CLEARLY doesn’t need a plug, tell your friends and family, get the Shudder network and let’s all fawn over David Dastmalchian. Thank you.

Life is FAR more interesting when we take interest in things that scare us.