Film Review - "Late Night With the Devil'

This homage to the 1970s and the tone of horror back then is appreciated even when the execution might be questionable. The camp factor and suspension of disbelief compensate for a great deal in terms of what the budget might have restricted them to. This is aided by the found footage nature of the movie.  I think a big strength of the film is that it does not try to be another A24 or Millenial Teen Horror movie. It does not care about your feelings. Sure some of the concepts including the possessed girl might be well-worn horror tropes but they are approached from a fresh perspective. 

The movie ie might not take itself seriously but never crosses over into comedy, which it's unsure if that is, in fact, its intention. The humor comes across as an awkward diversion to avoid feeling the tension. This might be the most realistic part of the film. You never really care about the characters that much to become invested in their impending demise. You also can not say this movie has a happy ending, which is another plus in my book, as I prefer horror to be as bleak as possible, with no hope, which is horrifying in the emotional sense.  The movie plays with darker concepts, but never plunges you firmly into them, but still works for what they are going for. 

The best thing about this movie is so far this year Hollywood, as leaned in on remakes and rehasing movies rather than offering the audience a choice of picking fresh new content. This feels like when it comes to horror this has been worse, as "Immaculate" and the Omen prequel were almost the same movie, I did not review both because it would have been redundant, at least this is not a remake, and feels like some creative chances were taken, I think the very fact they did so made this work perhaps even more than the reality of what was committed to film as I was relieved to at least have the option of something new even if it was winking in the direction of a particular era, making that easily forgivable.  

The Exorcist- Tv Show

This is impressive for Fox. Some of the story lines get a little muddle in their attempt to tell the back story in a more maze like manner. The emphasis is on the Priest, who begins having visions of an exorcism in Mexico. Geena Davis plays the concerns mother who is afraid something is brewing in her home. With the movie Reagan was the focal point so you got to see more of what she was like. Here they throw you a curve ball, so when the big reveal is made as to who is actually possessed then it just seems like a conniving big bad.

I think the scene at the end when this possessed person is looking out the window is pretty creepy and effective because the demon is mocking the priest. I hope they don't default to all the contortions and typical things we have already seen from all the movies that took inspiration from the original movie. I think the most effective thing they have done is when the mom comes into the attic to see what is going on the possessed person just acts normal and says the Priest just killed a rat. This can in turn create tension between the Priest and the family who would want him to talk to the most obvious problem child. Plus it seems like the demon is smarter than just throwing hellish temper tantrums and by hiding like this can do more damage.

It doesn't seem to me that this is a re-boot or remake and it's only using the title and theme song to help draw people in. Granted we are dealing with a similar theme, but hopefully the glimpses of what seem to be new elements introduced in this horror sub-genre will devolves into the same old same old we have gotten from Hollywood over the course of the past decade. Geena Davis is really selling me on her concerned mother role? The mentally challenged father could be a dark horse, and he is a former "Farris Bueller" alumni. The demon has some contact or influence with him, I think it was oppressing the house at the beginning, but the end seem to ellude to the fact it's now found a home and ready to let the games begin. The first episode is worth checking out and has me hopeful, though on FOX I can't expect for no survivors and a grim ending.