A horror film from 2024 that is secretly the best movie of the year

Key things

• Late Night with the Devil, a horror film released in 2024, can be considered the best of this year.
• The film excels thanks to the performance of David Dastmalchian and the gripping, unpredictable plot.
• The film remains underrated despite receiving positive reviews and top ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.

2024 was an unforgettable year terror movies. Fans of this genre have been waiting Alien: Romulus, Substance, More threatening 3, A Quiet Place: Day Oneand Smile 2to name a few. However, there is one scary movie that came out this year that is better than the rest and may actually be one of the best movies of 2024. Late night with the devil.

First, it should be noted that the film was technically released in theaters in 2023 and premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in the United States on March 10, 2023. However, it ultimately did not see a wider release until 2024. Late night with the devil was released in UK and US cinemas on 22 March 2024. This means it should be considered a 2024 film, not a 2023 film.

What is Late Night With The Devil about?

The film stars the sinfully talented David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy, a late-night talk show host whose show is experiencing a rapid decline in ratings. Jack decides to do something drastic to boost his show's ratings on a very spooky Halloween night, and it all ends horribly wrong – for him and everyone involved with the show.

That's a pretty vague description of what's going on in the movie. However, it is best not to spoil anything for those who haven't had the chance to see the film yet. There are some twists and turns that viewers may not see coming, and there are some scary scares along the way. However, there are two key factors that make this film so good.

What makes Late Night With the Devil so good?

Dastmalchian's performance is excellent. He is able to make the viewer root for him despite the fact that he is clearly embarking on a dangerous journey and endangering a lot of innocent people. His actions are incredibly selfish, yet Dastmalchian makes the character likable.

Second, Late night with the devil it has a blistering finish, one of the best final thirds of any film released in 2024. It goes to wild places at the end, but the slow build-up means its over-the-top ending is justified. It's a testament to everyone involved in the making of this film, from the writers/directors (Cameron and Colin Cairnes) to the actors.

The film also perfectly captures the look and feel of the late seventies. The costumes are amazing and it all adds to the sense of foreboding and doom that is present throughout Late night with the devil. That feeling remains in the viewer long after the film is over.

Late Night With the Devil is the best horror movie of 2024

Although, as mentioned above, 2024 has been a particularly good year for horror movies, there is no other film in the genre that can do what Late night with the devil he did The film is scary and fascinating at the same time. This is also helped by the filming method, which moves between behind-the-scenes footage and footage of the actual late-night talk show.

Every time the show goes to a commercial break, the film shows the audience what is happening behind the scenes. It's in these moments that the viewer really gets a sense of what Jack Delroy is up to and how much danger he's putting everyone in to increase his viewership.

Why isn't anyone talking about this movie?

That's a very good question, but also a bit imprecise. People were talking about the movie. It has received good reviews from critics and people who have watched the film are giving it very positive reviews.

The film has a rather impressive overall rating of 7/10 on IMDb after over 100,000 reviews. Late night with the devil it has an incredible 97% rating rotten tomatoes which also places it at number one on their “50 Best New Horror Movies of 2024” list. They ended up beating similar ones Substance, More threatening 3, Peculiarity, In flames, Smile 2, Long legsand I saw the TV glow.

All of these horror films were incredibly well received, and yet Late night with the devil — a small independent film with a relatively small budget — went to number one. That speaks for itself and also suggests that with 2024 being such a strong year for horror, it could be one of the best released this calendar year. It deserves to be seen by more people and hopefully it will be.

Late night with the devil is available to stream on Shudder and can be purchased on VOD.