By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The festival favorite will be receiving much-deserved theatrical exposure.
Variety reports that IFC Films and Shudder have picked up North American and UK/Ireland rights to LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL, which will first hit theaters before streaming on Shudder at a later date. Winner of Best Screenplay at the Sitges Film Festival and Best Feature Film and Best Actor (for lead David Dastmalchian) prizes at Toronto After Dark, it was written and directed by Colin and Cameron Cairnes and also stars Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig and Josh Quong Tart. Dastmalchian plays TV personality Jack Delroy, and the movie is presented as a Halloween 1977 episode of his late-night talk show, in which his attempt to boost his ratings via occult-oriented guests goes both amusingly and frighteningly wrong. (See our review of the movie here.)
“Playing Jack Delroy in LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL was a once-in-a-lifetime role that haunted me and changed the way I look at my work forever,” says Dastmalchian, a familiar face from DUNE, THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER, THE BOOGEYMAN and many others. “IFC Films and Shudder are the perfect partners to bring this film to audiences. I’m so grateful to the Cairnes brothers for their craftsmanship and to all of the festival fans who have created an incredible rumble about LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL!”
“We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with IFC Films and Shudder to share LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL with wider audiences around the globe,” say the Cairnses. “The success of the film’s international festival run has exceeded our wildest expectations and we can’t wait to embark on the next exciting phase of the movie’s journey with these fantastic partners.”
Adds Shudder’s Emily Gotto, “LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL is an exhilarating demonstration of how the horror genre continues to present new and exciting storytelling. We’re delighted to partner with Cameron and Colin, Image Nation, and Spooky Pictures on the release of the film as we continue to work with some of the industry’s most talented filmmakers. Following its massive success during its run at SXSW, BFI London Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival and many more, we have no doubt that audiences will be enthralled by the film’s supernatural thrills and David’s electrifying performance.”
