The 2024 horror film that is secretly the best movie of the year

Key conclusions

• The best of the year can be considered the horror film “Late Night with the Devil”, which was released in 2024.
• The film is distinguished by David Dastmalchian's performance and an exciting, unpredictable plot.
• The film remains underrated despite positive reviews and high ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.

2024 was an unforgettable year horror movies. Fans of the genre received likes Aliens: Romulus, Substance, Terrifier 3, A Quiet Place: Day Oneand Smile 2to name just a few. However, there is one scary movie that was released this year that is better than the rest and could be one of the best movies of 2024. This movie Late night with the devil.

First, it should be noted that the film was technically released in 2023, premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival in the US on March 10, 2023. However, it was released only in 2024. Late night with the devil was released in UK and US cinemas on 22 March 2024. That means it should be considered a 2024 movie, not a 2023 one.

What is “Late Night with the Devil” about?

The film stars the wickedly talented David Dastmalchian as Jack Delroy, a late-night talk show host whose viewership has been rapidly declining. Jack decides to do something drastic to boost his show's ratings on a very spooky Halloween night, and things end up going horribly wrong – for him and everyone involved with the show.

That's a pretty vague description of what happens in the movie. However, for those who haven't seen the movie yet, it's better not to spoil anything. There are some twists and turns that viewers may not notice, and a few scary scares along the way. However, there are two key factors that make this movie so good.

What makes Late Night with the Devil so good?

Dastmalchyan's performance is outstanding. He is able to make the viewer root for him, despite the fact that he clearly embarks on a dangerous journey and puts a lot of innocent people in danger. His actions are incredibly selfish, but Dastmalkian makes the character likable.

secondly, Late night with the devil has a stunning onslaught that is one of the best final thirds of any film released in 2024. It goes into some wild places at the end, but the slow build-up means that its over-the-top finale feels justified. It's a testament to everyone involved in making this picture, from the writers/directors (Cameron and Colin Cairns) to the actors.

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

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

Although, as mentioned above, 2024 was a particularly good year for horror films, there is no other film in the genre that has been able to do what Late night with the devil did The film is both horrifying and fascinating. The way it's filmed also adds to this, switching between behind-the-scenes footage and footage of the actual late-night talk show.

Whenever there is a commercial break in the show, the film shows the audience what is happening behind the scenes. In these moments, the viewer really understands what is at stake, what Jack Delroy is up to, and the dangers he puts everyone in to boost his ratings.

Why isn't anyone talking about this movie?

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

The film has a rather impressive overall rating of 7/10 on IMDb after over 100k reviews. Late night with the devil has a whopping 97% rating. rotten tomatoes which also puts it at the top of the “50 Best New Horror Movies of 2024” list. It ended up beating the likes Substance, Terrifier 3, An oddity, In flames, Smile 2, Long-leggedand I saw the glow of the TV.

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 — came out on top. That speaks for itself, and it also suggests that since 2024 has been such a strong year for horror, it could be one of the very 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 via VOD.