LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL Spoiler Discussion
Added 2024-08-11 18:57:23 +0000 UTCCan someone help me understand the ending? Delroy basically gets put in this trance state of sorts, to be able to make the sacrifice. But how is this achieved? Is it hypnosis? Who exactly is hypnotizing him? And what is the audience seeing exactly? We have these two stylistic choices throughout, that then merge into the final cinematic descent towards destruction. But...then what is it that we are viewing when you abandon the set up?
Also, it has been bugging me that Delroy is making this deal with the devil to get the number one spot on television. So then why is he so desperate to get the audiences attention in this Halloween episode? He's already made the deal, right? Shouldn't he be feeling more secure at this point? Is it meant to be one of those situations where making a deal with the devil results in a rigged situation, where you're always chasing the number one spot you were granted, but you'll never get it? I wish that made more sense. If this is the case...they needed to make that a lot more clear and resonant. Maybe I'm dumb. I dunno. But if anyone has any theories, feel free to help me out.
Comments
Fair enough. I'm curious what "other questions you have that create more confusion?" There are other breadcrumbs I noticed that adds to my theory but I do agree it's not 100% clear in a logical sense and I believe that's on purpose. But who knows, this my interpretation based off of one viewing. I definitely want to watch it again some time. I will say what is consistent is Jack's ego being the motivation for his decisions along with the "exploitation equals death" motif (his wife, Christou and Lily). For me, I guess the emotional honesty of Jack being revealed as the real culprit behind it all is what works for me. Also "they were in hell the entire time" is a trope thats been done in other horror movies before as well as other tropes the movie dabbles in. The devil himself is a trickster, so when I hear the main character made a deal with him along with the movie repeatedly playing with the idea of illusion, my mind can't help but come to this conclusion. Also I'll just add that a lot of critics out there are basically echoing you're sentiments in it falling apart in its execution at the end. For some it ruins the movie. I personally agree it couldve been written better but it did work for me in the end.
Stephen
2024-08-13 06:32:28 +0000 UTCI think Jack sacrificed his wife, and then he was under a hypnosis of sorts reliving a psychdelic/dreamy version of it, so that the revelation of his actions could act as the perfect way to lure him in, and then he could kill the girl, and the sacrifice could finally be made, since she was the only one left who had to die. He's simply being tricked the entire time by the devil who is simply smarter and in control. But...none of this was executed well enough. Every vague speculation feels like purposefully placed devices meant to throw you off, or get you questioning this or that. But then in the end, it does end up tripping over itself in the presentation. I don't think it's that difficult to understand in the big scheme of things. But they got sloppy with it. What you describe, is not clear in the film. And there are a lot of other questions I have, that create more confusion. And the problem is due to the way they choose to stretch the gimmick, and then abandon the concept in the finale. The set up was sloppy, causing all these blind spots, that don't serve the conclusion emotionally. And again...all these little hints/clues they drop...they feel more manipulative than interesting.
Deepfocuslens
2024-08-13 05:17:12 +0000 UTCOn reflection, I really liked the parts when we are "hypnotized" by looking into the spinning wheel of the skeptic, and later the Lovecraftian headlights of the demon. This is the first time I've seen a found footage film play with the idea that we are being actively manipulated into seeing images that are not consistent with what was recorded on camera.
Eli Levine
2024-08-13 02:30:20 +0000 UTCThis maybe tinfoil but my reading is that Jack is in hell, and this is his punishment for sacrificing his wife. The movie is called “Late Night with the Devil” because the devil is playing a trick on Jack making him live out his fantasy of making the greatest TV show ever only for the bubble to burst as it gets closer to the end. The devil is the hypnotist, Jack is the one being hypnotized, and we the audience are the omniscient viewers. Lily at one point says being hypnotized is like being asleep but awake at the same time, which could imply that Jack is also the audience as well. Both being a player and a spectator in own nightmare. The supporting characters themselves can be seen as portions of his subconscious. The producer vs. his sidekick, Haig vs. June & Christou, with Lily mirroring him. I should add that the magician’s hypnosis of Jack's sidekick is part of what led me to this reading. It sticks out in the same way when someone realizes something is off before waking up from a dream. Everything that then follows is Jack coming to terms with the choices he made in order to become famous. He was willing to sacrifice more than his wife to satisfy his ego. There's a reason why the final image is him alone surrounded by dead bodies.
Stephen
2024-08-12 05:30:25 +0000 UTCExactly. They don't make it clear due to the gimmicks used throughout. So breaking away without that crucial information, is a problem.
Deepfocuslens
2024-08-12 05:02:19 +0000 UTCI think he's still unconfident because his wife died from cancer, which could have been nature or the sacrifice. He doesn't entirely know what's going on and if everything is going according to plan, so he's going out of his way to make sure that everything has the best chance of working in his favor? The hypnosis was where it lost me a little bit because except for the backstage stuff, the hypnosis is the first time the "rules" of found footage are broken. I'm unclear at what the camera is actually recording and what we're actually seeing, especially if the footage they replay is supposedly the same footage we're watching. Is the implication that WE'RE hypnotized into seeing it? If so, I guess that that's also what happens towards the end when Jack is wandering around the nightmarish version of his show. We're hypnotized and so is he? It's all a bit confusing and disappointing to me. The film is such a fantastic journey, but I don't think it really sticks the landing :/
Edward Looney
2024-08-11 22:09:01 +0000 UTCso never make a deal with the devil
Herbert Baker
2024-08-11 19:20:46 +0000 UTCfinal thought. it’s never implied how much he would have to sacrifice or if anything would have ever been enough
Herbert Baker
2024-08-11 19:20:10 +0000 UTCabraxas the demon was deceiving him and put him the trance. The girl was used as a sacrifice. In the middle of the film it’s stated that she was spared from the cult fire as if she was being saved for something. that cult also worshiped abraxuus. we know this when the demon speaks to him through the girl in there first interaction on the show and reintroduces himself. as for the show it was on par with carson at on point but it was never part of the deal that it would forever remain numbe 1. I.E, always read the fine print with the devil or anyone in hollywood for that matter. as for the audience and us were shown only what the devil or filmaker wants us to see. this was displayed when the producer had worm’s popped through his chest.
Herbert Baker
2024-08-11 19:16:16 +0000 UTC
