Close analysis - Late Night with The Devil

“Late Night with the Devil” by Colin and Cameron Cairnes. There are many elements of this movie that we can closely analyze. Specifically, we will look at the scene that falls between the timestamp 58:48–1:02:48. This is a crucial scene in the movie and establishes an important shift in the plot that directly leads to the major climax and resolution of the movie. Through mise-en-scène analysis, we see who's really in control of the situation, and why Jack Delroy (a late-night talk show host) set the path himself for destruction, and the end of his career. Which is ironic since Jack’s goal throughout the movie is to bring up ratings and “save his show.” One speculation the audience has while watching the movie is when exactly does Jack Delroy get possessed? Through semiotic analysis in this scene, his possession happens through a dagger used in a satanic ritual, which is seen several times throughout the movie. “Peirce also demonstrated that a sign can never have a definite meaning, for the meaning must be continuously qualified” (“Semiotics”).  

The scene opens with a black-and-white color grade; this is used throughout the movie to establish what the TV viewers at home see versus “behind-the-scenes” footage of what's happening when the cameras are off. We see most of the crew, who are all shocked, left with a disturbed look on their faces. This was right after Dr. June (a parapsychologist) did a presentation where she brought in the demon that possesses Lily (a girl rescued from a cult that set themselves and their house on fire). Meanwhile, Jack moves on with the hustle and bustle of production, despite the rest of the crew being taken aback. This is one way Jack is presented as naive, simply from how he acts directly after a disturbing conjuring of a demon. Jack pulls June aside. June is still trying to collect herself; she has tears in her eyes and smeared mascara. Jack, regardless of June’s emotional state, tells her, “We got to get you guys back on as soon as possible; this could become like a regular spot.” Jack isn't a bad man; he's immediately attentive and gentle with June, but his response tells us that he is not attentive to the situation at hand, disregarding disturbing events. In the middle of their conversation, we hear Lily crying in the background, saying “you're hurting me,” due to a crew member attempting to remove her restraints. Jack goes over to Lily and grabs the first thing he sees to cut her restraints. This so happens to be a crew member walking by with a plate of items used in a demonic ritual. Jack quickly grabs a dagger off the plate and uses it to cut Lily's restraint. This is another action by Jack that shows his carelessness toward the situation. He views a ritualistic item as a tool to cut some leather; he's clearly not taking the situation seriously at all. It jumps into a split screen of where the rest of the production crew are, alongside Jack and Lily, a way to transition over into another important interaction. Gus (band leader and announcer for the show) and Carmichael (a skeptic brought on the show) were made more aware of the gravity of the situation when Gus informs Carmichael that Christou (a medium who was on an earlier segment that had a medical emergency) died on the way to the hospital, a secret Jack was trying to keep from the crew. Throughout the movie, the skeptic was very critical of everything going on, constantly trying to prove everything was a hoax simply for viewing entertainment and ratings. In the moment when Gus gives him that information, we visually see him caught off guard. This is a shocking reaction from a man like him—the first time we see his character question himself and the situation. This shows the audience how serious this situation is, and that reaction solidifies it even more. Meanwhile, Jack does not care. We cut back to Jack and Lily; he successfully frees Lily from her restraints using the dagger. This is where editing techniques play a big role in the illusion Jack gets himself into, due to the demon on set. We see Jack still holding the dagger in his hand as he repositions his guests and goes over to talk to his producer. Now, with the black-and-white color grade (a black dagger against the black and white) and handheld camera movement, it's hard to tell he's still holding onto the dagger unless you really pay attention. This use of mise-en-scène in this moment shows that Jack himself doesn't realize he's still holding onto the dagger, and that same cluelessness is communicated to the audience through those editing techniques. During his conversation with his producer Leo, he's informed that his episode sparked conversation and investors. Jack is ecstatic, saying, “The night Jack Delroy interviewed the cockfucking devil,” a bizarre sentence. This is another action that shows how careless Jack is being about his show; he's directly setting himself up for failure without even realizing it. He’s aware of what he's doing—“conjuring the devil”—yet refuses to give it any weight or meaning. The semiotic analysis of Jack’s actions throughout this whole scene represents Jack’s naivety and his association with the Grove. Since being exposed to similar satanic rituals in the past, his actions toward the show tell us he’s deeply involved with the Grove. Why would a man be so unfazed by disturbing actions? Because he himself has once involved himself in similar disturbing events. It also shows how his character led himself and his crew into destruction, simply because he was obsessed with the ratings and money he was making from the show. Jack, the whole time, believes he’s in charge when, in reality, he’s not. We're shown this through mise-en-scène and editing techniques with Lily. During Jack and Leo’s conversation, Leo says, “He took quite a liking to June; he wants her back on.” During that sentence, we still hear the dialogue in the background like it's up close, yet it cuts to an up-close shot of Lily. Lily slightly glances over to June and back into the distance during the words “took quite a liking to June.” The use of mise-en-scène suggests that although Jack and Leo are far away from Lily, she somehow can still hear and understand what they are saying, since she follows the dialogue with her actions, glancing at June when June is mentioned in the conversation. This is a chilling piece of evidence of the demon at hand. Lily is observant and has been through this scene the whole time, almost like she knows what is going to happen. Another small but important editing technique is directly after this. Jack gets lost in thought during his talk with Leo, and it cuts to a wide shot of them both; here, we can see Jack holding the dagger. He weirdly readjusts his grip on the knife, like he's squeezing it tighter. It's a short clip because it immediately jumps back to a shoulder up shot of Leo and Jack talking. That shot was to show the dagger, that Jack still had it, and to foreshadow the climax of the movie. It's a small but strange behavior demonstrated by Jack; we as an audience ask ourselves, why is he still holding the dagger? To bring this all together, the most important shot that concludes and confirms my analysis, the show is about to go back on air, and Jack goes back up to the stage. The shot is adjusted to show Jack’s entire body now, and we see the dagger and Jack clearly. When Jack sits down, we hear his producer go, “Jack, dagger.” Jack’s reaction solidifies everything: he looks down at the knife and makes a face like, “How did that get there?” He has a small moment of confusion, then places the knife next to him on the table seconds before the show airs. His reaction tells us that he didn't even realize he was holding the dagger. Later in the movie, he uses the dagger to kill Lily live on air—the end of his life and career.  

The dagger represents more than just a ritual item. Jack is so desperate to save his show that he ends up holding onto things he doesn't realize are causing, or will cause, immense harm. “As the specter of mental illness lent a sinister, predatory edge to a showbiz milieu in “The King of Comedy,” flirting with occult forces here similarly turns kitsch into critique of the bottomless thirst for fame, and the Faustian risks involved in slaking” (Harvey). Similar to his association with the Grove, he is so desperate to be famous and successful that he ends up making a deal with the devil. Something that was supposed to guarantee good things actually blindly guided him into something catastrophic. That Jack Delroy was never in control, even though he so desperately tried to be and demonstrated throughout the movie. But if we pay close attention to the editing techniques, it communicates that jack is not in charge, but the demon, that his fate was decided since the beginning of the movie and more importantly this specific scene.