This thoroughly enjoyable schlock horror game show pastiche is, as my MIFF buddy Not a Sexy Vampire aptly calls it, “the Don Lane show gone to hell.”

American in feel but made by the Australian Cairnes brothers, Cameron and Colin, it’s presented as if we are watching the actual live broadcast of the episode that lifted the midnight talkshow Night Owls with Jack Delroy out of its falling ratings.

Jack (David Dastmalchian) is the debonair but increasingly desperate host who can never match the Carson show in the ratings. He begins to resort to more and more sensational content to draw in viewers. This reaches a pinnacle (or nadir) in the Halloween show that we are privy to. There are mediums, skeptics and maybe a bit of demonic possession, but is it all just a clever stunt designed to shock?

We see the broadcast footage as well as behind the scenes during ad breaks and, although this doesn’t quite fit the found footage premise, it’s in keeping with the chaotic irreverence of the story. We are not supposed to take this too seriously.

It’s well paced and works to place the viewer in the role of the audience. The scares are of the delightful kind, rather than truly creepy, and perhaps we feel a bit safer because it’s all under the bright lights of the TV studio.

There is a bit of a moral tale in there, but it never gets in the way of the story. The secondary characters give it complexity, particularly Gus (Rhys Auteri, the Bert Newton equivalent) and the electrifying duo of Doctor June (Laura Gordon) and stand out possessed teen Lilli (Ingrid Torelli). The latter provides the most laughs and her characterisation helps elevate this tasty horror into potential cult status.

Directors: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
Origin: Australia (2023)
Language: English
Genre: Horror , Thriller

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