Colin and Cameron Cairnes' supernatural horror has just dropped on Shudder.
David Dastmaichian - Jack Delroy
Laura Gordon - Dr. June Ross-Mitchell
Ian Bliss - Carmichael Haig
Fayssal Bazzi - Christou
Ingrid Torelli - Lilly D'Abo
Michael Ironside - The Narrator
Summary
On April 4 1971, popular radio personality Jack Delroy launches talk show Night Owls to compete with The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
In September 1976, Jack's world is turned upside down when his wife Madeleine, a non-smoker, is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and dies the following month.
Although he keeps soldiering on, viewing figures plummet, so a desperate Jack plans a occultist-themed special on October 31 1977 to turn his fortunes around.
Parapsychologist Dr. June Ross-Mitchell brings out Lilly, with 13-year-old girl claiming a demon dubbed 'Mr. Wriggles' is inside her.
Hail Abraxas
It's said that specific episodes of The Don Lane Show featuring Uri Geller and Doris Stokes inspired bulk of running time, but I saw an alternative version of BBC1 mockumentary Ghostwatch, broadcast on Halloween 1992.
Anyway, this was compelling viewing.
Apart from Dastmaichian's excellent performance, what's most impressive is how authentic shit looks, like it was shot in 1977, not 2023.
Lilly killing Gus by twisting his head backwards is an obvious nod to The Exorcist and satanic cult leader's owl mask could be paying homage to Michael Soavi's Stage Fright (1987), aka Aquarius and Bloody Bird.
To explain twist ending.
In order to become a successful TV host, Jack literally made a deal with the devil.
He's visited by Madeleine's tortured spirit, who begs him to put her out of her misery. Using ritualistic dagger, he duly obliges, but then scene suddenly jumps to the now empty studio, revealing he actually stabbed Lilly to death.
We hear police sirens gradually getting louder.
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