How the Ending of Late Night with the Devil Works
The film concludes with a layered reveal that frames the entire broadcast as a demonic trap set by the character Jack Delroy, played by David Dastmalchian. The narrative shifts from a 1970s talk show to a satanic ritual, and the final scenes show the crew and audience being consumed as part of a coordinated occult ceremony. On Reddit, users focused on the practical effects and the found-footage style as proof that the horror was meant to feel disturbingly authentic, not stylized. The director, Cameron Cairnes, confirmed that the ending was designed to blur the line between performance and real possession, a choice that fueled the Reddit debate about whether the characters were actually demonic or merely actors in a staged haunting. The film's marketing and release data show it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 and was distributed by IFC Films in the United States, with a runtime of 93 minutes and a budget reported in the low millions, figures that Reddit commenters cited when discussing its profitability and box office trajectory Forbes review.
Key Reddit Threads and Community Reactions
Reddit threads on the film quickly became a primary space for scene-by-scene breakdowns, with the most upvoted posts focusing on the final minutes and the meaning of the broadcast footage. Users on r/horror and r/movies compared the ending to other possession films, noting how the film uses digital artifacts and glitching visuals to suggest a supernatural signal hijacking the show. One widely shared Reddit comment summarized the interpretation that the ritual was a premeditated broadcast designed to harvest fear and souls, a reading that aligns with the film's meta-commentary on media manipulation. Another frequent point of discussion was the ambiguous fate of the character Lilly, with some Reddit users arguing that her survival implies the ritual was incomplete, while others insisted the final shot confirms total demonic takeover. The film currently holds a score above 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, a figure that Reddit users referenced when debating whether the critical consensus supports the more ambiguous Reddit readings Rotten Tomatoes page.
Directors, Themes, and Production Details Behind the Ending
Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes wrote and directed the film, with production companies including Causeway Films and Defiant Studios, and the ending was shaped by a deliberate choice to minimize CGI in favor of practical makeup and in-camera effects. The production design recreated a 1970s television studio with period-accurate cameras and sets, a detail that Reddit users highlighted when explaining why the ritual scenes feel so immersive and disorienting. The film's score and sound design were intended to mimic late-night broadcast audio artifacts, and multiple Reddit posts pointed to the use of analog-style distortion as a clue that the show itself is the supernatural vehicle. In interviews, the directors stated that the ending was meant to leave viewers uncertain whether Jack Delroy was a willing participant or a victim, a stance that directly informs the most active Reddit threads and video essays IMDb page. The film is also notable for its use of found-footage framing within a fictional broadcast, a structure that Reddit users compared to earlier satanic horror films while emphasizing its modern updates to media criticism IGN review.