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From the director of PULSE, I was expecting a supernatural J-Horror flick, but this was instead more of a grizzly serial killer movie along the lines of SEVEN. A detective investigates a series of murders committed by different people who, after their violent crimes, have no memory of their heinous acts. I kept waiting for a big supernatural turn but was surprised when the film went in a different direction, which was interesting but was not all that plausible for a movie that seemed to be striving for some realism. Still, it was an intriguing story, and I wanted to see where it was going, making it well worth watching despite its lack of credulity and rather deliberately slow pace.

Set in the late 70s, a late-night talk show is facing cancellation, so the host hatches a scheme to boost ratings by booking a possessed girl for the Halloween show, but things do not go as planned. Presented as a documentary, cutting between behind-the-scenes footage and the network broadcast of the show proper, it's a fun conceit, but it's really the story and characters that carry the film. David Dastmalchian (OPPENHEIMER, THE SUICIDE SQUAD), as talk show host Jack Delroy, is terrific as a man with demons from his past (figuratively and literally?). Laura Gordon and Ingrid Torelli are both also compelling as the doctor caring for the possessed girl who is the lone survivor of a Satanic Cult. Ian Bliss is also memorable as an Amazing Randi-type of a skeptic who seeks to debunk the seemingly supernatural proceedings. The film maintains a careful balancing act between camp and legitimate scares, starting off making fun of 70s talk show conventions, but by the end, the period setting helps to accentuate the unsettling unreality of the film. My main complaint is that the period setting is a bit too precious at times and is not done straight enough, with distractingly bad hair, outfits, etc. A more subtlety and less camp, such as with the CONJURING period films, LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL would have worked better. Still, it's a fantastically clever and original horror film that goes gloriously off the rails in the final act, making this one a must-see for horror fans who dig films such as EVIL DEAD or those by Ti West.

Sharon Stone plays a traumatized woman who gets locked in a high-end apartment with the corpse of a man she's been dreaming would murder her. I read that writer/director Frank De Felitta (AUDREY ROSE and THE ENTITY) originally wrote this as an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. This film would have been stronger if it was a tight 60-minute story. The first and second acts could have easily been combined because this full-length movie version felt like it had a lot of filler on the front end. It's not until the final act, when she's locked in the apartment that the movie gets good, and that's where it's actually worth watching. Stone is good and makes for a sympathetic heroine. Steve Railsbakc (HELTER SKELTER) and Ronny Cox (ROPOCOP) also appear in the film, as does character actor Albert Popwell (DIRTY HARRY). Overall, it's nothing brilliant, but it's worth watching if you're in the mood for something that reminded me of a Lifetime Channel thriller.