A Real ‘Late Night With The Devil’
One thing that horror fans can all appreciate is immersion. The folks at Shudder & IFC threw Dread Central into a real Late Night With The Devil last Friday to celebrate the film’s theater and streaming release.
I was invited to The Manhattan Neighborhood Network; New York City’s historical public access broadcast station to sit in on the (fictional) live studio audience for a UBC taping of 1977’s “Monster Shock Theater” Halloween Special, hosted by one of New York’s best local horror hosts Martin Monster. In tandem with the gag, this pre-taped special episode would hypothetically air before the live, special UBC Halloween episode of “Night Owls”, hosted by Jack Delroy.
Dressed in my 70s best, I arrived at the show ready for the usual post-screening talkback but was instead met with a fully curated hour-long program. Martin Monster, accompanied by co-host Lucritia on the theremin, had their bag of tricks ready by bringing on the perfect talent for a late October evening.
Get a look at the event:
The program featured a magician with a bit more strength than he knows, a fearless tap dancing sword swallower, a costume contest for the audience, and of course, schlocky 70s Halloween ad breaks to keep us set in satanic panic mode in between acts.
David Dastmalchian joined the show as Jack Delroy after the final ad break and reminisced with Martin Monster on their good times at Studio 54 alongside Adrienne Barbeau. Jack went on to encourage the audience to “stick around” and catch the Halloween broadcast of his show “Night Owls”, as he was planning to uncover something never before seen on live television.
Unfortunately, the night wasn’t left on a very high note. There was some sort of major malfunction with the tech at The Manhattan Neighborhood Network. Martin Monster was seemingly electrocuted, and dropped dead on the floor, leaving the producer to finish up the broadcast and quickly escort us out of the venue.
Find out what Jack Delroy is conjuring up in Late Night with the Devil, in theaters and on Shudder starting Friday, March 22, 2024.
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