I originally had this one later down my list but I ended up bumping it up because I didn’t feel like renting anything and the St. Louis Public Library blocks my favorite pirate sites.
I heard very little about this one, other than people liked it, so I was really looking forward to it, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The premise of the movie is that we’re watching a live broadcast of a Halloween episode of a late night show in the 1970s. The first part of the movie is an info dump of the history of the main character (Jack Delroy) and his rise from regional radio host to international late night tv star, though he can never find the top spot in the business.
Funny aside, there’s mention of “The Grove”, which is an obvious analog for “Bohemian Grove”, right down to the Owl statue.
It’s a little slow in the build up, but eventually it lets loose with the weirdness, exploding off the rails in an all out nightmare.
I think the real MVP of this movie is tragically underrated actor David Dastmalchian (best known as a character actor in films like The Dark Knight and as Polka Dot Man in Suicide Squad) and his performance that really brought Jack Delroy to life. When he lets the mask slip and you see the sadness and fear show through, it’s really powerful.
The horror elements all feel a little more surreal draped in 70s browns and oranges and there always seems to be something lurking in the deep shadows of the TV show set.
4 out of 5