The best part of being a horror critic is that not everything you’re going to see is perfect. I never expect what I see to be absolutely groundbreaking but I still enjoy seeing horror movies and seeing what lands and what doesn’t. That notion seems to be the case for two films I watched recently: Stopmotion and Late Night With The Devil. While neither film was perfect (the latter has a BIG issue I’ll discuss later on), I found it important that we’re seeing more independent horror get big releases in the U.S.
Robert Morgan’s Stopmotion follows young animator Ella (Aisling Franciosi) grappling with her mother’s illness and a little girl who may just be bringing her films — and her worst fears — to life. Upon discovering this film I was enamored by the lead actress; Franciosi is a severely underrated horror/thriller actress who I adored in last summer’s The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Franciosi is easily the strongest part of this movie against a comparatively lackluster supporting cast. She brings this unease and fear to Ella that reminded me a bit of Natalie Portman’s captivating performance in Black Swan. Franciosi really has a lot going for her and her career can only go up from a film like this.
The film also incorporates some titular stop-motion animation which was quite well done and reminded me of Phil Tippett’s Mad God in its grotesque and fleshy nature. I’d love to see Morgan do something fully animated because the stop–motion sequences were some of the most engaging parts of the movie.
Unfortunately, the first two acts of the film drag so much that I debated turning it off for a spell. The pacing was really quite slow for a 90-ish minute movie, but if you can sit through some meandering and character work, it’s really worth the wait. The third act of this film is simply BRUTAL. I found myself tilting my laptop screen down for some of it because of how squeamish it made me, something that hasn’t happened during a horror film for a while. After this, however, the film had a very rushed ending that left me with more questions than answers. It reminded me of a cheap version of Hereditary’s ending, a far more complex film than Stopmotion. I wish we got a more concrete and closed ending for Ella because the entire film is thematically half-baked and muddled. Altogether, this is a pretty decent independent gem with a stellar lead and captivating visuals that unfortunately requires some time to get through.
On the flipside, Cameron and Colin Cairnes’ Late Night With The Devil has a far more interesting concept and style. Told in a found footage documentary style starring David Dastmalchian, Late Night With The Devil chronicles the 1977 Halloween episode of the fictional talk show Night Owls with Jack Delroy, in which the producers and its guests commune with paranormal forces as well as their inner demons. Upon first hearing of this film, I was immediately captivated by its found footage premise. Found footage is a really hard style to nail on the head and Late Night uses it pretty well. It creates this blur of reality and fiction that adds to the horror of what happens during this fateful taping.
Unlike Stopmotion, Late Night has a stellar cast all around, with everyone pulling their weight and complementing each other constantly. I particularly liked Ingrid Torelli as Lilly, a research subject and guest on the show that may be harboring demons inside of her. David Dastmalchian also shines here, blending seamlessly into the 1970s aesthetic and Jack Delroy as a character. I hope this leads to more starring performances for him. The film also incorporates some really really cool effects and scares, both practical and CGI. The latter looks a little bit weird at times, but in my opinion it adds to the film’s retro style.
Like Stopmotion, this film does also take a bit to get into the nitty-gritty of its premise. It’s less sluggish than Stopmotion, but still can feel a little bit long, especially by the middle point. I notice a lot of horror films today are trying to have this cerebral first half and a shockingly gory final half that honestly comes off as quite derivative if you watch a lot of modern horror. I also wish the film looked into Delroy’s character a bit more, as they gloss over his backstory and attempt to emphasize it in the final half of the film.
In my opinion, the biggest problem of this film is its use of AI art. There are a few “We’ll Be Right Back” cards throughout the film that are clearly AI-generated if you look at them pretty generally. In any case, the use of AI in film or any artistic medium completely denotes the work of real artists and creatives and disappoints me greatly. It sours the entire film for me and its inclusion should be nowhere near an independent horror film like this. It sets a horrific precedent and should be called out for such.
In conclusion, both Stopmotion and Late Night With The Devil have similar problems that I’m starting to notice more and more in modern horror. While both films have creative premises, they both have their respective successes and failures. Late Night has a better cast, but its use of AI sours the entire film as a whole for me, which gives me a bit of preference for Stopmotion simply because they chose to not incorporate AI. It begs the question of what this film’s inclusion will do to independent horror in the future. The use of AI in independent horror is uncalled for and completely invalidates the independent horror that uses the talent of real artists and creatives to craft films.
Nadia Arain is a junior screen cultures major who exclusively watches horror movies. They can be reached at [email protected].