'That's just misinformation': Late Night with the Devil directors address AI controversy (2024)

Australian filmmakers Colin and Cameron Cairnes are fascinated with the moments when television goes spectacularly wrong.

In 2016, the brothers made Scare Campaign, which fiendishly warped the concept of a prank show. Now, in 2024, the writing-directing duo are levelling up with the release of their new movie Late Night with the Devil.

The movie takes place on the set of Night Owls with Jack Delroy, a late-night talk show that's competing for ratings with Johnny Carson.

Jack's idea to attract eyeballs is to host a special Halloween episode, complete with a psychic conduit, a sceptic, a parapsychologist and her teenage subject, who apparently can connect with the devil.

To write any more about the plot would ruin the magic of "live" TV.

"That environment does lend itself well to a suspenseful movie — there's that escalation factor. That's TV, you know: It's got to build to something," Cameron says.

"We always knew it was an exciting and dangerous world; anything could happen or go wrong."

A mostly Aussie cast

Late Night with the Devil embodies the look, sound and feel of a 70s US late-night TV show so organically it's hard to believe it was filmed in Melbourne with a largely local cast.

In fact, one of the only Americans in the film isDavid Dastmalchian (Dune; Oppenheimer), who playsJack Delroy with a slimy and sweaty anxiety.

"I think we had talked about Australian actors playing the part, but we just felt authenticity was key, so you need an American voice in there," Colin says.

"But all the other cast members are Aussie, mostly Melbourne," Cameron adds.

"No one had any issues with the accent, and we had American producers on set, and they were all convinced."

And while there are some recognisable local actors in the cast, including Josh Quong Tart from Rosehaven and Ian Bliss from the original Heartbreak High, others are making their film debuts.

Melbourne local Rhys Auteri plays Gus, Jack's frequently belittled sidekick and the movie's moral compass. Auteri successfully carries some of Late Night's most physically demanding and demented moments with the skill and grace of an experienced actor — but the Cairnes brothers actually found him at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

"We were struggling to find the perfect Gus, and we auditioned a lot of great Melbourne comics. They were all hilarious, but no one quite fit the bill," Colin says.

At this point, the brothers had already cast Dastmalchian and wanted to find an actor with a contrasting personality and physical frame.

"We managed to get in touch with him, [and] he came down and did his first-ever film audition for us. He was amazing. Like his sense of timing and his improvisational skills," Colin says.

"And his voice! He's got a voiceover man voice," Cameron adds.

"And the look, I mean, it looks like he's walked straight out of a Brian De Palma film from 76."

To AI or not to AI

Despite Late Night with the Devil's critical acclaim and record-breaking opening weekend, it has not escaped backlash.

For a few still frames of a dancing skeleton, the film utilises AI technology, a practice that has become increasingly controversial since last year's actors' and writers' strikes.

A small group of disgruntled social media users decided to boycott the film. The brothers dutifully released a statement explaining the situation.

"The thing that's been a little bit troubling for us is just the exaggeration and the amount of hysteria that's sort of come in its wake from people who haven't seen the film and don't realise how much AI is in there," Colin says.

"I've noticed on some of the film platforms, people are saying it's wall-to-wall this — that's just misinformation."

The brothers explain that back in 2022, when the movie was in post-production, AI was seen as more of a novelty than an industry threat.

"We're a very small team, and our producer was doing 300-or-so effects shots, as well as bumpers. We saw it as a resourceful and inexpensive way of achieving our vision and taking some of the work off our producer/VFX," Cameron continues.

Despite his frustrations, Colin says he wants the experience to "start conversations" about the good and bad aspects of AI in filmmaking.

"This is not a story about the Rise of the Machines and how it's going to tell stories for us," Colin says.

"We should focus our attentions, I think, but let's talk about it."

A horror movie export industry

Australian horror movies seem to be having an international moment, with audiences around the world now able to watch films includingSissy, You'll Never Find Me and Relic on Shudder, a horror-specific streaming platform.

Now Late Night with the Devil has caught the streamer's eye, with the film debuting on the US platform at the end of the month (it'll hit Australian Shudder later in the year).

"What we've noticed most of all is a demand for original and imaginative horror storytelling globally," says Sam Zimmerman,Shudder's vice-president of programming.

"Late Night with the Devil is a perfect Shudder film; [it's] extremely satisfying, crowd-pleasing and identifiable as a horror film, while being formally audacious, directorially driven and layered as well … [It's] a spectacular new take on demonic horror."

Of course, you can't mention Australian horror movie success stories without talking about 2023's Talk to Me, which was also made by two brothers. Itpulled in $US92 million ($143 million) worldwide.

In fact, Late Night with the Devil screened alongside Talk to Me as part of SXSW's 2023 Midnighters program.

Colin says that Talk to Me's success has piqued global interest in Australian horror films.

"It gives audiences a little more confidence going into an Australian production after one has done so well, because you can't escape that cultural cringe, at least in this country. You know, 'Americans do it better,' that kind of attitude," Colin says.

Making horror movies is attractive to filmmakers, Colin says, because they get to play with special effects and atmospheric lighting. But there's another reason Aussie directors tend to tilt towards horror.

"They do well abroad. In the States, especially, but in Europe and Japan and Latin America, they're huge and have been for ages," Colin explains.

"So, when we make good ones, they tap into something overseas and I don't think we celebrate that enough."

Zimmerman agrees: "If Talk to Me is opening doors for even more of the distinctive and exciting new voices in Australian genre cinema, we are thrilled and ready."

Late Night with the Devil is in cinemas now.