FEATURE: THE TOP 10 FILMS OF 2024

 By Stephen Pytak

While there were a few really impressive franchise pictures in 2024, the film on the top of my Top 10 list for the year was something new.

And it's doubtful we'll ever get a sequel to it.

Or a prequel.

"Late Night with the Devil (2023)" was a one shot. 

And like some of the best films ever made, this comedy-horror-found-footage masterpiece leaves you wanting more.

Georgina Haig as "Madeleine Piper" in a Playbill made for the film "Late Night with the Devil (2023)." Copyright 2023 by Future Pictures & Spooky Pictures. 

I remember seeing the trailer for this on Feb. 25, 2024. It was at the AMC Classic Allentown 16 at 1700 Catasauqua Rd. in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I was there to see the horror film "Stopmotion (2023)." 

I hadn't heard anything about "Late Night with the Devil" prior to this. And I found the trailer very intriguing. 

The story was about a live broadcast on Halloween 1977 which, somehow, unleashed evil into the nation's living rooms.

I knew this was all fiction, but I was intrigued anyway.

The incident occurred on a talk show called "Night Owls with Jack Delroy." And the whole mess involved a 13-year-old named "Lilly D'Abo" who was supposedly possessed by a demon called "Abraxas."

I remember pulling out my cell phone to snap a picture of the screen so I'd remember the title. 

I finally got to see the film on March 21, 2024 at the AMC Fairgrounds in Reading, Pennsylvania.

And I was not disappointed.

I was really impressed with how this was all put together, the pacing, the look of it, the humor, the twists, the turns and the ending. Wow! The cast was also really good, in particular David Dastmalchian as our host "Jack." He's the key to the whole thing actually.

If I didn't really enjoy his take on this character, I guess "Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)" would have been at the top of my list instead.

"Jack Delroy" is a great tragic character. The film starts off with his backstory, and we learn about his goals, his drive, his cult of friends and his ups and downs. In particular, we learn his wife, "Madeline," played by Georgina Haig, died of lung cancer (even though she was a non-smoker).

See, all he wants to do is get better viewer numbers than Johnny Carson. 

And with friends like Abraxas, how can he go wrong? 

Dastmalchian's performance is iconic. Not sure how else to put it. It's just that he and the filmmakers created a character that's a lot of fun to watch. He's a throwback to 1977. Yet, he's relatable. 

Would we do all the things he did if we were in his shoes?

Hmmm....

I'd love to see an entire season of "Night Owls" just to see what else he was going to do to get better ratings. I'd like to know what happened to him after the Halloween 1977 broadcast.

Ingrid Torelli as "Lilly" in "Late Night with the Devil (2023)." Copyright 2023 by Future Pictures & Spooky Pictures.

The second best character is "Lilly," played by Ingrid Torelli.

Since "The Exorcist" came out in 1973, we've seen numerous types of films like that. And while some of them are fun, not a lot of them work all that well. 

And in all of those films, there is no one quite like "Lilly." On the surface, she seems nice. But there's something else going on with her. She claims she is host to an inhabiting spirit. And Torelli really makes us believe it.

I'll never forget the first time I saw the trailer for this film.

It made an impression (obviously). 

It was the last good memory I had of the AMC Classic Allentown 16. The theater is closed now.

There were some other stand alone films that really impressed me this year, like "The Substance" and "I Saw the TV Glow."

Franchise films that I really enjoyed included "Alien: Romulus." It's the best "Alien" film I've seen in, gosh, a long, long time. 

I think "Deadpool & Wolverine" is one of the best films ever made. I put together a list of the Top 100 Films of All Time this year and it's at No. 25. It may be the best film the MCU ever produced. Yes, I think it's that good. It's also one of the best comedies ever made. It's up there with "Caddyshack (1980)" and "Some Like It Hot (1959)."

That said, here's my list of the Top 10 Films of 2024:

1. Late Night with the Devil

2. Deadpool & Wolverine

3. Alien: Romulus

4. The Substance

5. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

6. Strange Darling

7. Smile 2

8. I Saw the TV Glow

9. Nosferatu

10. A Quiet Place: Day One



 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REVIEW: SHELBY OAKS (2024)

Image
  By Stephen Pytak Chris Stuckmann's Shelby Oaks is a little better than I thought it would be. While his cinematic influences are clearly evident -- fans of The Blair Witch Project (1999) will spot a whole bunch -- there are enough twists, turns and genuine scares to make it worth your time. Shelby Oaks  isn't the best film I've seen this year, but it certainly isn't the worst. It has its issues. But when it works, it really works.  I support independent films. And I love the horror genre.  And I may try to catch an encore screening sometime next week. If you're looking for something to see during spooky season, give it a go. If you love nostalgia, the Blair Witch approach Stuckmann employs may work for you. And the ending may surprise you. Huh? What was the worst film I've seen this year? Probably Cleaner (2025). I think Daisy Ridley does what she can with the material, but it's just a lackluster Die Hard knockoff. She's a really good actress. But...
Read more

REVIEW: PRIMATE (2025)

Image
  By Stephen Pytak While watching Primate (2025) at a sneak preview on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, I kept wondering what kind of monkey wrangling Dario Argento and his crew had to deal with 40 years ago. See, back in 1985 Argento released Phenomena , a flashy giallo with comic book sensibilities and heavy MTV vibes. One of the supporting characters in it is a chimpanzee. Real name, "Tanga." Character name, "Inga." It's a fun idea. And at one point during this thriller, the chimp gets to wield a straight razor. The image of the money with the weapon inspired some great poster art for the film. But I figured it couldn't have been easy for Argento and his crew to get a performance out of the chimp. And I don't think actress Jennifer Connelly talks all that much about her experiences on the film. That's probably because Tanga reportedly bit off part of her finger at some point and it had to be surgically attached. I have a feeling the makers of Primate (202...
Read more

REVIEW: SCREAM 7 (2026)

Image
 By Stephen Pytak I think the most memorable thing about Scream 7 (2026) is the music video made to promote it. Twisting the Knife (2026) by Ice Nine Kills, and starring and featuring vocals by actress McKenna Grace, is a masterpiece, one of the best music videos made to promote a horror film. It's quite a production, and it plays out like a title sequence for one of Daniel Craig's James Bond films. No doubt the 007 theme was chosen because it's promoting the seventh entry in the Scream series. It's full of fun stuff, all put together with some real creative juice. And it makes you curious about what the new film is going to deliver. Oh, and the song is really good too. The film, unfortunately, doesn't have as much joie de vivre. Ghostface plays with fire in "Scream 7 (2026)." Copyright 2026 by Spyglass Media Group. At the end of the day, Scream 7 is an okey doke, run-of-the-mill slasher picture. It's not cutting edge stuff. It's not as fun as ...
Read more