Late Night with the Devil, starring David Dastmalchian in the lead role, recently held its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival. Despite rave reviews, the found footage horror film has found itself in hot waters over the alleged use of artificial intelligence in some of the scenes.
The matter became even more contentious particularly because the use of AI was one of the key components behind the SAG-AFTRA strikes. The directors of Late Night with the Devil have now addressed the controversy and set the record straight on the film’s use of AI. Here is everything you need to know about the film’s AI controversy.
Directors Address AI-generated Art in David Dastmalchian’s Late Night With the Devil
Late Night With the Devil is a period horror film set during the 70s that follows the story of David Dastmalchian’s Jack Delroy, a late-night talk show host. The film is written and directed by siblings Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes. It recently held its world premiere on March 10, 2023, and received mostly positive reviews.
Shortly after its premiere, the film was criticized online for allegedly using AI for some of its scenes. In a statement given to Variety, the siblings addressed the AI-related controversy surrounding the film and admitted that they relied on AI for some portions. The statement reads:
“We experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film.”
The Cairnes siblings made the above statement regarding the posters for the fictional talk show Night Owls. The posters appear during some of the transition scenes in the movie. The directors clarified that the use of AI in the film was minimal. They also justified the use of AI as necessary to achieve the 70s aesthetic they envisioned for the film.
Netizens React to the Use of AI in Late Night With the Devil Despite Union Strikes
The use of AI in the film has already generated negative reactions from some netizens in the aftermath of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that shook Hollywood last year. As a result, netizens called out the directors for their use of AI through social media and criticized their choice.
Here is what netizens had to say about the use of AI in Late Night With the Devil on X.
That's the future as we know it. And it won't be the only upcoming film using it
— ReelTalker (@TalkerReel92) March 21, 2024
This is big shocking disappointed I was about to plan to see in cinema now I will wait and torrent it so
— Tanveer Ahmed (@ZahidkhanZ74837) March 21, 2024
So disappointing I was planning to go see this in theaters 👎 now I’ll wait and torrent it so 🏴☠️
— Ava_palindrome (@ava_palindrome) March 21, 2024
They didn’t care enough to make it, why should I care enough to watch it?
— Per-Anders Edwards (@per_anders) March 21, 2024
Welp there goes my enthusiasm for the movie.
— ⁺☾NineInchClawz☽⁺ (@NineInchClawz) March 21, 2024
As the tweets suggest, most netizens were against the use of AI in the film. It seemingly impacted their anticipation and excitement for the film. As a result, some social media users have already lost interest in watching the movie in theaters.
On the other hand, some netizens felt that AI would sooner or later take over various aspects of filmmaking, leading to debates on the pros and cons of AI usage in films. However, others remained unaffected by the use of AI and still plan to watch the movie.
Late Night With the Devil is slated for a theatrical release on March 22, 2024, before making its streaming debut on April 19, 2024, on Shudder.
