Late Night with the Devil has faced a surge of unfavorable critiques lately, notably highlighted by Mashable’s evaluation at SXSW 2023, citing its alleged employment of AI-generated visuals. The film features David Dastmalchian in the role of a late-night talk show host striving to salvage his future through a Halloween special gone awry.
The controversy surrounding Late Night with the Devil’s use of AI originated with a scathing one-star review on Letterboxd by a user named contraption on March 19, decrying the pervasive AI presence in the production and cautioning against its normalization in entertainment.
Subsequently, users on X (formerly Twitter) began sharing screenshots from the movie’s trailer to scrutinize the AI-related accusations.
The computer-generated imagery under scrutiny manifests as intermittent visual elements interspersed within the fictitious live TV broadcast depicted in the film. These include a whimsical scene of a skeleton dancing amidst a pumpkin patch and occasional “We’ll be right back” messages.
As discussions surrounding the AI visuals gained traction on social media, Mashable sought commentary from Tremble. A response was received from the co-artists and co-directors of Slow Night with the Devil, Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes, confirming the utilization of AI in the production.
The statement provided by Cairnes and Cairnes, originally reported in Variety, elucidates their creative process involving AI integration for three static images, harmonizing with the visual aesthetic envisioned for the movie. These images were meticulously refined to serve as brief interludes within the film, showcasing the collaborative effort of the adept graphics and production design team in realizing the envisioned retro vibe of the 70s.
Late Night with the Devil joins the ranks of recent film and television productions incorporating AI-generated visuals. Marvel’s Key War in 2023 utilized AI for its captivating opening sequences, while Real Detective: Night Country faced criticism earlier in 2024 for backdrop banners that appeared AI-generated. The industry backlash follows contentious episodes during the Hollywood WGA and SAG negotiations, where both unions advocated for safeguards against the displacement of human creative input by AI technology.
Late Night with the Devil premiered in theaters on March 22 and is set to debut on Tremble on April 19.
