The ‘Late Night with the Devil’ AI controversy, explained

Following a wave of critical praise — including Mashable’s review out of SXSW 2023— Late Night with the Devil has been catching heat online for its alleged use of AI-generated imagery. The movie stars David Dastmalchian as a late-night TV host looking to save his show with a Halloween special that goes demonically off the rails.

The conversation around Late Night with the Devil‘s use of AI first began with a one-star Letterboxd review by user based gizmo from March 19, who wrote, “Listen. There’s AI all over this… Don’t let this be the start of accepting this shit in your entertainment.”

Users on X (formerly Twitter) began to screenshot the film’s trailer to dissect the AI allegations.

The AI-generated images in question play as interstitials throughout the film’s fictional live TV broadcast. Among them is an illustration of a skeleton dancing in the middle of a pumpkin patch and the occasional “We’ll be right back” message.

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As discourse around the images grew on social media, Mashable reached out to Shudder for comment. We received a statement from Late Night with the Devil’s co-writers and co-directors, Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes, which confirmed the film’s use of AI.

This same statement was first reported in Variety. It is as follows:

In conjunction with our amazing graphics and production design team, all of whom worked tirelessly to give this film the 70s aesthetic we had always imagined, we experimented with AI for three still images which we edited further and ultimately appear as very brief interstitials in the film. We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a talented and passionate cast, crew and producing team go above and beyond to help bring this film to life. We can’t wait for everyone to see it for themselves this weekend.

Late Night with the Devil‘s use of AI is only the latest in a series of films and TV shows using AI-generated imagery. In 2023, Marvel’s Secret Invasion used AI to create its unnerving opening credits. Earlier in 2024, viewers criticized True Detective: Night Country for background posters that looked AI-generated. All this pushback comes in the wake of Hollywood’s WGA and SAG strikes, during which both unions fought for protections against AI being used to replace their work.

Late Night with the Devil premieres in theaters March 22, and heads to Shudder April 19.