devil in ohio movie review

‘Devil in Ohio’ Is a Buckeye State Schlockfest Starring Emily Deschanel: TV Review

By Daniel D'Addario

Daniel D'Addario

Chief TV Critic

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“The lessons of the fire, as we reach for something higher,” a voice wails as images of flying crows and blood dripping down a rose’s thorny stem flood the screen. “With eyes we’ve all come to know, he’s the devil in Ohio .” 

This theme song has a self-conscious ludicrousness that’s ultimately earned by the series it introduces — at least in one sense. Netflix’s “Devil in Ohio” isn’t so great that its missteps end up making sense, but it’s so schlockily unembarrassed by its excesses and its shortcomings alike that it feels difficult to critique. 

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Characters played by Sam Jaeger (as Suzanne’s husband) and Gerardo Celasco (as a detective trying to get to the bottom of just what satanic activity haunts the Buckeye State) float through the proceedings, but no person in this universe ever quite feels real. Mae’s traumas, coming at us in a rush later in the series, are disclosed too hastily to carry much weight, and Suzanne’s own matching memories of abuse feel insufficient to explain her many lapses of judgment and a bit mercenary on the part of the show’s writers. What Suzanne has suffered exists only to make her story make sense, which isn’t novel, but “Devil in Ohio” feels so hastily written that the seams show too clearly.

“Devil in Ohio” premieres on Friday, September 2 on Netflix.

Netflix. Eight episodes (all screened for review).

• Production: Executive Producers: Daria Polatin, Andrew Wilder, Rachel Miller.
• Cast: Emily Deschanel, Sam Jaeger, Gerardo Celasco, Madeleine Arthur , Xaria Dotson, Alisha Newton, Naomi Tan.

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Devil in Ohio review: Troubled girls and satanic cults is Netflix as usual – but entertaining nonetheless

Emily deschanel’s dark thriller may not invent the wheel but it makes for some gripping viewing, article bookmarked.

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It’s hard to recall a time when Netflix Original indeed meant “original”. Lately, it’s been adaptation after adaptation. The output varies in quality, most coming in at a mid-level rating best described as “background noise while I do my laundry” but a few surpass all expectations ( The Queen’s Gambit ). Others make me reconsider my subscription for good ( Echoes ). The latest to throw its hat in the ring is Devil in Ohio , not to be confused with the streamer’s Robert Pattinson film The Devil All the Time , a sinister tale incidentally also set in Ohio.

The eight-episode series puts to screen Daria Polatin’s 2017 novel of the same name, itself inspired by a true story. Bones star Emily Deschanel plays Suzanne, a mother and psychiatrist who invites her new young patient (a believably wide-eyed Madeleine Arthur) into her home when she’s brought into the hospital after a traumatic episode. It’s an act of kindness that comes at the cost of annoying her daughter Jules (Xaria Dotson) who already feels overlooked at home and at school without this new, mysterious teenager in the spotlight. In another world, the plot stops there and Devil in Ohio is a thoughtful drama about trauma and what it means to belong. But this is not that world; this is Netflix world, and by those rules, there must be a nefarious cult or creepy cop waiting in the wings. Appropriately, this has both.

The opening scene of Devil in Ohio tells you a lot about the show. Looking like the ghost of a Victorian child, a waifish Mae flits barefoot through tall grass in a muddy white nightgown. Something or someone, it seems, is chasing her. Crying, Mae runs onto the road and tries desperately to hail down a car. A bloody knife drips from her hand. Shortly after, in hospital, it is revealed she has a pentagram carved into her back. The whole thing is textbook Netflix thriller. Teenage girl? Check. Satanic cult? Check. Gory wound? Check. Later, when Mae sits down for the first dinner with her new family and asks to say grace before reciting a prayer to Morning Star (aka Lucifer, aka the devil), you can’t help but laugh. But when the formula works, it works. At its black heart, Devil in Ohio is a mostly entertaining, if predictable, series as Suzanne and a good-hearted policeman (Gerardo Celasco) try to unearth the truth about Mae, who has begun to act strange – and sinister.

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It’s the relationship between Mae, an abused girl, and her new carer Suzanne, who herself was an abused girl, that is expected to carry the emotional weight here but it’s the one between Mae and Jules that is most interesting. As Mae acclimatises to her new life, she begins to assume Jules’s place at school and at home – even while the two continue to grow close as sisters. It’s a tense, mutable dynamic that’s one of the more believable components of the series.

This being a Netflix thriller, there are, of course, flashbacks. In lesser shows, dipping into the past is a clunky distraction from the action at hand (ahem, Pieces of Her ), but the flashbacks of Devil in Ohio are welcome moments that pull back the veil on the mystery at pace and for once actually deliver on the darkness promised by a show’s premise. Certainly, Devil in Ohio does not reinvent the wheel – and no doubt it’ll be subsumed into the amorphous mass of Netflix adaptations sooner rather than later, but in the moment, it’s decent viewing. Exciting enough, at least, that you won’t be doing laundry at the same time.

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Devil in Ohio Review: When Cults Inflitrate Home Life

Devil in Ohio is a tense thriller capitalizing on the danger that lurks in the shadows.

For many people, cults have been an endless form of fascination , which has heavily bled into the entertainment world in the past couple of years. Streaming platforms like Netflix have become known for their true crime documentaries about serial killers, cults, and everything in between. Audiences have been eating this kind of content up , whether through listening to their daily podcast or turning on the television. Some say this interest stems from the fact that it is true and unbelievable in everyday life, hence many people’s obsession with true crime as a genre. Regardless, Netflix has released a new limited series titled Devil in Ohio , which might be adapted from a novel, but definitely feels like something relevant to the world today.

Devil in Ohio is based on a book by the same name written by showrunner Daria Polatin. The series was announced in September 2021 by Netflix, with an order for eight episodes. Andrew Wilder, who wrote several episodes of Criminal Minds, was included among the executive producers. Devil in Ohio ’s cast was subsequently revealed when the series was announced by the platform and filming began that month. A year later, in September 2022, all eight episodes of the miniseries were released on Netflix. Every two episodes, the director switches, but each comes in with a background on thrillers, horrors, and legal procedures.

Emily Deschanel ( Bones , My Sister’s Keeper ) stars in the leading role of Dr. Suzanne Mathis, a psychiatrist working inside a hospital. Deschanel is fairly familiar with playing doctors like this, as this role echoes her previous one on Fox’s series Bones . The Eyes of Tammy Faye ’s Sam Jaeger portrays Peter, while Gerardo Celasco ( Passions , How To Get Away With Murder ) and Madeleine Arthur ( P.S. I Still Love You , Snowpiercer ) also guest star. This cast seems limited with their experience in thrillers but offers a fresh addition to the genre with their performances.

Fleeing From a Cult Isn’t Easy

Devil in Ohio grounds itself in the story of Dr. Suzanne Mathis, a kind-hearted doctor that seeks to help out every patient she can. One day, when a trucker finds a girl on the side of the road, Suzanne’s life finds itself completely changed. As one of Suzanne’s daughter's grumbles after she goes to work one morning, she is always trying to save someone. Fitting for a psychiatrist, but in the case of extraordinary circumstances, can lead to one’s downfall. She sympathetically brings the girl home, despite her not communicating and being incapable of articulating what exactly she went through to land in the hospital. At the same time, Suzanne has younger daughters at home who can help coach the girl, eventually identified as Mae after Suzanne coaches her, in an attempt to assimilate back into the real world.

But there is a catch to all of this: it is quickly revealed Mae escaped from a cult. She is from Amon County, where a character comments how a strange community like the Amish. Mae escaped from the community, but her fleeing comes with a certain set of consequences, and important people, including the Amon County sheriff, are trying to track her down. At the same time, Suzanne’s family has their own variations of subplots. One of the daughters, Jules, deeply struggles at school and is denied the opportunity to sit with her elder sister due to her lack of popularity. Suzanne’s husband, Peter, is a real estate agent and suffers from the consequences of a buyer backing out of a house deal, leading him to pick up the pieces. The family is slowly falling apart individually before Mae enters the household, so when it is her time to shine in the Mathis home, so begins the domino effect.

Where Mae is from, they worship Satan/Lucifer, and when she finally starts talking and is introduced into the Mathis home, the subplot of the cult wanting her back is gradually brought into the story. As the camera switches between the characters and their individual stories, flashbacks are woven into the storyline to introduce aspects of trauma that might not be directly spoken about in an everyday conversation. These slightly forced moments of exposition do little for the plot as a whole, especially when it comes to pivoting toward the police officer trying to figure out where Mae came from. As he tries to uncover the truth behind the cult, it seems counter-intuitive to have him asking the same questions as Suzanne, thus losing his purpose in the grand scheme of things.

Related: American Vandal: Revisiting the Comic Brilliance of This True-Crime Mockumentary

An Eerie, but Uncomplicated Thriller

From the get-go, as soon as Devil in Ohio releases its first round of surprises, it becomes increasingly obvious where this story is going to go. Suzanne Mathis is set up to be the woman who has it all originally. She is a doctor, has a family with three daughters and a husband working as a real estate agent, and everyone has problems except Suzanne until Mae is introduced into her life. This specific detail implies that Suzanne is the anchor keeping all of this together, failing to notice what is wrong in her own family’s life and that when she, too, finally crumbles under the pressure everything is going to get so much more real.

Suzanne’s flaws become more evident as the story progresses, and she makes some emotional decisions instead of logically sitting down with the issue at hand. This writing unravels the narrative that she is a confident, assured woman, and leans on the tropes of an emotional woman. However, this makes her more human at the end of the day—she may be obsessed with Mae’s situation and circumstances, but often it only takes one unknown variable to topple a house of cards. This balances well with Peter, Suzanne’s husband because he defies the expectation of the television dad. He is deep in debt and does not seem to have his life together either, which makes all of this even more disastrous than it already has been.

One of the series’ biggest plights was that it did not have enough time to spend with the characters. It does some aspects of the plot right, such as establishing the individual Mathis family members’ issues before Mae comes into the fold, alleviating the perfect amount of tension at times to keep the viewer wanting more and asking what will happen next. However, this tension happens to occur sporadically and is not enough to warrant a rewatch. At times Devil in Ohio is excruciatingly slow, the conversation slow, stiff, and dull when compared to its tighter moments with quick, snappy dialogue and exciting reveals. It had the potential to be a very good thriller if done right, but the show falls victim to the details that ultimately hold it back.

Related: Netflix to Debut True Crime Docuseries I Just Killed My Dad in August

Mae and Suzanne are the characters central to this story. While Suzanne might be the person keeping the illusion of peace with her family together, Mae becomes the anchor for the entire show. Without Mae and the mystery of who she is being done right, the show would have fallen apart completely. Based on the circumstances of how she appeared in the hospital, and how tight-lipped she has been about her past, there are more than enough reasons to suspect her. Combined with her background, that adds an even deeper layer of suspicion. Her presence alone can be unnerving at times, adding to the sinister thread that permeates into almost every scene towards the latter half of the episodes. It would be to the series’ benefit, however, to have potentially expanded upon and given Mae more room to be explored as a character.

Devil in Ohio has several flaws, it still is a decent thriller. It keeps its viewers wanting more, guessing the details behind what a character’s motives and background might be before plummeting to reveals in the final episodes. It does lean into the hype currently around cults, as Netflix especially has been known to be creating a lot of true crime documentary series, several of which include the topics discussed in Devil in Ohio . Will there be a season two? It might be hard to say as of right now, but the series is worth watching at least once even if it is not renewed. Some may find themselves frustrated with certain plot points and characters, but as the episodes blur and drag by, it may be worth overlooking by the end.

All eight episodes of Devil in Ohio are available to stream exclusively on Netflix as of September 2, 2022.

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Devil in Ohio: Limited Series Reviews

With its omnipotent crows, pig head on a stake, and of course, the Geraldine/Christabel echoes, this Emily Deschanel-starrer is fun for its literary allusions...

Full Review | Oct 4, 2023

Devil in Ohio has an issue with the characters’ journey and by the end of the show, it’s difficult to feel sorry for their outcomes because of the decisions made by Suzanne.

Full Review | Sep 8, 2023

Devil in Ohio is a badly made miniseries that wants to capitalize on the somewhat niche trend of horror films about cults, even though its definition of horror is fake jump scares.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jul 20, 2023

Devil in Ohio delivers a solid if unexceptional, thriller story. Its delivery of how complicated the actions and motives of much of its cast is interesting but doesn’t pull enough weight to fully compensate for the main story...

Full Review | Original Score: 6.5/10 | Jan 14, 2023

In good measure, this is a coming-of-age story with a powerful and moving ending. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Oct 18, 2022

Despite the appeal of the cult, Devil in Ohio is a slow-burner that one struggles to binge - a show I probably would never have finished if I didn't have to review it.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/3 | Oct 1, 2022

Arthur is great to watch and suitably ambiguous, right to the end of the eight-part limited series. It would have been better shorter, but it’s agreeable low-effort viewing all the same.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 22, 2022

A series full of flat, uninteresting characters that are driven purely by plot and mid-tier actors who provide the sheen of prestige... In critical parlance, Devil in Ohio sucks. Hard.

Full Review | Sep 9, 2022

Devil in Ohio doesn’t quite have a grasp on the type of series it wants to be. It thrives when the cult-like behavior is at the forefront but stumbles when the focus is on its unnecessary subplots.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Sep 9, 2022

Hokey horror fun.

This is a run-of-the-mill spooky mystery drama, but calling it "run-of-the-mill" doesn't mean it's bad. Indeed, Devil in Ohio hits all of the main beats fans of this genre love...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 9, 2022

... The precise intersection of suburban family drama, tepid thriller and Cult Stuff necessary to entice an exhausted audience into a six-hour lull of one-dimensional characters, “Go Buckeyes” and Satanic abstractions.

Full Review | Sep 8, 2022

Devil in Ohio represents the “Netflix divide” when it comes to content quality. I can easily see this same story being adapted into a quality HBO series like Sharp Objects, The Outsider or Mare of Easttown, but it’s miles below of any of those.

Full Review | Sep 5, 2022

Certainly, Devil in Ohio does not reinvent the wheel -- and no doubt it’ll be subsumed into the amorphous mass of Netflix adaptations sooner rather than later, but in the moment, it’s decent viewing.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 2, 2022

At times it feels like something that’s a bit too slick and a bit too uncomplicated for a show that’s about a cult victim that ruins lives...

Full Review | Sep 2, 2022

Netflix’s Devil in Ohio isn’t so great that its missteps end up making sense, but it’s so schlockily unembarrassed by its excesses and its shortcomings alike that it feels difficult to critique.

Disjointed as it is, It revolves around the question of whether Mae is a bad seed or just damaged, and Arthur is an ethereal enough actor to keep the question open. It’s messy TV but, really, you can’t go too wrong with devil worshipers.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Sep 2, 2022

Devil in Ohio is intriguing at the beginning and starts off with a darkly mysterious storyline. Unfortunately, though, the show loses the plot and gets bogged down in tangents that detract from the story more than they complement.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 2, 2022

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Devil in Ohio review – a formulated Netflix adaptation

This review of the Netflix limited series Devil in Ohio does not contain spoilers. 

READ: the ending explained for Devil in Ohio.

It’s extraordinary for Netflix to release this series on the day Amazon launches Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power . I’m not saying that everyone will watch the mentioned series, but the streaming market is so saturated these days that timeliness is essential. Devil in Ohio,  a limited series, was released with barely a finger lifted, with marketing thinner than usual. Based on the book of the same name by Daria Polatin, the series was not given a fighting chance, making it feel deliberate.

Devil in Ohio follows psychiatrist Dr. Suzanne Mathis (played by Emily Deschanel – Animal Kingdom ), who shelters an intriguing cult escapee named Mae (played by Madeleine Arthur – To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before ), which threatens the safety of her family. Her husband, Peter (played by Sam Jaeger – The Handmaid’s Tale ), is a property developer with a failing business. The family is relatively ordinary, but their world is turned upside with the introduction of Mae. The story comes with mystery and light horror as the world of satanic symbolism, and religious imagery becomes a terrifying concept.

The premise has everything you’d expect. With a few minor twists along the way, Devil in Ohio  is a relatively predictable limited series that will just stimulate the brain. The horror moments are a little too soft for what it is worth, and the twists are predictable.

Propping the series up is the teen drama tropes. While the trailer and initial premise would like you to think that this is a serious horror, it has that YA feel as the daughter of Suzanne, Jules Mathis (played by Xaria Dotson), becomes significantly involved with her personal life at school, coupled with Mae seemingly affecting her social life.

That’s not to say that the supporting characters are not interesting, but something is amiss. Scenes with Suzanne and Mae are far more interesting than the encroaching cult and the woes of the other characters. Scenes showing how Mae’s presence impacts their lives are equally as interesting. When Devil in Ohio focuses on the subplots, it feels like a formulated Netflix adaptation.

The series feels like it had more promise than what it was selling. Without familiarity with the book, it’s hard to make a clear judgment, but the genericness makes it a surface-level experience, dogged in intriguing mysteries. The series makes you feel like you will experience a story like Servant , but instead, you get a run-of-a-miller thriller horror.

But, confusingly, it’s worth a punt. Devil in Ohio is not for the trash can, and there is plenty here to enjoy in the performances, even if the characters could do with more depth. Netflix has put a lot of money into its limited series, but this is not the best of the bunch.

What did you think of the Netflix limited series Devil in Ohio? Comment below.

You can watch this series with a subscription to Netflix.

Article by Daniel Hart

Daniel is the co-founder of Ready Steady Cut and has served as Editor-in-Chief since 2017. Since then, Dan has been at the top of his game by ensuring that we only produce and upload content of exceptional quality and that we’re up to date with the latest additions to the streaming and entertainment world.

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Devil in Ohio – Netflix Series Review

Posted by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard | Sep 2, 2022 | 4 minutes

DEVIL IN OHIO on Netflix is a new limited series in the thriller, mystery, and horror genres. As indicated by the title, we’re dealing with religion, but also cults and terrible abuse. Emily Deschanel ( Bones ) stars. Read our full Devil in Ohio series review here!

DEVIL IN OHIO is a new Netflix thriller-mystery limited series with lots of horror elements. Having the word “devil” in the title is usually a pretty good indication of something horror related. For this story, religion in the form of fanaticism and cults is at the forefront.

Personally, I always find religion creepy when people use it as a weapon rather than to love and support their fellow man. So, it probably goes without saying, that this kind of story is just my sort of thing. There are eight 45-minute episodes in the series and they are all out on Netflix now.

Continue reading our Devil in Ohio mini-series review below. The series premieres on Netflix on September 2, 2022.

Great to see Emily Deschanel again!

I absolutely loved the series Bones and I have really missed seeing Emily Deschanel on my screen. The fact that she stars in  Devil in Ohio  is probably enough reason for many people to check it out. And it should be because she is back in wonderful form. Yet again playing a doctor, but a very different kind.

Her name is Suzanne and she is also someone with a clearly traumatic past. No spoilers in this Devil in Ohio  series review and since I haven’t read the book it’s based on, I didn’t know what to expect either.

From episode 1,  Devil in Ohio  should be intriguing enough to make you keep watching. There is a constant creepiness lurking just out of sight. It’s more of a feeling at first, but you will also see enough to make you realize there is indeed something sinister going on.

Great casting

While I am personally very happy to see Emily Deschanel (as I know many others will be), the entire cast of Devil in Ohio is really impressive. Especially the other starring character, who is the source of the “mystery” element in this limited Netflix series.

She is portrayed perfectly by Madeleine Arthur, who can make the switch from angelic to demonic in a split second. Basically, you don’t exactly know what to expect from her, but since the opening scene shows her escaping from her home, you know something is very wrong.

When you hear her Say Grace, you’ll get an idea of just what kind of home she grew up in. Yikes!

The name of this character is Mae (though she is referred to as Lauren Trauma until she actually talks) and it’s fascinating to see Madeleine Arthur ( Snowpiercer ) play this character.

MORE STARRING MADELEINE ARTHUR Check out our review of the crazy Lovecraft-inspired movie  Color Out of Space  here >

The character of Peter (husband of Emily Deschanel’s “Suzanne”) is another important character. He’s portrayed by Sam Jaeger ( The Handmaid’s Tale, Why Women Kill ) who is definitely not someone sporting a “dad bod”. Peter is battling serious financial struggles and tries to support his family emotionally, but doesn’t share his own problems.

Other key roles are played by Xaria Dotson ( The Birch ), Gerardo Celasco ( How to Get Away With Murder ), Bradley Stryker ( Let Him Go ), and Samantha Ferris ( Supernatural ). Later on, you’ll also see Tahmoh Penikett ( Battlestar Galactica ), Keenan Tracey ( Polaroid ), and Ty Wood ( Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ).

Is Devil in Ohio based on a true story?

Devil in Ohio is based on Daria Polatin’s bestselling book of the same name and it is inspired by a true story. Executive producer, Rachel Miller, heard about some true events, that took place in Ohio, and the book was created from that.

But the cult portrayed is completely fictional and Polatin simply created it for the show. They came up with the ideology — and even wrote some of the Book of Covenants, the cult Bible.

Watch the Devil in Ohio  series on Netflix now!

As mentioned above, Daria Polatin is the creator of the Netflix series Devil in Ohio  which makes perfect sense as she is also the author of the book it’s based on. Plus, Daria Polatin is already an accomplished teleplay writer for many amazing TV series. These include the Stephen King-based series Castle Rock   and Prime Video’s  Jack Ryan  series.

She is also the showrunner on this Netflix adaption of her book while four directors have directed the episodes.

The directors on the  Devil in Ohio  limited series are John Fawcett ( Orphan Black, The Man in the High Castle ) with three episodes, Steven A. Adelson ( Sleepy Hollow, 12 Monkeys, and The Exorcist series) and Leslie Hope ( Lost in Space , Snowpiercer ) each with two, and Brad Anderson ( Fractured , Session 9 ) directed one.

If you like stories about cults and the very dark side of religion and society, then be sure to check out  Devil in Ohio . Having recently watched a lot of true-crime documentaries about this , it almost felt too familiar and real. Then again, seeing Emily “Bones” Deschanel made me be able to enjoy the fictional aspect of it rather quickly.

 Devil in Ohio is out on Netflix from September 2, 2022.

Creator: Daria Polatin Directors: John Fawcett, Steven A. Adelson, Leslie Hope, Brad Anderson Stars: Emily Deschanel, Madeleine Arthur, Stacey Farber, Alisha Newton, Sam Jaeger, Gerardo Celasco, Tahmoh Penikett, Samantha Ferris, Bradley Stryker, Jason Sakaki, Naomi Tan, Evan Ellison

When hospital psychiatrist Dr. Suzanne Mathis shelters a mysterious cult escapee, her world is turned upside down as the strange girl’s arrival threatens to tear her own family apart.

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Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard

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Devil in Ohio (2022)

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Devil in Ohio (2022) Netflix Miniseries: Review, Recap & Ending Explained

Devil in ohio (2022) netflix miniseries recap:.

After escaping a satanic cult in Amontown, Mae (Madeleine Arthur) finds solace in the arms of her doctor, Suzanne (Emily Deschanel). Mae has a bloody pentagram sign carved on her back. Feeling responsible, Suzanne brings Mae to her house, and into her family. As a temporary measure. Before finding a suitable foster place for her. Her family, consisting of her husband, Peter (Sam Jaeger), and three daughters, Helen (Alisha Newton), Jules (Xaria Dotson), and Dani (Naomi Tan) are not immediately drawn to their new guest.

Meanwhile, Mae starts to forge a friendship with Jules, and she succeeds. Jules also gradually becomes quite close to Mae. Mae helps Jules in her photographic work for the school paper, which in turn brings Jules closer to her crush. However, in the process, Mae also slowly starts to become popular, especially once everyone comes to know about her scarred background. All the while, members of the cult have been following Mae and Suzanne’s family in white vans.

Devil in Ohio (2022) Netflix Miniseries Review:

“Devil in Ohio” is based on the showrunner, Daria Polatin’s own book by the same name. It is helmed by multiple directors. Steven A. Adelson, Brad Anderson, John Fawcett, and Leslie Hope share the directorial duties with two episodes for each assignment. The efforts can be seen to take this occult-based thriller to the heights reached by shows such as “True Detective” and “Midnight Mass”. However, as mentioned, it falters along the way.

Perhaps the intention in “Devil in Ohio” was to produce an exploration of multiple facets of abuse in its various forms. However, the story lacks the nuance and dexterity that would have made this blend of genres seamless. This incoherence made the show quite unfocused as if the story does not know what it wants to tell.

Emily Deschanel and Madeleine Arthur are decent as the two leads. Madeleine Arthur has some moments to shine, but she is also bound by her character, Mae’s, continuous ebbs and flows. Barring some, most of the supporting cast does well too. The show is quite well shot and edited. The first couple of episodes continuously maintained heightened suspense that was due to the steady progression of tension in each scene. The in-roads laid in the first couple of episodes are the driving force that would help you stick around with this show, even though the story starts to fumble.

Devil in Ohio (2022) Netflix Miniseries Ending, Explained:

Does mae survive the cult.

It is revealed that Mae is the daughter of the cult leader, Malachi. She has been chosen as the next human sacrifice to Lucifer, the devil. The cult believes that this sacrifice will bring peace and save their crops. The conviction in Malachi is so strong that even his wife and Mae’s mother are ready to throw their daughter on the funeral pyre.

Suzanne lets Detective Lopez know that she is going to Amontown to save Mae. She reaches just in time to save her, after a kerfuffle. Mae’s mother sacrifices herself instead. Lopez, a couple of days later finds that all the cult members, including Malachi, have left Amontown.

Is Mae evil?

Peter, along with his three daughters lives separately now due to Suzanne choosing to shelter Mae indefinitely in their original house. However, both Peter and Suzanne long to be together with Helen, Jules, and Dani. With Detective Lopez’s call to Suzanne about Mae being duplicitous, Suzanne might just finally take a decision on Mae’s future.

Mae might not be evil. But there are certain streaks, no doubt cultivated by her upbringing, that make her quite dangerous to people around her.

Read More: Echoes (2022) Netflix Miniseries: Recap & Ending Explained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScEl_smzT3A

Devil in Ohio (2022) Show Links – IMDb Devil in Ohio (2022) Show Cast – Emily Deschanel, Sam Jaeger, Gerardo Celasco, Madeleine Arthur, Xaria Dotson, Alisha Newton

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‘Devil in Ohio’: Release Date, Trailer, Cast & Everything You Need to Know About the Netflix Series

Emily Deschanel is back in a lead role!

Quick Links

When is devil in ohio’s release date, how many episodes are there in devil in ohio, watch the devil in ohio trailer, who is in the devil in ohio cast, when and where was devil in ohio filmed, what is the story of devil in ohio.

It’s been a few years since we saw Emily Deschanel featured in a central role, her last really big series being Fox's Bones . And now Deschanel is back in Netflix’s all-new thriller series Devil in Ohio . The limited series is inspired by real-life events, as documented in the book of the same name by Daria Polatin , who serves as the showrunner and the lead writer on the show. Polatin is a writer and producer who is best known for previously being a part of popular projects like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan , Castle Rock , Condor , etc. She also serves as an executive producer for the Netflix original series, along with Rachel Miller and Andrew Wilder , with Ian Hay and Jadene Stojak Babcock serving as producers.

Devil in Ohio follows a psychiatrist, Dr. Suzanne Mathis, who gives asylum to Mae, an escapee from a mysterious, satanic cult. But trying to save the poor girl turns Dr. Mathis’ world upside down and puts her and her family’s lives in danger. This psychological, satanic thriller joins other original thriller titles from the streamer, like The Imperfects , Narco-Saints , Santo , etc., all releasing the same month.

Before Devil in Ohio arrives on the streaming network this September, check out our guide below and find out everything we know so far about the limited series, including details about the plot, trailer, release date, cast, characters, and more.

Related: Satanic Panic Coming-of-Age Thriller Series 'Hysteria!' Coming to Peacock

A Netflix original, Devil in Ohio is scheduled to release on Friday, September 2, 2022, with all episodes streaming on the same day.

There are eight episodes for Devil in Ohio , each running for about 45 minutes. All episodes will be available to stream on the same day of the release, i.e. on September 2. The episodes have been directed by John Fawcett ( Orphan Black ), Brad Anderson ( Titans ), Leslie Hope ( Lost in Space ), and Steve Adelson ( 12 Monkeys ). Here are the episode titles:

Episode 1: "Broken Fall"

Episode 2: "Sanctuary"

Episode 3: "Mother's Keeper"

Episode 4: "Rely-Upon"

Episode 5: "Alight"

Episode 6: "My Love and I"

Episode 7: "By Blood"

Episode 8: "The Dawning"

The trailer of Devil in Ohio , released in August 2022, does a great job of teasing the mysterious and ominous tone of the series. In it, we see how Suzanne meets Mae and brings her into her home. The clip also teases the nefarious cult that Mae escaped from and strongly suggests that she may have been intended to be some sort of human sacrifice. The trailer also teases the investigation into the cult and shows that there are great dangers waiting for Suzanne. And the biggest threat of all may just be Mae herself, who seems to be developing an obsession with Suzanne and a hatred towards the rest of her family.

Devil in Ohio is headlined by Emily Deschanel, who is best known for her role as Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan in Fox’s hit drama Bones and more recently for her recurring role on Animal Kingdom . The series also stars Madeleine Arthur , best known as a series regular on ABC's The Family and Snowpiercer . Sam Jaegar , Gerardo Celasco , Xaria Dotson , Alisha Newton , and Naomi Tan also join the cast in significant roles.

Deschanel plays the protagonist Dr. Suzanne Mathis, a hospital psychiatrist; Arthur stars as Mae, the victim who escaped from a satanic cult; and Dotson appears as Jules Mathis, Suzanne’s teenage daughter. Jaeger plays Peter, Celasco plays Detective Lopez, Newton appears as Helen, and Tan as Dani.

In other roles, there’s also Djouliet Amara as Tatiana, Jason Sakaki as Isaac, Marci T. House as Adele, Samantha Ferris as Rhoda, Evan Ellison as Sebastian, Ty Wood as Teddy, Stacey Farber as Gina, Bradley Stryker as Sheriff Wilkins, Tahmoh Penikett as Malachi, and Keenan Tracey as Noah.

Related: How 'Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey' Makes the Horrors of Religious Cults Easy to Understand

The production for Devil in Ohio started in September 2021 and was completed in December 2021. The filming took place in and around Vancouver.

The story of Devil in Ohio seems similar to many cult-based stories we have seen earlier in shows like True Detective or The Sinner , or even Midnight Mass , where the participants of such communities often find themselves in danger, sometimes leading to murders. Devil in Ohio will most likely take that route.

From what we know so far, Suzanne Mathis takes in Mae, a victim of a secret satanic society who manages to escape but seems mentally troubled. In the process of protecting her, Mathis gets emotionally involved and tries to solve the mystery of what happened to Mae. Soon she's caught in a race to see if the cult can be discovered and reported to the authorities in time before they get to her. What's more, as the trailer shows, Suzanne herself seems to be getting into more trouble than she bargained for by bringing Mae into her home.

Here’s an excerpt and synopsis from the book by Polatin, which received great reviews from critics and fans alike, and is the basis of the thriller series:

When fifteen-year-old Jules Mathis comes home from school to find a strange girl sitting in her kitchen, her psychiatrist mother reveals that Mae is one of her patients at the hospital and will be staying with their family for a few days. But soon Mae is wearing Jules’s clothes, sleeping in her bedroom, edging her out of her position on the school paper, and flirting with Jules’s crush. And Mae has no intention of leaving. Then things get weird. Jules walks in on a half-dressed Mae, startled to see: a pentagram carved into Mae’s back. Jules pieces together clues and discovers that Mae is a survivor of the strange cult that’s embedded in a nearby town. And the cult will stop at nothing to get Mae back.

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Devil in ohio, common sense media reviewers.

Standard mystery-drama delivers spooks with violence.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Compassion, courage, and empathy are necessary to

Suzanne (Emily Deschanel) and Detective Lopez (Ger

While Gerardo Celasco is playing the only main cha

Scary and tense scenes, scenes with or describing

Scenes with kissing, partial nudity (torso).

Exclamatory use of "Jesus." "S--tty." Ableist use

Mention of sedatives for medical use in a hospital

Parents need to know that Devil in Ohio is a scary mystery-drama about a girl who escapes a satanic cult and the psychiatrist who helps her. The series features discussions about satanism, which might not be great for families who are sensitive to discussions about the devil and cults. The series features…

Positive Messages

Compassion , courage, and empathy are necessary to help someone in danger.

Positive Role Models

Suzanne (Emily Deschanel) and Detective Lopez (Gerardo Celasco) are both doing their best to help Mae (Madeleine Arthur) escape from the cult she grew up in. As a psychiatrist, Suzanne uses her ability to connect with Mae through empathy and compassion. Suzanne, Mae, and Det. Lopez also show courage when facing down the cult.

Diverse Representations

While Gerardo Celasco is playing the only main character of color in the series, a few secondary characters are racially diverse, including Suzanne's adopted daughter Dani (Naomi Tan), Jules' friend Isaac Kimura (Jason Sakaki), Jules' crush Sebastian (Evan Ellison), nurse Adele (Marci T. House), and Helen's love interest Tatiana (Djouliet Amara). Isaac and Tatiana also provide LGBTQ+ representation. However, Isaac's love life isn't as fleshed out as Tatiana's, since she eventually develops a relationship with Helen. Isaac could be seen as a more stereotypical representation since he falls into the "gay best friend" trope.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Scary and tense scenes, scenes with or describing torture and gore, images of dead or dying animals. Most scares are atmospheric and eerie in nature. Violence includes death, allusions to domestic violence, and gun violence.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Exclamatory use of "Jesus." "S--tty." Ableist use of "klepto" (making fun of someone by insinuating they are a kleptomaniac even though the condition is a rare mental illness).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Mention of sedatives for medical use in a hospital setting.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Devil in Ohio is a scary mystery-drama about a girl who escapes a satanic cult and the psychiatrist who helps her. The series features discussions about satanism, which might not be great for families who are sensitive to discussions about the devil and cults. The series features scary and tense situations and scenes, as well as mentions and scenes with violence, including domestic violence, gun violence, and torture.

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (1)
• Kids say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

Great show, some violence, some language. Nothing a kid can't handle.

What's the story.

DEVIL IN OHIO, based on Daria Polatin's YA novel, focuses on a teenage girl named Mae ( Madeleine Arthur ), who escapes a satanic cult and finds herself in the hospital under psychiatrist Suzanne's ( Emily Deschanel ) care. When Suzanne places Mae in her home with her family, she is able to learn more about the cult that Mae came from, as well as how to save her from their clutches.

Is It Any Good?

This is a run-of-the-mill spooky mystery drama, but calling it "run-of-the-mill" doesn't mean it's bad. Indeed, Devil in Ohio hits all of the main beats fans of this genre love, while providing some YA content as well, with the central mystery revolving around a teenage girl and how that mystery comes to entangle many of the cast's teen characters. Overall, it's an easily bingeable show for fans of the types of creepy shows that might air during Fox's primetime hour.

If you liked Deschanel from her time on Bones , you'll like what she's doing in Devil in Ohio as well. Once again, she's a doctor, but instead of solving crimes, she's a hospital psychiatrist. But regardless, she's using her skills and abilities to help those in need. Arthur as Mae is also good as a girl who slowly unravels her trauma to become more empowered than she was before. As for the mystery itself, it's rife with eerie imagery and scares, as well as some torture. But as far as scary shows go, Devil in Ohio is light in actual terror and is more focused on atmospheric scares. Viewers who don't like watching anything regarding satanism might want to sit this one out. Otherwise, fans of light scares around spooky season should give Devil in Ohio a try.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Mae. How does she show resilience and courage?

How does Suzanne's prior experience with trauma inform her decision-making with Mae?

How does Suzanne show compassion and empathy to Mae?

How is racial diversity represented in the series?

How are LGBTQ+ experiences represented in the series?

• Premiere date : September 2, 2022
• Cast : Emily Deschanel , Madeleine Arthur , Gerardo Celasco , Sam Jaeger
• Network : Netflix
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
• Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Empathy
• TV rating : TV-MA
• Last updated : February 17, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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The best movie you missed in theaters just arrived on streaming — and it’s 97% on Rotten Tomatoes

‘Late Night with the Devil’ is the freshest horror movie in years

Big-budget blockbusters have been hitting theaters at a regular clip in recent months making it easy to miss some less high-profile movies. Catching "smaller" movies on the big screen becomes even more tricky when many chains decide to skip showing them in favor of another “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” screening. 

“Late Night with the Devil” is one such movie. While I was able to see it at my local movie theater on opening weekend back in late March, before I could even recommend it to more than a few close family and friends, it had already been replaced by more showings of forgettable popcorn flicks like “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire." Yes, I’m bitter it didn't get more time in the spotlight. 

It’s a great shame that many people likely missed their chance to see “Late Night with the Devil” in theaters, as it’s easily one of the most creatively inspired horror movies of the last few years. And it completely changed my opinion on the found footage format, reminding me that when used in the right context it can ratchet up the tension and increase the scares. 

Fortunately, if you missed this movie in theaters, now is your chance to atone for that mistake. This fantastic movie is now streaming at home, on the horror-specific service Shudder . Alternatively, you can buy the movie on Amazon Prime . 

Here’s why “Late Night with the Devil” is the best movie you can watch right now. And also check out what's new on Netflix this week . 

“Late Night with the Devil” blew me away 

“Late Night with the Devil” is a seriously spooky horror movie presented in the style of a late-night talk show. If you want a quick elevator pitch, think “The Tonight Show” but instead of a Johnny Carson-type interviewing an A-list pop star about their new record, they’ve brought a possessed child onto the studio set and soon enough all hell breaks loose.

In the movie, David Dastmalchian plays Jack Delroy, the host of the fictional talk show “Night Owls” which enjoyed a wave of popularity in its early seasons, but is now fading into obscurity and is struggling for rating. In a desperate attempt to get more viewers watching, Jack invites a supposedly possessed girl on his show, alongside a magician-turned-skeptic who publicly debunks those claiming to have psychic power. What follows is a live broadcast of sheer terror.   

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Most of the movie takes place during the broadcast but when Jack throws to a commercial break, the cameras keep rolling. During these black-and-white sequences, various behind-the-scenes shenanigans unfold as Jack juggles unhappy studio executives and disgruntled guests. We also get a glimpse into Jack’s personal life during these moments.

Much like “Night Owls” rests on Jack Delroy's shoulders, “Late Night with the Devil” hinges on the performance of Dastmalchian, and the actor is nearly flawless in the leading role. Delroy oscillates between charming and sleazy, and his futile attempts to hold the show together as things get increasingly sinister are engaging. It’s practically an awards-caliber performance. 

I’m keen to avoid divulging any spoilers, as the real joy of “Late Night with the Devil” is watching the taping descend into a feverish nightmare with a few unexpected twists along the way. Plus, the blood-soaked ending is haunting. If you have the nerve for a spine-chilling horror movie, you need to see “Late Night with the Devil”. 

“Late Night with the Devil” reviews — critics love it

I’m not alone in my enthusiasm for “Late Night with the Devil”. The movie currently holds a 97% score on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes from a significant sample size of 180 reviews. Plus, its audience score is also very solid at 82%. 

AV Club ’s Matthew Jackson has plenty of praise for the movie: “Virtually everything about ‘Late Night With The Devil’ works, from its sets to its costumes to its casting to its impeccable sound design. It’s a gem on every level, and it’s already a contender for the best new horror film of 2024” and that’s an assessment that I very much agree with myself. 

Dennis Harvey of Variety noted that the movie manages to balance light comedy elements that poke fun at the late-night talk shows of the 70s with its unnerving horror. “The mix of vintage Me Decade showbiz cheese and “Exorcist”-y demonic doings is distinctive, not to mention deftly handled by the brothers as both writers and directors,” said Harvey. 

However, not every critic was won over, Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com said, “The movie gets in its own way and trips over itself repeatedly” in a mixed write-up. 

You need to stream “Late Night with the Devil” 

It's shaping up to be a pretty fantastic year for horror movies, but “Late Night with the Devil” is going to take some beating for my personal favorite of 2024. 

It’s a totally fresh film with a note-perfect leading performance from David Dastmalchian and a slowly developing sense of dread that matches the very best of the genre. It’s a must-watch either on Shudder or via Amazon.

Meanwhile, if you want to know which other scary flicks are set to arrive in theaters over the next eight months, we’ve got a guide to the best new horror movies set for release on the big screen in 2024 from “A Quiet Place: Day One” to “Alien: Romulus.”

More from Tom's Guide

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Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team. 

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‘AHS: Delicate’ Finale: Kim Kardashian Brings a Devil Baby Into a Eugenics Cult

THE GRAND FINALE

Severed testicles, a feathered ’80s wig, supernatural incantations, and murder highlight Kardashian’s performance in the bonkers finale of “American Horror Story: Delicate.”

Coleman Spilde

Entertainment Critic

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/FX

Do you hear the ceremonial bagpipes playing? That’s the sound of a few ruddy Celtic men blowing into their horns to honor the dearly departed spirit of our darling Siobhan Corbyn. We knew her for less than a year, but what we had together felt like a lifetime.

If that name strikes you funny, perhaps you should brush up on your Irish royal history. Siobhan was Kim Kardashian’s suspiciously named character on American Horror Story: Delicate , an uber-bitchy, high-powered Hollywood publicist with a strange obsession with her pregnant client, actress Anna Victoria Alcott (Emma Roberts), and Anna’s unborn child.

( Warning: spoilers ahead.)

Turns out: Siobhan is not just a maneuvering Tinseltown monster, but a literal she-devil. In tonight’s finale, we learned that Siobhan preyed on the fetal youth of women for centuries as part of a convoluted master plan—clearly thought up about 10 minutes before the actors were due on the AHS set—to create a man-eating matriarchy.

But we had hints about Siobhan’s darker nature as far back as September, when Season 12 of AHS began airing . (Its second half was delayed due to the SAG/AFTRA strike.) Throughout the season, we watched as Siobhan manipulated Anna, isolated her from her loved ones, and recommended strange methods of prenatal care that no good friend would ever offer their pregnant bestie, all under the guise of getting Anna her first Oscar.

What I and presumably AHS: Delicate ’s other 39 viewers could never quite pinpoint was why exactly Siobhan was messing with Anna, and why Siobhan was named, well, Siobhan ! What business did Ryan Murphy and his cohorts have casting proud Armenian-American Kim Kardashian in her first proper acting role outside of Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva just to give her the most Irish lady name this side of Saoirse? Siobhan’s backstory remained a mystery for most of the season, with only a few glimpses of her centuries-long life sprinkled throughout. (Last week’s reveal that Siobhan was on set comforting Mia Farrow during the filming of Rosemary’s Baby was at best ludicrous and at worst reprehensible.)

Finally, in this week’s long-awaited season finale, we were given the answers we’ve craved. Well, with a caveat: This is a Ryan Murphy production, so the information supplied by the big finish was rushed, sparse, and largely irrelevant. The episode did, however, shed light on what Siobhan and her coven of equally runway-ready witches wanted with Anna’s child. The reveals were just as goofy and outrageous as the rest of the season, but surprisingly, a blast to watch. There were big, ugly wigs, incest subplots, genetic meddling, and poisonous manicures—and that’s just the trailer for The Kardashians Season 5! I kid, but this episode really did have everything, except an answer to our biggest question of all: What is the deal with Siobhan’s goddamn name?

The finale begins where the penultimate episode left off, with Anna going into labor after accepting her hard-won Best Actress Oscar for her surprise hit film, The Auteur . Siobhan ushers her backstage, promising to meet her at the hospital. While lying in the back of the ambulance with her boyfriend Dex (Matt Czuchry) by her side, Anna notices that one of the strange women who has been stalking her, Ivy (Cara Delevingne), is driving the vehicle. Anna screams in terror, before we’re suddenly thrust back in time to the 1980s, in a scene where Kardashian is given her first of many chances in the finale to go full-tilt, madcap camp queen. Siobhan is wheeling and dealing with Dr. Hill (Denis O’Hara), the fertility specialist who did Anna’s IVF in the present day. “I want to make a deal with you,” Siobhan’s disembodied voice says, before the episode cuts to her wearing a giant, foolish feathered wig sitting halfway down her forehead. “I’m gonna give you the life of your dreams. I will send you every high-profile, wealthy patient who will do anything for a baby, spend anything for a baby. And all you have to do is do exactly as I say. How’s that sound?”

Dr. Hill is powerless in the presence of such a confident Gaelic woman. He agrees, but only with Siobhan’s neon orange fingernail digging into his neck. As she trots out of his office, Dr. Hill asks her, “Who are you?” Siobhan picks up her purse, slings it over her shoulder, and replies, “I’m Siobhan Corbyn… and I make my own rules ,” her wig bouncing up and down in front of her eyes the whole time. Reader, I hollered. If there was one thing I needed to make curiously documenting Kardashian’s every move in this season worth it, it was this scene. What a powerhouse. I can’t wait to spend this weekend rolling calls, telling everyone I know.

Back in the present day, Anna is in an industrial hospital room that looks more like the stage for Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball tour. She’s about to give birth, and the camera pans out to reveal that—big shock—her bed is placed at the center of a pentagram. The delivery of Anna’s baby is successful, but Siobhan’s supermodel minions tell Anna that she can’t hold her newborn son because she’s already gripping the boy she chose: her Oscar. In a rage, Anna charges the model-witches, but she’s stopped and paralyzed by Siobhan’s fingernail in her spine.

When she wakes up, all of Siobhan’s lackeys are seated around her, making fun of Anna.

“You were selfish. Ambitious. Entitled. Conceited. Vain. Exhausting,” they all say, trading a new adjective between each woman. “In other words, you were perfect.” Their prodding encourages Anna to finally inquire about what the hell is going on. “We recruit women who want to have it all: career, marriage, motherhood,” Sonia (Annabelle Dexter-Jones) tells Anna. “We exploit their desire for what we need. In your case, we needed something extra special.” When Ivy drags a kidnapped Dex back out of hiding, she slits his throat in front of Anna, before Siobhan reappears and does the same to Ivy.

“Don’t you see?” Siobhan asks. “This was all a part of the plan.” When Anna asks why Siobhan had to paralyze her, Siobhan just laughs it off. “Yeah, all right, that part’s a bummer, but it’s also kind of on you. You reneged on our agreement. You promised us a baby and then you tried to take him back. Don’t gaslight a gaslighter, babe!” Siobhan then goes on to say that she and her coven are afforded eternal youth and power by consuming the placentas of young mothers. But having lived for so long, her witches have seen nothing but horror wrought upon the earth by men. Then, Siobhan totes out Dex’s father (Reed Birney), for another big reveal.

“I like to sleep with the most depraved men I can find,” Siobhan says, motioning to Dex Sr. “It shouldn’t have been possible, but 45 years ago, I conceived. I assumed the baby would be a creature like his cousins, but he was born human. Together, we created the vessel that would give us the most powerful creature of them all: the baby you birthed.” For those who were having trouble putting these sloppily written bits of exposition together, showrunner and writer Halley Feiffer lays it out plainly for you. “Your dead husband Dex is my son,” Siobhan tells Anna. “And the baby you carried is the product of his sperm and my egg. The baby is three-quarters me. We used to have to use magic to make our creatures, but IVF produces miracles these days.”

Siobhan then pulls a sheet off a glass box, displaying Dex’s testicles inside. (How they were immediately removed from his corpse and placed in this diorama, I simply couldn’t tell you.) “I saved the part of my son I really needed,” she continues. “I will be able to keep making special creates like him, incubated in Anna, and all [of my witches], until we fulfill our mission” Anna finally has the guts to scream what we’re all wondering (“WHAT FUCKING MISSION?”), before Siobhan reveals that she is literally dabbling in eugenics.

“We’re breeding creatures who grow up to have super abilities,” Siobhan says with a grin. “Our creatures will restore humanity to the greatness intended for it. And the ones made with my egg and my son’s sperm will be the most powerful.” The coven then chimes in, telling Anna that these super-strong, vicious hybrid beings will be deployed to kill their human male brethren. “Except for the ones we keep as sex slaves!” cracks Ashley (Billie Lourd). When Anna tries to say that a matriarchal utopia is impossible by killing innocent people, the other Ashleigh (Leslie Grossman) chimes in: “We’ll never recover from the damage toxic masculinity has caused.” Siobhan, the mastermind behind this new world, laughs in Anna’s face, telling her that Siobhan was The Auteur all along.

Anna once again conveniently passes out, before waking up to agree to Siobhan’s terms if it means she can hold her baby. Siobhan gives Anna her child, who uses its sharp teeth to drain blood milk from Anna’s breast. When Siobhan leaves the room, a vision of Sonia’s dead twin Adeline comes to Anna, chanting to her in Latin. “Only light can snuff out the darkness,” Adeline says as Anna repeats the chant, just as Siobhan comes back into the room. Of course, one little chant is enough to undo all of Siobhan’s evil, causing smoke to pour from her black gown and her face to wrinkle before turning to dust. It’s an ending that’s part Death Becomes Her , part Wizard of Oz , and part so-dumb-it-makes-me-never-want-to-watch-this-show-again.

Adeline disappears, Anna can walk again, and her baby boy is a normal human. Cut to black, and Season 12 of AHS concludes after what feels like years of waiting. While this season’s themes about female autonomy and perinatal depression were flushed down the toilet by Episode 2, I can very much appreciate the silliness of it all. I returned to this franchise because the show was bold enough to pull a Kardashian stunt casting, and Kardashian’s performance delivered on every front. She was convincing, hilarious, and a genuinely great time. There’s a bright future ahead if the most famous Kardashian sister wants to pursue this whole acting thing a little more seriously. Maybe her character can even return in a future season for a cameo! Perhaps then we might know why the fucking hell she was named Siobhan.

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One of the most diabolically twisted movies of 2024 is finally streaming this weekend.

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Late Night With The Devil

One of the most diabolical, twisted, freaky—and certainly most original—films of 2024 is finally streaming this weekend. It’s also kind of hilarious in a demonic sort of way.

Late Night With The Devil, which has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes , is a must-watch film for anyone who enjoys off-kilter horror movies filled with black comedy. The film, written, directed and edited by Cameron and Colin Cairnes, stars David Dastmalchian as Jack Elroy, host of a late night show called Night Owls with Jack Delroy.

Delroy—once an up-and-coming star—is falling further and further behind in the ratings game against his contemporary, Johnny Carson of The Tonight Show. After tragic events force him off the air for a spell, he returns his show, trying any number of gambits to rekindle his popularity and fame.

The film centers around one live airing of Night Owls on Halloween, the year of our lord 1977, when Delroy hosts an occultism-themed variety show. There’s a psychic who can “commune” with the dead; a skeptic and former magician who tries to debunk supernatural phenomena; and a parapsychologist named June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) who brings her young charge, Lilly (Ingrid Torelli) to have a very special conversation with the host.

I don’t want to spoil all the surprises, of course. Suffice to say, it involves a Satanic church, demonic possession and a special guest named Mr. Wriggles. This heady mix of 1970s showbiz and mysterious occultism makes for a deeply spooky concoction that’s equal parts frightening and darkly funny. It’s one of the weirdest movies I’ve seen in a while. Meanwhile, the campy, vintage 1970s aesthetic is just fantastic. You really feel like you’re back in time watching late night TV.

I won’t say much more for fear of spoilers, but here’s the trailer:

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Fun fact: Dastmalchian was cast after the film’s creators, the Carines brothers, read an article he had written for Fangoria magazine about regional TV horror hosts.

Late Night With The Devil is now streaming on Shudder and AMC+. I highly recommend it.

Score: 9/10 Pentagrams

See my full weekend streaming guide right here :

You can read my review of Rebel Moon Part 2 here.

What are you watching this weekend? Let me know on Twitter and Facebook .

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Late Night with the Devil’ on Shudder, an Amusing High-Concept Horror-Comedy Starring David Dastmalchian

Where to stream:.

• Late Night with the Devil
• Stream and Scream

‘AHS Delicate’ Ending Explained: Did Anna Have Her Baby? What’s Up With The Cult?

What does ‘abigail’ have to do with ‘dracula’s daughter’ and universal’s other lady monsters, is ‘abigail’ streaming on netflix or hbo max.

Horror-comedy Late Night with the Devil ( now streaming on Shudder and AMC+ ) had a strong opening for an IFC Films release, grossing $2.8 million in its opening weekend. Notably, it made $666,666 on that Sunday, prompting Variety to report “you can’t make this up,” although I’d assert that you very much CAN make that stuff up, especially if a film company’s marketing and PR departments are reporting the numbers. Anyway, Aussie sibling directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes did what few people are brave enough to do: They made modern cinema’s du-jour character actor, David Dastmalchian, their lead, playing a 1970s late-night talk show host who’s desperate for ratings, and therefore lets his live Halloween broadcast fly way off the rails. That makes for “good TV,” especially if you’re peddling satire, but does the premise make for a good movie? Let’s find out.

LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: We hear Michael Ironside’s voice, and it is indeed foreboding. (It’s accompanied, appropriately, by the music of one obscure heavy metal band called Pentagram, to which I say, nice .) Ironside’s giving us a brief history of Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian), aka “Mr. Midnight,” and his late-night talk show Night Owls . The show launched in 1971, aiming to take down Johnny Carson. Seems like a fool’s errand, but whatever – you gotta dream big. It went pretty well for a while, landing Delroy an Emmy nomination and a five-year contract extension. By 1977, though, things looked less rosy. Ratings plateaued. None of the Emmy nods became Emmy wins. Delroy’s beloved wife died of lung cancer. He was rumored to be involved with a weird cabal of men who occasionally gathered in the woods to perform arcane occult rituals and such. And then – dum dum DUMMMM – it was Sweeps Week, you know, the time when ratings counted the most and TV series were canceled or renewed. Such drama!

And this is when the fateful Night Owls broadcast occurred. Thus, the gimmick: What we’re about to see is the long-lost unedited master tape of the show, which aired live on Oct. 31, 1977, and “shocked the nation.” Delroy takes the stage for his monologue of lame jokes and banter with his sidekick Gus (Rhys Auteri), then cheekily asks his audience to “keep an open mind” with regards to the evening’s slate of guests: A psychic medium, a magician-slash-skeptic and a parapsychologist. This seems like all the ordinary dopey stuff of era-specific talk shows. So far, so good. 

Christou (Fayssal Bazzi) takes the stage and does his I’m-sensing-a-name-that-starts-with-P cornball scam-shtick, and all goes OK, but there’s a weird incident when his eyes roll back in his head and the lights flicker and crackle. As they say, curious . Then the skeptic, Carmichael the Conjurer (Ian Bliss), joins the show, and he can explain all paranormal phenomena in rational terms, which is admirable, but our ideological loyalty to him disintegrates when he ends up being a smug, pompous ass and serial condescendypants. Something ain’t right with Christou, and he projectile-spews black sludge all over Carmichael, who instantly insists it’s just an old vaudeville trick. Then, the guests du jour arrive, Dr. June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) and her ward, a teenager named Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), who survived a Satanic mass suicide and also acts very oddly, possibly because she claims to be possessed by an evil demon. “‘Psychic infestation’ is the term we prefer,” Dr. June says, and it’s only a matter of time before Delroy coerces her to demonstrate said “psychic infestation” to the live TV audience out there. Seems like a terrible idea but great TV, and what rules over all in this reality? Ratings, baby! Or Satan. Is there a difference?

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: This is kinda like The Exorcist meets The Morton Downey Jr. Show . 

Performance Worth Watching: It’s easy to like Dastmalchian’s portrayal of a desperate TV host who seems both incredibly vulnerable but also immune to flop sweat – an impressive balancing act. 

Memorable Dialogue: Delroy: “Ladies and gentlemen, please stay tuned for a live television first, as we attempt to commune with the devil. But not before a word from our sponsors.”

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: The message of Late Night with the Devil is kinda Old Testament: Thou shalt not worship false idols. And is there a bigger false idol than the ol’ boob tube? Yeah, especially in the social media age, so we need to think bigger, so we land on media itself, or the shiny bauble that media dangles in front of people, fame, which is false as all hell, pun totally intended. Not that the film is entirely focused on this theme. It stays firmly in the Satire Zone, and gets a little spoofy about the post-Manson/pre-Satanic Panic period of pop-cultural occultism and lampoons the schmaltzy entertainment of the post-variety-show/pre-David-Letterman era of chitchat TV. (Is it me, or is trotting out psychic mediums sub-bottom-of-the-barrel entertainment?)

The film shows evidence of needing another draft in the writers’ room – the quasi-found-footage structure is as inconsistent as the wobbly archer-shots at thematic targets. There are moments when the Delroy character could use more focus, but Dastmalchian nevertheless endures and endears; when Torelli turns up to creep out the audience by staring directly into the camera with unsettlingly aggressive friendliness, she gooses the film to life for its final act. As for the ending, it’s surprisingly challenging, or it doesn’t make much sense, take your pick. But the Cairnses maintain an uneasy comic tone throughout, and the proliferation of goo from their impressively throwbacky practical effects helps spackle over any script problems. We nitpick because we must, but bottom line, Late Night with the Devil is a consistently funny and entertaining horror-comedy with at least a little bit of something on its mind.

Our Call: [Presses fingers to temples, closes eyes in concentration] I’m… I’m sensing… an “S” word… is there an “S” around here anywhere… soup… stoop… steam… stream… STREAM IT. 

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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