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Look for a Svengoolie shoutout in ''Late Night with the Devil''
A line in the movie mentions... BERWYN?!?!?!
The horror movie Late Night with the Devil features a very intentional Svengoolie reference, thanks to actor and Sven fan David Dastmalchian.
Dastmalchian is steadily racking up an incredible horror résumé, with standout starring roles in genre films like The Last Voyage of the Demeter and the Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman. In addition, he's played supporting characters in an equally impressive string of superhero hits like The Dark Knight, Ant-Man, and The Suicide Squad.
Fans of hilarious horror hosts might remember David Dastmalchian's appearance on Svengoolie when the actor sat down in the dungeon to discuss his love of classic scary movies like William Castle's The Tingler. Dastmalchian also cited horror legends like Lon Chaney, Lon Chaney, Jr., Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Vincent Price as crucial to his childhood fandom.
However, it was another horror legend — and one who is very near and dear to us here at MeTV — who gets an Easter Egg reference in the 2023 Dastmalchian-starring Late Night with the Devil.
The movie features a nod to Svengoolie, but not in name. While anyone could surely work "Svengoolie" into a movie, Dastmalchian is a super fan and dug a little deeper than a simple name-drop.
While the glitzier and more glamorous TV hosts of yesteryear broadcasted from beautiful downtown Burbank, our Master of Scare-emonies constantly pokes fun at Berwyn!
That's why Late Night with the Devil features dialogue that mentions the very same Illinois suburb.
Dastmalchian mentions the mention in a March, 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter:
"I was absolutely responsible for the shout-out to Berwyn, Illinois, which those in the know will recognize as a nod to the home of Svengoolie, late night host of Chicago fame."
8 Comments
I'm so filled with suspense at this!