Last Night in Soho – Film Review

An aspiring fashion designer named Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer named Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). However, the glamour is not all it appears to be, and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker.

Edgar Wright is a director that’s primarily known for his films that take a horror-related concept and make it into something witty and exciting. Take for example Shaun of the Dead. On paper, it seems like a zombie movie, as we focus on a group of people fighting off a horde of zombies in the midst of an apocalyptic outbreak. But thanks to Wright’s style and writing, it ends up becoming a genuinely hilarious film and it’s all the better for it.

Even The World’s End has some seriously hilarious moments in it even though it is also part horror. Wright hasn’t made a fully-fledged horror movie – until now. People who were a bit wary about Wright going to full horror need not worry. It’s just like how many people were unsure as to whether or not Jordan Peele would be a good force for the horror field, and we all know how wrong those suspicions turned out.

Last Night in Soho is not only the best movie in Edgar Wright’s career so far, but it’s also one of the best movies of the year and easily one of the greatest horror films I have seen in years. As soon as the end credits appeared on screen and I exited the theatre, I was practically smiling the entire drive home because it reminds me of just how amazing the moviegoing experience can be if the director knows what they’re doing, and boy does Wright know.

Although I’m almost sure I like The Night House more – another horror film from this year – I have to say that Last Night in Soho is perhaps the most stylish and unique horror movie I’ve seen since Ari Aster‘s Midsommar. The vast majority of the film takes place in 1960s London so, of course, it’s going to look absolutely beautiful and that’s showcased masterfully with Chung-hoon Chung‘s breathtaking cinematography. The lighting crew needs a ton of praise here as well.

But Last Night in Soho isn’t great solely because of how it looks – it tells a legitimately enthralling story that gripped me from the moment it began right till the very end. Throughout the film, our lead protagonist Eloise sees visions of a mysterious young dancer named Sandie while dreaming, working her way through the clubs in London, who seems to mirror her in a lot of ways.

Eloise begins to grow incredibly fascinated with Sandie, trying to piece together who this woman is and why she keeps dreaming of her. Sandie also just so happens to be living in the same area as Eloise does in these dreams. A fashion design student, Eloise’s life slowly but surely begins to spiral out of control when her obsession with trying to find out who this woman is becomes the only thing on her mind. She even starts to dress the same as her and changes her hair color to blonde, just like Sandie’s.

To talk about too much of Last Night in Soho‘s story would inevitably delve deep into spoiler territory so I won’t say much else in those regards, but I can’t tell you enough how much I adored this story. It hooks you in immediately and takes you on a rollercoaster ride of extreme paranoia, grief, and horror. As each minute ticks by, you, too, will feel just as unhinged as Eloise.

Speaking of Eloise, her actress – Thomasin McKenzie – delivers a truly Oscar-worthy performance here. She sells every single scene and delivers such a raw and visceral performance that you’d swear you watched footage of a real person going through hell, not a trained professional. The same thing can be said about the always-electric Anya Taylor-Joy, who seems to be getting nothing but terrific roles lately. If these two actresses keep it up, I wouldn’t be surprised if they become A-list actors that inspire generations to come.

Last Night in Soho truly has a way of messing with your head and getting so deep under your skin to the point where you feel as though you are almost begging for answers – which is a very, very good thing. I hate it when movies hold your hand along the way because then, you are basically getting spoon-fed answers to things instead of the filmmaker finding clever and unique ways to tell their story.

Edgar Wright has never been a filmmaker that’s taken the conventional route and I’m so glad that he continues this style of filmmaking with Last Night in Soho because we honestly need more movies like this one. I know some audience members are going to find this one a bit too much to deal with at times and that’s totally fine – after all, not every movie is going to be for everyone. But it’s my belief that Last Night in Soho is truly a phenomenal piece of art and I can only hope that we get more films like this one down the road.