I’ve gone through a phase of not watching anything recently, so this October I’m trying to watch more horror content. This film was picked on a whim – to be perfectly honest, I didn’t realise this was a horror at first. It feels a little more like a paranormal thriller.
Directed by Edgar Wright, Last Night in Soho manages to combine ghosts and the fear of a lack of control with the genuine scares of living in university halls. After she moves to London to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer, Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) begins to have dreams and visions of Soho in the 1960s, following the ravishing Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy) as she tries to achieve her dream of becoming a singer. In London, Sandie meets the charming Jack (Matt Smith), and as her life spirals downward, Ellie finds her own life falling apart.
Reflections and mirrors feature prominently and are woven throughout the film. Ellie’s slow breakdown manifesting through frustration with her art was done so well, and was really relatable. Both McKenzie and Michael Ajao (John) were incredible in their roles, and throughout the entire film was a brilliant rhythm underlying every movement and piece of dialogue.
The scares are mostly paranormal and CGI, with an ominous atmosphere in a few scenes. There is quite a bit of blood for an otherwise gore-free film, but overall the horror elements were more subtle with no jump scares, giving the film more of a neon thriller vibe.
Spoilers in the next paragraph!
I did find the ending kind of underwhelmed the overall message in the beginning of the film. Sandie was the one who had been coerced into prostitution and was the victim, yet the ghosts were the ‘wronged’ ones. It does open up a whole ethical discussion that I won’t get into here, but it’s interesting that, although these men participated in the oppression and abuse of a young woman, they are the ones needing saved from her resulting rage. The final shots of Ellie seeing both her mother and Sandie in the mirror brings the story full circle and is a satisfying end to the film.
All in all, Last Night in Soho is an enjoyable film for beginner horror fans, but lacks on the scares and doesn’t quite deliver on what the first act promises.
Writing Werewolf 