Last Night In Soho: Darkness in 1960s London

Sometimes viewing the past through the haze of a romantic prism leads to a harsh dose of reality. That’s just what happens to aspiring fashion designer Eloise “Ellie” Turner in director Edgar Wright’s thriller, Last Night In Soho (2021). Ellie has an idealized view of London’s fashion and culture, thanks to her grandmother, Peggy, who raised her after Ellie’s mother died when she was just seven years old. Peggy has told Ellie stories of the old days in the “swinging London” of the 1960s, and Ellie loves playing her grandmother’s old records, listening to the likes of Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black, and The Walker Brothers. When Ellie journeys to London to study at the city’s prestigious College of Fashion, she expects to have a great adventure and become a star designer. Instead, she becomes embroiled in a terrifying mystery that has its roots in the past times that she loves so much.

When her living situation at the dorm proves to be less than ideal, Ellie rents a upstairs room in a flat owned by an elderly lady named Ms. Collins. She begins to have vivid dreams of London in the 1960s, in which she shares the experiences of a young singer name Sandie, who’s trying to break into the music business. Sandie becomes enthralled, and later manipulated, by a calculating man named Jack, who isn’t quite the helpful guy he seems at first glance. As Ellie’s dreams get more frightening and intense, her life and Sandies start to intertwine. Her dream world spills over into her real life, and Ellie realizes that Sandie may have been murdered in the past. But how can she convince her friend John or the police that her experiences are real? Since her late mother had a history of mental illness, will everyone assume that Ellie’s going mad? 

Last Night In Soho is an intense, stylish thriller that is worlds apart from director Wright’s previous works, which include Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the hyperkinetic action thriller Baby Driver. Last Night In Soho is a visually dazzling film, thanks to Wright’s excellent direction and the superb work of cinematographer Chung-soon Chung. There are several striking sequences in this compelling mix of murder mystery and ghost story, including a scene where Sandie descends a staircase in a club, and Ellie is reflected in the mirror along the stairs. Much of the story deals with the duality of images and the harsh truths behind what you see in the mirror, as even Ellie begins to question what she's really seeing in her lucid dreams.

The costume design is excellent, and the recreation of 1960s era London is very well done. As with Wright's previous work, the soundtrack is fantastic. He and his crew have carefully selected songs that evoke the era, including music from Dusty Springfield, The Searchers and The Kinks. The cast is fantastic, with Thomasin McKenzie doing a fine job conveying Ellie's wide-eyed vulnerability, and Matt Smith offering a chilling portrait of the manipulative Jack. Anya Taylor-Joy, who was so good in The Witch and the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, is a revelation as Sandie. Not only does she fully embody the part of a 1960s ingenue with dreams of pop stardom, she even sings in the film, performing the Petula Clark classic “Downtown.” As an enjoyable bonus for fans, a trio of British actors who rose to fame in the 1960s are featured in the film; Terence Stamp, Rita Tushingham and the late Dame Diana Rigg, who plays Ms. Collins.

Last Night In Soho is an eerie, thrilling tale of psychological terror. While it celebrates the pop art world of 1960s London, the film also effectively conveys the darker, misogynistic streak beneath the glitter and flash of the era. Wright pays homage to several directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, Roman Polanski, Brian DePalma, and Mario Bava and his use of rich colors in his giallo films. There are also nods to classic tales of terror like The Innocents, Carnival of Souls, and Suspiria, and 1960s era British dramas like A Taste of Honey and Beat Girl. While it falters a bit in its final act, Last Night In Soho is an absorbing film, and worth checking out for thriller fans and cinephiles. The movie is now streaming on HBO Max, and is also available on Blu-ray and DVD. Here’s a look at the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcVnFrxjPjI.