Horror Movie Review: Last Night in Soho (2021)

Last Night in Soho is a 2021 British psychological horror film directed by Edgar Wright and co-written by Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns.

Eloise “Ellie” Turner loves the music and fashion of the Swinging Sixties and dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Her mother, also a fashion designer, killed herself during Ellie’s childhood, and as a result, Ellie is raised by her maternal grandmother. Ellie occasionally sees her mother’s ghost in mirrors.

Ellie moves from her rural home near Redruth, Cornwall to London. To study at the London College of Fashion. She has trouble fitting in with her peers, particularly her snobby roommate Jocasta. Only John, another student, is sympathetic to her. Unhappy in the hall of residence, she moves into a bedsit owned by the elderly Ms. Collins.

That night, Ellie has a vivid dream where she is transported back to the 1960s. At the Café de Paris, she observes a confident young blonde woman, Sandie. She enquires about becoming a singer at the club. Sandie begins a relationship with the charming teddy boy manager, Jack. The next morning, Ellie designs a dress inspired by Sandie and Jocasta discovers a love bite on Ellie’s neck.

Ellie has another dream. Sandie successfully auditions at a Soho nightclub, arranged by Jack, before returning to the same bedsit that Ellie has rented. Inspired by these visions, Ellie dyes her hair blonde. She changes her fashion style to match Sandie’s, uses her as an inspiration for her dress designs, and gets a job at a pub. She is observed by a silver-haired man who recognises her similarities to Sandie. In further dreams, Ellie discovers Sandie is not living the life she hoped for. Now being pimped out by Jack to his male business associates.

In her waking life, Ellie is disturbed by increasingly menacing apparitions that resemble Jack and the men who exploited and used Sandie. She flees a Halloween party she attends with John when the spirits accost her there. John returns with her to her bedsit, where she has a vision of Jack murdering Sandie. She decides to track down the silver-haired man, who she believes is Jack.

Can Ellie figure out what’s going on? Can Sandie be saved? Watch and find out.

Last Night in Soho is a very well-acted movie, truly the acting is high quality. Thomasin McKenzie is particularly good because her character is required to show a big range. I liked the clever use of mirroring with both Ellie and Sandie and how they intertwine throughout.

A visually stunning film, that’s well shot and makes use of colour beautifully, masterfully mixing eras. Unfortunately, the ghost effects were very cheesy and cringey. I didn’t find them scary at all, they were seen way too much.

Last Night in Soho tells a powerful and valid story, that is unfortunately not original anymore and cinema is very over saturated with this type of message. I shouldn’t be talking about the strong message a horror has delivered, but this is the case more and more with modern cinema. I’m tired of trailers hiding it, only to be slapped with someone’s PSA halfway through the film. It feels as if I’m being tricked into consuming an idea that’s in everything and as a woman, I’m already fully aware.

Additionally, the constant needle dropping is almost unbearable. It feels like watching a music video at times and you have to brace yourself for the sudden increase of audio volume.

Overall, Last Night in Soho is a stunning movie, with a fascinating mystery. But it’s lost behind unsubtlety and a discussion that shouldn’t be in every single modern movie. Not every movie needs to make a statement. Not every horror needs to be about injustice. It’s okay to just tell a scary tale without mixing in societal messages.