Edgar Wright’s latest film is a real departure from his earlier movies, as Last Night in Soho is an atmospheric and genuinely chilling supernatural horror/thriller that’s certainly not played for laughs. It might not be what you were expecting, but it’s all the more effective for it.

Premise: When 60s-obsessed fashion student Eloise Turner (Thomasin McKenzie) moves to London for college, she starts having vivid dreams about Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), an aspiring singer in 1960s London, and Sandie’s boyfriend, Jack (Matt Smith). But the visions are more than mere dreams, and Eloise begins to suspect that she’s experiencing real events from fifty years ago.

Review:

I think it’s important to stress from the outset that this may not be what you were expecting from the director/co-writer of films such as Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Baby Driver. Although Edgar Wright’s previous films cut across various different genres, they were all at their core fairly comedic takes on those genres (some being out-and-out comedies, while others just had a comedic twinkle in their eye). Last Night in Soho, on the other hand, is a full-on psychological horror/supernatural thriller that earns its certificate 18 rating, and doesn’t pull any punches. I can only remember there being three jokes in the entire film – although in fairness, they did all elicit big laughs as they provided some much-needed relief from the tension of the rest of the film.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot to Last Night in Soho, as I honestly think that one of its main strengths is that it doesn’t necessarily unfold in the way you might have been expecting (although the various trailers have given a fair amount away if you’ve seen them). The film starts off fairly predictably and, dare I say it, rather clichédly, as we follow wide-eyed Eloise Turner (Thomasin McKenzie) on her journey from the Cornish countryside to fashion school in London. There she struggles to fit in, while meeting various archetypal classmates, including self-centred mean girl Jocasta (Synnøve Karlsen) and sympathetic nice guy John (Michael Ajao). So far, nothing that you wouldn’t find in any unimaginative teen drama.

“…Thomasin McKenzie is more than up to carrying the entire movie on her shoulders…”

If it sounds like I’m being harsh, it’s because I was genuinely worried during the first half hour or so that this film was going to be a disappointment. What I can say now, with the benefit of hindsight, is that the first 30 minutes are (I believe) deliberately cliched and predictable, just to lull you into a false sense of security, before the film starts taking far more unexpected twists and turns once Eloise experiences her first vision of 1960’s London and the real story begins. Co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns (who co-wrote the excellent 1917) also arguably brings a fresh perspective to this script, which is Edgar Wright’s first film to have a female protagonist.

After Thomasin McKenzie impressed me so much with her performance in Jojo Rabbit, I was eager to see what she did with her first leading role, and she certainly doesn’t disappoint. Eloise is in every scene, and the story is quite literally seen through her eyes, but Thomasin McKenzie was more than up to carrying the entire movie on her shoulders. From naïve (and then rapidly disillusioned) young fashion student, to the more extreme places the film takes her character in the second half, Thomasin McKenzie remains utterly convincing and engaging throughout.

“…Anya Taylor-Joy’s portrayal of Sandie is absolutely mesmerising…”

It could be said that the film is a two-hander between Thomasin McKenzie’s Eloise and Anya Taylor-Joy’s Sandie – but the nature of the story means that Sandie is, in many ways, as much of an enigma as she is a fully rounded character, given that part of the mystery of what happened in the 60s is that Eloise (and therefore the audience) only get to see isolated snippets of Sandie’s life, and so have to piece together what happened. That’s not to say that Anya Taylor-Joy isn’t great as Sandie – her portrayal of Sandie is absolutely mesmerising, and she becomes the centre of attention whenever she’s on screen, in a way that Eloise (intentionally) does not – but the film is still Eloise’s story rather than Sandie’s (although, plot wise, Eloise’s story revolves around piecing together the parts of Sandie’s story).

The rest of the veteran supporting cast are all great, but you’d expect nothing less from screen legends like Terence Stamp and (in her last onscreen role before her passing) Diana Rigg. Matt Smith is also perfect casting for Sandie’s teddy boy boyfriend, bringing various shades to the character of Jack, while Pauline McLynn (Father Ted’s Mrs Doyle) adds a touch of humour as the landlady of a local Soho pub. And as the name of the film suggests, Soho is itself an integral part of the movie, although perhaps not in the way that you might normally expect in a film such as this.

“…the visual style of the film echoes Eloise’s mental state throughout…”

Visually, it feels like Edgar Wright was really trying something new with Last Night in Soho, as he seems to have deliberately avoided using any of the directorial traits that his films are normally known for (the fast cuts, the flashy transitions etc). In fact, the opening section of the film (especially the part set in Cornwall before Eloise travels to London) feels like it was intentionally reproducing the very pedestrian, static direction of an average 1960s TV drama (and I may have imagined it, but even the quality of the film felt slightly degraded, like it was in SD rather than HD).

Like with the cliched first 30 minutes of the plot, with hindsight, it feels like the unimaginative direction in the opening section is done as a deliberate contrast to what will follow later on, as the visual style of the film echoes Eloise’s mental state throughout, starting off sheltered and sedate, but eventually becoming something far more nightmarish. In between, when Eloise first encounters Sandie’s 1960s London in her dreams, Edgar gets to really push the boat out, with plenty of visually impressive sequences where Sandie and Eloise swap places or mimic each other in mirrors during Eloise’s dreams.

“…a chilling, but utterly gripping, original supernatural horror…”

Tonally, Last Night in Soho is both a psychological thriller (given that Eloise’s mental stability is a central part of the film) and a supernatural ghost story – neither of which is a spoiler, as it’s revealed in the opening scene that Eloise has had mental health issues having previously been visited by her mother’s ghost. What is perhaps surprising is (a) how far the film takes both of these themes, and (b) what other, more real world, evils the film also addresses. As I said, I can see how it earned its 18 rating.

But provided that you have a strong enough constitution for its content, Last Night in Soho is another example of Edgar Wright taking what could have been a fairly familiar concept, and delivering an original film that is unlike anything you have seen before – a chilling, but utterly gripping, original supernatural horror.