BY: 7 OCTOBERZ

Movie: Last Night In Soho

Main Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Michael Ajao and more!

Release Date: 10/29/21

IMDB synopsis: “An aspiring fashion designer is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer. But the glamour is not all it appears to be and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something darker.”

Hello Hip Hop Heads and Horror Fans,

Today I will be reviewing the movie, “Last Night in Soho”, Directed by Edgar Wright. I haven’t done a written review in a minute and had to review this brilliant masterpiece! This movie and The Night House are my top 2 horror films of this year! This movie is definitely meta. Movies to me are an escape from reality and within the film the main character Eloise does just that! We are introduced to Eloise who is an aspiring fashion designer and lives in a country small town where creativity doesn’t seem to be common. She lives with her grandma since her mother died when she was young. Her mother was also a designer so she seems to be following her footsteps.

I love the subtle undertones of how it’s not said, but insinuated that Eloise has had a mental break in the past with the loss of her mother and tends to hallucinate her. We find out her mother committed suicide and wonder if mental illness runs in the family. With that small seed planted into the viewer it makes you question if we can trust Eloise’s mind. As everything unfolds in London, you wonder if it’s a creation of her mind or if its real! Eloise’s character development is well done! We are brought into her world and quickly see she is a shy quiet girl who is obsessed with 60s music and fashion. Through out the movie you see her evolve, from the way she dresses and carries herself to her personality. My only critique was Eloise’s voice got a bit of annoying throughout the movie. I might be alone in this, but other than that she had a great performance.

Back to the movie, Eloise gets accepted to a Fashion school in London. Right away she is made to seem like an outcast by her evil roommate. She does not fit in coming from the country side and being a bit naïve to modern culture. The only person who befriends her is one of her classmates John who she builds a romantic relationship with. Due to her roommate bullying her with other classmates, she decides to leave the door rooms and rents a room owned by an elderly woman named Ms. Collins. The room has a creepy aesthetic and you feel something is not right. This is where the real thrill begins, Eloise immerses herself in a 60s fantasy world where she becomes Sandie. It is sort of a lucid vivid dream and becomes obsessed with entering this new world every night. In this world she is someone special and confident!

                                                             Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie)

I think most of us creatives can relate to this. I know I can, as a teen I would create my own fantasy world and pretend to be different characters. This is one of the reasons I really loved this movie since it was so relatable! Eloise’s fantasy world quickly becomes a nightmare and that is when the horror begins! I will leave it at that! I do not want to give away the whole movie. I really loved the cinematography, the wardrobe, the score, the music, character development. Edgar captured the scenery and beauty of London perfectly. Even the dark alley scenes had this grimy colorful aesthetic to it that I loved! I also loved the use of rain to give the scenes more grit and emotion to them. The lighting and colors used were so beautiful, reminiscent of my all time favorite 70s witch movies, “Suspiria”!  The twist at the end and the mixture of genres from horror, mystery, psychological thriller to Rom Com was amazing! Overall the cast gave phenomenal performances and as always Anya stole the show as Sandie! Definitely recommend this Alice In Wonderland rollercoaster ride!

Thank you for reading my horror movie review. Hope you all enjoyed it! Until next time horror fiends and hip hop heads! While you’re at it follow me on social media @7octoberz on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Also follow me on YouTube and IGtv to watch my podcast “Nightmare on Sedgwick Avenue” or you can listen now on all streaming platforms!