Edgar Wright channels his inner Argento with a dreamy giallo-noir trailer for his upcoming film Last Night in Soho starring Anya Taylor Joy, Tomasin McKenzie, and Matt Smith.
Revered the world over for his Cornetto Trilogy (Sean of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End) looks to be taking a much more serious turn with his latest outing, and he is harkening back to psychological horror pieces from the ’60s and ’70s with reported influences including Don’t Look Now and Repulsion. If the trailer is an indication, I would also say that the blueprint includes Suspiria as well, with its languid dreaminess, the neon magenta tones, and the flash of cutlery on full display.
The official studio plot description is:
A young girl, passionate about fashion design, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer. But 1960s London is not what it seems, and time seems to fall apart with shady consequences.
Focus Features
Anya Taylor-Joy and Matt Smith 
Edgar Wright 
Tomasin McKenzie in Last Night in Soho (2021)
Tomasin McKenzie, a young kiwi actress (Jo Jo Rabbit) is the young girl in question and is prominently featured in the trailer. But have no doubt, the calling card for this movie is Anya Taylor-Joy, whose star has been in a meteoric ascendency with her bravura performance in the hugely popular and acclaimed Netflix show The Queens Gambit. Horror fans knew Taylor-Joy first, having been introduced to her in the austere and haunting Robert Eggers film, The Witch.
The Witch proved her first rate acting chops, and now Anya would seem to be an A-list star, and it will be interesting to see if she can be a draw for this film. (The metrics for an A-list star usually being box-office draw.) Note, the slowhand take on “Downtown” is actually Taylor-Joy singing.
Also in the film, is Matt Smith, a genre fan favorite for his portrayal as the eleventh Doctor, in the BBC science fiction warhorse Doctor Who.
With this pedigree of visionary director and buzz-worthy casting, does this have enough juice to make this a horror hit? Or will it be something more akin to Luca Guadagnino’s loving remake of Suspiria, starring Tilda Swinton, that received plenty of plaudits from the critics, but remained somewhat unseen by the broad audience.
Last Night in Soho is due for theatrical release on October 22, 2021.