Trailer for Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho Promises Time-Traveling Twists, Thrills, and Anya Taylor-Joy

The first teaser trailer has dropped for Last Night in Soho, Edgar Wright’s highly anticipated horror film, and it doesn’t disappoint. Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) is one of the most exciting directors working today, and he brings his signature stylish flair to his first full-on horror film.

The film follows Eloise (Jojo Rabbit‘s Thomasin McKenzie) a quiet fashion design student whose dreams take her into the glamourous yet seedy 1960s London, where she transforms into lounge singer Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy). Eloise finds the lines between reality and fantasy blurred as her dreams start seeping into her waking life.

Wright previously name-checked classic psychological horror films like Don’t Look Now and Repulsion as inspirations, and the trailer also evokes paranoid thrillers like Black Swan with giallo influences and a dash of A Nightmare on Elm Street. The film also stars Matt Smith, Jessie Mei Li, Terence Stamp, and Dame Diana Rigg in her final role. There’s so much to like in this trailer: the style of swinging London, the costumes, Anya Taylor-Joy (Queen’s Gambit) creepily crooning Petula Clark’s “Downtown”.

“It will feel very different to my other films,” Wright said in an interview with Empire. “But I’ve always liked films which have a slow burn into something else, and a lot of my movies have that feeling. Last Night starts in a more psychological realm and then starts to get increasingly intense as it goes along. And I always like to gravitate towards making a film in genres I miss, and there’s a certain type of psychological horror film that you got more in the ’60s and ’70s, that have something of an operatic nature. I’m using that kind of visual grammar.”

Wright said of the film, “I realized I had never made a film about central London – specifically Soho, somewhere I’ve spent a huge amount of time in the last 25 years. With Hot Fuzz and Shaun Of The Dead you make movies about places you’ve lived in. This movie is about the London I’ve existed in.” He co-wrote the film with Oscar-nominated writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns (1917, Penny Dreadful), who will be co-writing the next Star Wars film with Taika Waititi.

The film was originally set to come out last year, but like most films, was delayed due to the pandemic. Wright wasn’t bothered by the delay, saying “I saw a headline that said, ‘Soho Delayed for Second Time to October,’ but the more positive spin is ‘Soho to Be in Theaters.’ That’s how I see it. I’d happily wait if there’s a chance to see it on the big screen because that’s how it was made to be seen. I, along with the rest of the planet, hope for the vaccine to gather momentum.”

Last Night in Soho is set to be released in theaters on October 22.

(image: Parisa Taghizadeh/Focus Features)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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