Eloise Turner (Thomasin McKenzie) is an aspiring fashion designer who lives with her grandmother in Cornwall. She loves everything about the 1960s, from the music to the fashion to the overall aesthetic. Ellie never knew her father, and her mother was mentally ill, taking her own life when Eloise was just 7. Ellie fears that she may take after her mother as she often sees visions of her dead mother in the mirror. However, Ellie has been accepted to the London College of Fashion, and hopes that the change of scenery will be beneficial. Ellie’s grandmother Peggy (Rita Tushingham) is proud of her granddaughter, but warns her that London isn’t as rosy as she makes it out to be, and worries that the city may overwhelm Ellie, like it did her own daughter.

As Ellie arrives in London, she is excited to begin her fashion career, but she quickly gets a dose of reality after dealing with a pervy cab driver and meeting her obnoxious mean girl of a roommate, Jocasta (Synnøve Karlsen), who always needs to be the center of attention, and often pokes fun at Ellie to do so, both behind her pack and passive-aggressively right to her face. The only person who’s nice to Ellie is fellow student John (Michael Ajao). To get away, Ellie rents a room from and elderly woman named Ms Collins (Diana Rigg), where she can enjoy her music and just be herself. However, as she puts on her record and lies down to sleep, Ellie finds herself transported back to the 1960s. In her dreams, she embodies Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), a dazzling blonde who, like her, just arrived in London as a wide-eyed ambitious young woman with big hopes and dreams. She marches her way into the Cafe de Paris with a strong air of confidence, demanding to see the owner as she would like a job as a singer. It is there that she first meets the charming talent booker Jack (Matt Smith), who offers to help make her a star.

At first Ellie can’t wait to get back to her room each night to live out this neon-lit fantasy in her dreams, and she even adopts Sandie’s style, look and confidence in her own life. But soon Sandie starts to discover that her idealistic view of the city was not realistic, and gets sucked into the seedy, darker side of things, forced to do horrible things for some disgusting men, all in the name of furthering her career. What once started as a fun nightly trip back to the 1960s for Ellie quickly turns into a nightmare. She tries to avoid going to sleep, but that doesn’t matter as the nightmares start appearing to her even in the daytime. She’s constantly haunted by visions from Sandie’s past. She grows more and more paranoid, not knowing who or what she can trust, and is especially suspicious of a creepy older gentleman (Terence Stamp) who appears to be stalking her. She must figure out how to stop these waking nightmares before she ends up like her mother.

Last Night in Soho starts off as this beautiful love letter to London in the 1960s, telling these parallel stories of two young women who have come to the city with big hopes and dreams. But then it gradually morphs into this intense horror/phycological thriller/mystery as the women discover that things aren’t as perfect and wonderful as they initially appear. The film is very successful on both accounts, allowing the viewer to first fall in love with the beauty of the city in the ’60s, but then be horrified by the darker underbelly that lies just beneath the neon surface. The film is vey engaging and tense, taking some interesting twists and turns, and allowing the viewer to try to solve the mystery of Sandie’s past along with Eloise. And at the core are the compelling stories of these two young women who start to see their hopes and dreams dashed.

The movie is visually stunning throughout. First there’s the use of color. The modern-day world utilizes a more muted palette, but when Ellie is transported back to the 1960s, things are much brighter, with loud colors and neon lights. And as the past starts to invade the contemporary world, these color palettes also start to collide. As things come to a boil, there’s heavy use of darker reds to add to that horror feeling. The film also makes extensive and creative use of mirrors. When Ellie is transported back in to the 1960s, she sees herself as the reflection of Sandie, so when both characters are in the same scene, they are often mimicking the same movements. But this changes as things get more intense, and Ellie wants to escape this nightmare. The film also has some great song and dance sequences. The first of these is an incredible single-shot scene when Sandie first arrives at the Cafe de Paris and shows Jack her dancing skills. This is an immaculately-choreographed sequence that finds Ellie and Sandie constantly swapping places mid-dance, all done without special effects or cuts. (There are some great behind-the-scenes footage included in the bonus material showing how this was done.)

The film’s wonderful soundtrack also helps to tell the story, with perfectly paired 1960s needle drops to complement the haunting score and on-screen action. There is also an amazing downtempo rendition of Petula Clark’s “Downtown” performed by Sandie. Besides the music, the audio is well-utilized to add to the tension. As the chaos builds and Ellie is haunted by the sounds of Sandie’s past, the viewer is also aurally surrounded by this cacophony, feeling what it must be like inside Ellie’s head.

Universal’s 4K Ultra HD release looks and sounds amazing. The picture remains clean, clear and incredibly detailed throughout. The use of color in this film is excellent, and the Dolby Vision HDR really enhances the overall look. The neon glow of the 1960s never bleeds or feels oversaturated. The Dolby Atmos track showcases the film’s wonderful 1960s soundtrack while also providing a fully immersive viewing experience. Whether it’s the reverberation of the venues in which Sandie performs, the patter of rain during a stormy evening, or the echoes of the haunting sounds and voices in Ellie’s head, the track always provides an all-encompassing ambiance.

The 4K Ultra HD release comes packed in standard UHD keepcase with a slipcover, and contains an insert with a code to redeem for a 4K Movies Anywhere digital copy of film/extras. Both the 4K and the Blu-ray discs contain the same jam-packed selection of bonus material—70 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and featurettes, 6 deleted/extended scenes, 4 animatic sequences, a music video, and two audio commentaries.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:56:32)

4K UHD:
• 2160p / Widescreen 2:39:1
• Dolby Vision / HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2:39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 3/31/2023):

• 4K Digital copy redeemable via Movies Anywhere

Extras:
Both discs contain the same bonus material.

• Meet Eloise (10:05)
  The cast and crew discuss the character of Eloise, their personal connection to her story and background, casting the role, training for the dance sequences, Ellie’s supernatural gift, the fashion and looks, the mirror scenes with Eloise and Sandie, filming in London, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with co-screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns, director/co/screenwriter/producer Edgar Wright, choreographer Jennifer White, costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux, and stars Thomasin Mckenzie (“Eloise”), Synnøve Karlsen (“Jocasta”), Michael Ajao (“John”) & Anya Taylor-Joy (“Sandie”).
• Dreaming of Sandie (9:05)
  The cast and crew discuss the characters of Sandie and Jack, casting the roles, the ambitions of these characters, the “Downtown” singing scene, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co/screenwriter/producer Edgar Wright, co-screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns, ands stars Anya Taylor-Joy & Matt Smith (“Jack”).
• Smoke and Mirrors (12:36)
  The cast and crew discuss how color, lighting, makeup and special effects are used to define the past and present and show how they are colliding. They also discuss adding elements of horror and break down in great detail the techniques used to filmed the mirrored sequences. Wright also talks about working with cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung, and filming the single-shot tracking dance scene. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co/screenwriter/producer Edgar Wright, visual effects supervisor Tom Proctor, choreographer Jennifer White, production designer Marcus Rowland, and stars Thomasin Mckenzie & Anya Taylor-Joy.
• On the Streets of Soho (8:36)
  The cast and crew discuss the difficulties of shooting the film on location in Soho, a place that never closes, some of the interesting locations and angels, and transforming the streets and exteriors back into the ’60s. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co/screenwriter/producer Edgar Wright, co-screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns, suvervising location manager Camilla Stephenson, production designer Marcus Rowland, and star Thomasin Mckenzie.
• Time Travelling (10:45)
  The cast and crew talk about bringing in the look and feel of the ’60s, from the music, Sandie’s dress, to the design of the clubs, and more. Wright also talks about casting ’60s icons Terence Stamp, Diana Rigg & Rita Tushingham. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co/screenwriter/producer Edgar Wright, co-screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns, composer Steven Price, costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux, production designer Marcus Rowland, ands star Anya Taylor-Joy.
• Deleted Scenes (9:16)
  Collection of 6 deleted/extended scenes. Play All, or select from:
  • Ellie Gets Conned (1:04)
    A man steals Ellie’s money at the train station as she first arrives in London.
  • Hidden Nightmares (1:03)
    Ellie notices a buried layer of wallpaper on the wall, which brings back some bad memories.
  • The Bridge (2:22)
    On the bridge, Ellie talks to John about her mother.
  • Alleys and Shadows (3:28)
    Ellie and John run through the rainy streets and back to her room, but she starts seeing shadowy figures.
  • You Know Where To Find Me (:47)
    Ellie sees something in the mirror.
  • Extended Chase (:30)
    Ellie runs out of the library and into the street as Jocasta talks to security.
• Animatics (13:06)
  Watch four scenes in animated storyboard format with audio, effects and score. Play All, or select from:
  • First Dream (7:00)
    Ellie sees Sandie in the Cafe de Paris for the first time.
  • Shadow Men (1:40)
    Ellie wakes up to the nightmare of the shadow men undressing in her bedroom.
  • Murder (3:11)
    John comes back to Ellie’s room, but while they are getting intimate she witnesses a murder.
  • Final Confrontation (1:12)
    Ellie is attacked in her room by the ghosts of the dead men.
• Extras
  • Hair & Makeup Tests (7:26)
    Footage of cast posing for their hair and makeup tests, with a score playing instead of the audio.
  • Lighting & VFX Tests (6:20)
    Testing out some of lighting, mirror, and shadow men effects, set to a spooky score.
  • Wide Angle Witness Cam (1:54)
    Overhead wide shot of the single-shot dance scene.
  • Acton Town Hall Steadicam Rehearsal (1:24)
    Rehearsal footage of the the dance scene without the main cast.
  • Steadicam Alternate Take (1:45)
    Alternate take of the single-shot dance scene presented with visible camera frame marker.
• “Downtown” Music Video (5:27)
  Music video for Downtempo version of “Downtown”, performed by Anya Taylor-Joy. Footage of the orchestra and Joy singing in the studio is intercut with footage from the film.
• Trailers (4:48)
  Play All, or select from:
  • Domestic Trailer 1 (2:13)
  • International Trailer (2:29)
• Feature Commentary with Director/Co-writer Edgar Wright, Editor Paul Machliss and Composer Steve Price (1:56:32)
  This commentary starts with a long discussion of the score and how that came about, and then gets into more technical discussions of how specific shots were done, etc.
• Feature Commentary with Director/Co-writer Edgar Wright and Co-writer Kristy Wilson-Cairns (1:56:32)
  This commentary focuses more on the story, characters and locations, how the script developed and changed over time, and how the writers added their own shared experiences to the film.

Final Thoughts:

Writer/Director Edgar Wright’s latest film is a visually stunning phycological thriller featuring excellent performances by leads Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy. What starts off as one young woman’s nostalgic, rosy look at London in the 1960s quickly becomes a neon-fueled nightmare with lots of mystery, twists and turns. The 4K presentation is top notch, and the disc includes an abundance of bonus material. This is a must own for any fan of the film/director, but also highly recommended for anyone looking for a visual treat and an entertaining thriller.