Last Night in Soho turns five this week, and Edgar Wright’s 2021 psychological horror film remains a fan favourite for its 1960s style and Anya Taylor-Joy. For anyone still haunted by its mirror-image Soho, here are eight things you probably did not know.
Anya Taylor-Joy almost played Eloise
Wright first noticed Anya Taylor-Joy when The Witch premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. He met her in Los Angeles shortly afterward, pitched her the story, and initially had her in mind for Eloise. He later came around to the idea of her playing Sandie, and she agreed after reading a draft of the script.
It began as a “dark valentine”
Edgar Wright conceived the idea for Last Night in Soho in 2007. He pitched the plot, as a “dark valentine” to London and the Soho neighbourhood, to producers Nira Park and Rachel Prior before the start of filming for The World’s End.
His mother’s Soho memory shaped it
Growing up in Somerset, Wright listened to his parents’ stories of coming of age in the 1960s and would “sort of almost just disappear into that decade through the music.” But his mother’s memories were not all fond ones; she once said: “I went to Soho once with my friend and we got harassed by a man and chased out. And that’s the end of the story.” For Wright, that helped shape a film about the danger of being overly nostalgic about previous decades.
The era’s films carried a warning
British films of the 1960s were also inspirations. Wright noted that many titles of the period take a punitive approach to female characters, as if the genre were “Girl comes to London to make it big and is roundly punished for her efforts.”
A song sparked the first dream
Some of the songs inspired sequences in the film. When Wright heard a cover version of “Wade In The Water” by the Graham Bond Organisation, he “would just start imagining that first dream.” Cilla Black’s “You’re My World” with its dramatic strings conjured up the tone and the mood.
One 1980s song made the cut
Most of the songs selected were from the 1960s. Wright also chose “Happy House” by Siouxsie and the Banshees from the 1980s, because the production was incredible and it fits the scene at a student union Halloween dance.
Taylor-Joy recorded “Downtown” herself
Anya Taylor-Joy performed “Downtown” by Petula Clark in the film. She recorded several versions of the iconic song and said the sounds of the ’60s were what first made her fall in love with music. The soundtrack was released on double vinyl.
Diana Rigg filmed until the end
Diana Rigg died shortly after production ended. Wright said he was filming with Rigg “right up until the end,” and described working with her as “a beautiful experience.” The film is also the last film appearance of Margaret Nolan, who died in October 2020.
Which of these Last Night in Soho details surprised you most?
Facts from Wikipedia: Last Night in Soho, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
