…an ongoing series of articles spotlighting movies, music, art, comics, and other assorted media that we at Rooster Republic Press find ourselves enjoying. Once a week, on Thursdays, we will showcase new and old works and, hopefully, help spread the word on great stuff you might otherwise miss out on.
RoosterVision was previously the name of our non-fiction imprint, and since those titles and that line of books are no longer, we have decided to resurrect RoosterVision for the purpose of this showcase. Enjoy!
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO deserves far more love than what it has gotten. The film is a technical marvel, the performances are electric, the sound design is superb. The film is engaging, paranoid, touching and, maybe most important of all, hopeful. A big-budget, gorgeously produced, R-rated horror film. If you didn’t catch it upon its initial release, seek it out.
Edgar Wright was already a good filmmaker when he made SEAN OF THE DEAD, and his cinematic voice was well-defined by the end credits of that film. But he has only gone on to improve upon his own voice and signature style, and his films are increasingly more and more intricate in their technical execution. Mirror effects both practical and digital, lovingly choreographed tracking shots, and impeccable editing bring LAST NIGHT IN SOHO to vibrant life. All this prowess is matched equally by the actor’s performances.
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO is a horror film. Specifically, this is a horror film of the haunted house variety. Except, the house in this instance is the entire West End. And it isn’t just one pesky ghost, but many of them. Discovering their connection is the heart of the narrative’s mystery, and best left for viewers to discover for themselves.
The obvious touchstone for critical comparison seems to be the earlier films of Brian De Palma, but LAST NIGHT IN SOHO shares a lot of film DNA with everything from Hitchcock’s VERTIGO to Clouzot’s unfinished INFERNO. However, even these films can trace a lineage all the way back to Mario Bava’s eclectic color palettes.
Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy are absolutely wonderful as dual protagonists, every needle-drop is spot on, and the cinematography is stunning.
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO is another cult classic in the making and deserves to find its audience.
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