Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Last Night in Soho.
Edgar Wright's newest film, Last Night in Soho, is unlike anything he's done before. It's a layered Giallo horror film that, like other Wright films, begs to be rewatched. This time, that's partially due to easily-missed moments the audience probably won't catch the first time they view it.
With a shocking third act that may seem to come out of left field, Last Night in Soho actually feeds the audience clues as to what will happen. Everything from character details to cruel deeds is foreshadowed secretly throughout the film.
Mirroring Audrey Hepburn
Eloise "Ellie" Turner is a young woman who seems to want another life. She loves the 1960s so much it's clear she would rather live in that decade. She gets accepted to and attends the London College of Fashion (a substantially different life from her current countryside existence).
Turner takes steps to alter her situation, but even going to London was reminiscent of the path her mother took. When her grandmother calls to see how she's doing away from home, Turner speaks just of her physical appearance and new hair (having taken on some of Sandie's traits). Her grandmother replies by saying she's glad Turner is finding herself. While her emulation of Sandie is clear in the film, there's a hint earlier that foreshadows this course of events. In her bedroom is a poster for one of Audrey Hepburn's best movies, Breakfast at Tiffany's. Before departing for London, Turner precisely mirrors Audrey Hepburn's posture while standing right in front of it. It's a little moment that means so much more given what the audience learns about her.
Let's Keep It Sandie
The first time Ms. Collins, the landlady, speaks to Ellie she introduces herself as Alexandra. This is a tell, as, later in the movie, Sandie's real name is revealed to be Alexandra.
She and her manager/lover/eventual pimp Jack (Matt Smith) are shown getting to know one another. He's yet to reveal his malicious nature, so she has no reason to distrust him (especially given how he has treated her compared to other men in the club). He wants to know her real name, to which she replies "Alexandra." Cheekily, he suggests they go back to calling her Sandie. Jack may be a monster, but he's also one of Matt Smith's best roles.
The True Purpose Of The Garlic Smell
Like fellow Edgar Wright film Shaun of the Dead, Last Night in Soho is a shocking movie that actually reveals the twist early. When Ms. Collins is guiding Ellie through her home, it's almost as if she's trying to push a potential tenant out the door.
Along with several other questions, she asks if Ellie has any issue with garlic. Politely, Ellie responds she'll be fine, to which Collins replies that will be necessary, considering the next door bistro smells like it constantly. In reality, this is just a cover for the rotting bodies in the walls (which would be mostly decomposed regardless).
The Sound Design For London
Like The Wizard of Oz, Last Night in Soho has a stylistic change during the first act. However, unlike in that earlier movie, where it goes from sepia-tone to technicolor, Soho's surround sound only turns on during Ellie's first nighttime venture into 1966 London.
Edgar Wright is an auteur with a distinct style, but he consistently displays a love for playing with established tropes. Just as the film itself is supposedly inspired by British horror films, perhaps Wright's stylistic choice was referential to that earlier foray into the dream world.
Throwing Up On The Stairs
Last Night in Soho is pretty far from containing any of the funniest scenes from Edgar Wright movies, but it certainly has one of the grossest. However, it happens fairly quickly.
Ms. Collins informs Ellie that she's poisoned her (in an attempt to remain anonymous). Conceivably, the young woman should have died before having a chance to get all the way out of the house. However, eagle-eyed viewers will see her vomit out the poison while running up the stairs.
The Number Of Victims
The amount of men killed by Sandie/Alexandra is never explicitly stated, but a quick line of dialogue is enough to inform attentive viewers that the number is considerable. While in the library, John expresses shock at how many were murdered in such a relatively short period of time.
The number of victims is important to the character, as the audience is not supposed to be sure how to feel about her at the movie's end. She was initially pimped out by Jack, but then she killed him. Afterward, she continued luring Johns, only to murder them. The audience isn't sure how terrible these men (and, ultimately, ghosts) were, and thusly aren't quite sure how to view Alexandra.
The Importance Of 8 P.M.
Before Ms. Collins tells Ellie about the garlic smell from next door, she lists out her rules for tenants. One of these rules is that no male guests are to be over after 8 P.M.
This time ends up being another tell as to Sandie's true identity. While back in 1966, Jack arrives late to pick her up for a date. He was supposed to arrive at 8 and failed to do so. Judging by Sandie's reaction, it was by a considerable margin. The dialogue is very specific in regards to the number, though it's also indicative of a man breaking her trust (which he would do further).
The Purpose Of Jocasta
Jocasta's purpose in the narrative is to be a real-world mirroring of the increasing terror Ellie has been experiencing in her dreams. This antagonism exists in tangent with a warning given by Ellie's grandmother that looms over the rest of the movie.
Margaret Turner is worried that her granddaughter will follow the same path as her troubled daughter, who also went to London to be a fashion designer. However, Ellie's mother's mental illness was pushed to the brink by (unspecified) stressors in London, resulting in her taking her own life. Like Jocasta's bullying, this revelation about Ellie's mother (and therefore, potentially, Ellie) is just one thing for the audience to ponder when trying to figure out what's going on.