The modern horror performance Edgar Wright calls “one of the best ever”
Edgar Wright might have began his career creating spoof films such as his debut A Fist Full of Fingers, as well as directing comedies such as Spaced and Mash and Peas, but as his filmmaking career took off, he quickly forayed into the world of horror.
Instead of attempting to replicate traditional forms of horror, Wright often combined comedy with scare-factor, resulting in two of his most successful films: Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. In an interview for The Film That Changed My Life, the director credits An American Werewolf in London as majorly influential over his style.
He said: “I’ve always been fascinated by horror films and genre films. And horror films harboured a fascination for me and always have been something I’ve wanted to watch and wanted to make. Equally, I’m very fascinated by comedy. I suppose the reason that this film changed my life is that very early on in my film-watching experiences, I saw a film that was so sophisticated in its tone and what it managed to achieve.”
By 2021, Wright moved into more serious territory with his psychological horror film Last Night in Soho. Set in both London’s Swinging Sixties and the present day, the film garnered mixed reviews, praised for its portrayal of the 1960s and visual delights but criticised for its clunky dialogue and flimsy narrative.
Wright proves to be at his best when he combines satirical horror with British comedy. It’s a shame that Last Night in Soho wasn’t as spectacular as it could’ve been – after all, it was heavily inspired by Roman Polanski’s incredible 1965 horror Repulsion.
The director has not shied away from declaring his love for horror movies, even curating a list of his top 1000. His favourites range from Eyes Without a Face to Suspiria to Raw, demonstrating his extensive knowledge of the genre.
In a recent Tweet, Wright made a bold claim regarding Ti West’s 2022 slasher X. In anticipation of the second instalment in the X trilogy, Pearl, which will be released on 16th September in the U.S, Wright Tweeted: “Even if you didn’t see ‘X’, you must see ‘PEARL’, the 2nd great Ti West/Mia Goth film of 2022, on the big screen this weekend. A crimson red slice of Sirk with Goth giving one of the best performances in horror ever and a hilarious/terrifying closing shot for the ages. Don’t miss.”
Pearl focuses on the X villain in her younger years and explores how the cabin that becomes the site of multiple murders in the first film was originally a boarding house during World War One. The film will also explore how Pearl became the murderous character we meet in X, as she lusts for a better life whilst trapped on an isolated farm.
A third film named MaXXXine is also in the works, which follows Goth’s other character from X, the young pornstar Maxine, as she tries to make it in Hollywood after narrowly surviving a massacre.
