Halloween Songs: “Neon” and “You’re My World” (Last Night In Soho Soundtrack)

Another selection from the BHT haunted vault.

With Halloween just two weeks away, it’s likely some people are already working on a playlist for a party at home or at a bar. They should consider a prelude that sets the mood for the haunting material that follows. An instrumental, such as a classic TV show theme from The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Star Trek, Doctor Who or Alfred Hitchcock Presents would work, and there are plenty of film soundtracks to explore. For example, the song “Neon” from the 2021 thriller Last Night In Soho.

The track opens with a simple but haunting piano solo before a full orchestra conjures an invading army of zombies or some other evil force. With an instrumental, you’re free to craft your own nightmarish scenario; a flock of crows or bats swirling around in tune with the string section? Why not? Last Night In Soho doesn’t have those things, but there are plenty of ghosts. Slowly building its massive arrangement, “Neon” effectively conveys a sense of danger that might be inescapable.

In addition to an intense storyline with unexpected twists, Last Night In Soho uses several classic hit songs to establish an authentic 1960s setting for when the heroine, played by Thomasin McKenzie, drifts back to that decade in a series of frightening dreams. There are few selections on YouTube, and one of the best is a version of the Cilla Black hit “You’re My World.” It not only captures the glamor of swinging London, but establishes an undercurrent of dread. Also, watch for the way director Edgar Wright uses mirrors to connect his two females leads, McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy.

The Last Night In Soho soundtrack is filled with gems from the swinging London era.