Let The Right One In (2008)
Let The Right One In (2008) 8/10
You know you’ve hit the big time when Hollywood wants to do a remake. Let the Right One In is a little swedish movie that could, a refreshing little gem that is one of the year’s best and a personal favourite of mine. Now, Let the Right One In is a vampire movie, but this is a tag that does not do true justice to the movie. Its like saying Blade Runner was just a sci-fi movie, or that The Dark Knight is just a comic book movie. I honestly can’t remember the last time i watched a good vampire movie. I remember distinctly just how much the Blade series sucked and i know that Twilight is like the next big pop vampire movie. But the one you should really watch is Let the Right One In. It is quite hard to describe it because while it contains all the classic genre requirements of a vampire movie, including the old school requirement that vampires can enter your house only if you invite them (hence the title), it is actually more a romantic coming of age love story- only in a somewhat creepy way. It is a film about children, and vampires, and coming of age love story. If that mixture sounds like a crazy concoction, you’re right. It is an original, refreshing and beautifully acted tale with some truly memorable scenes and moments of brilliance. The leads are fantastic, with young Kåre Hedebrant looking like he stepped out of Gus Van Sant’s Elephant (different actor but he reminds me of the Elephant lead) while the superb female lead Lina Leandersson deserves special praise. She manages to look innocent and bloodthirsty all at the same time. Reminiscent of The Devil’s Backbone or Pan’s Labyrinth, Let the Right One In continues in the tradition of using the supernatural genre as a canvas to tell compelling stories. Here, horror is not the objective, but is simply the medium in which to reflect life.
While there are missteps and rough edges, including not particularly strong subplots involving a woman who got bitten but was not killed and a supporting cast that is quite unremarkable, the film shines whenever it focuses on the 2 leads. The best thing about it is that it actually functions as a poignant love story with comedic flourishes. In fact this might actually be a fairly good date movie. As a genre blending excercise, this movie not only effortlessly combines different genres, it also breaks out of the genre cliche that ails the typical vampire movie. It will not only stand as a modern classic but definitely ranks as one of the best films of 2008. Let the Right One In is a little gem that deserves your attention, and it is probably going to be much better than Twilight anyway.
“Let the Right One In” is one of the essential horror films of the decade. It’s also one of the most enthralling romances and one of the best films about children.- Star Tribune
