Vampire flicks are all the rage now. In fact, I can confidently say I have vampire fatigue. Edward Cullen, Bill Compton, ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ it’s all starting to blend in (as good as ‘True Blood’ is). So when I heard that ‘Let the Right One In’ had a 12 year old vampire in it, I inevitably lumped it in with the vampire fad.
Having now seen the film, I can admit I was way off in my earlier assessment. ‘Let the Right One In’ is one of the most original films of 2008. Yes, it is Swedish, but that’s irrelevant. It creates a mood that hasn’t been seen in film since ‘The Silence of the Lambs.’ It can only be described as horror, but the film feels starkly real (as odd as that is for a vampire movie).
On top of that, there is a sort of romance to the film. Oskar, a 12 year old boy, lives somewhat of a friendless existence, and is bulled at school. He then meets Eli (which is apparently a girl’s name in Swedish), a mysterious girl his age who he doesn’t see in school. I don’t think I’m giving anything away by saying she’s a vampire. It may seem tough to portray someone as both a dark creature and an innocent girl but the film pulls it off nicely. Add in a jolting climax and you have a very memorable film.
+4