Let The Right One In Review

Let the Right One In is a 2008 Swedish romantic horror film directed by Tomas Alfredson. It is based on the novel of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. It tells the story of a bullied 12-year-old boy who develops a friendship with a vampire child in Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm, in the early 1980s.
Alfredson, unfamiliar with the horror and vampire genres, decided to tone down many elements of the novel and focus primarily on the relationship between the two main characters. The film tells of Oskar, a meek 12-year-old boy, who lives with his mother in the western Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982. His classmates regularly bully him, and he spends his evenings imagining revenge. One night, he meets Eli, who appears to be a pale girl his own age. Eli has recently moved in next door to Oskar with an older man named Håkan. Eli initially informs Oskar that they cannot be friends. However, over time, they begin to share their lonely existence together, playing and exchanging Morse code messages through their apartment wall. Eli eventually discovers that Oskar is being bullied at school, and encourages him to stand up for himself. The ending is well deserved and you feel happy for the two main characters. This has to be the best vampire movie I have ever seen. If you are looking for a vampire movie with lots of gore and action like Underworld or Vampires, this is not the movie for you. This film is very slow paced and character driven but I think that makes the kill and suspense scenes much more satisfying. The Swedish scenery is beautiful with plenty of snow and ice and the cinematography makes you feel as if you are there. The music is soft and touching, the composer could make you feel what was happening on screen through the instruments. You must pay attention while watching because there are a lot of plot lines that are not directly explained and some things are left to the interpretation of the viewer. The film itself is mesmerizing and i was lost in the almost two hour run time. If you look at the horror films that came out from 2000-2009, I would rate this in the top three for sure. The American remake comes out later this year. I am interested to see our take on the film like I was with REC and Quarantine. REC was a far superior movie even though Quarantine was almost a shot for shot redo. Even when the story is the same, if the actors do not have the same passion as the originals did, that can make all the difference. If you consider yourself a true horror fan, you must see Let The Right One In.