Let The Right One In (2008)

If you are a fan of vampire movies and would like a more unique take on the genre, I would recommend you check out “Låt den rätte komma in” Let The Right One In.

The story takes place in the apartment building of one Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), a quiet 12 year old who is constantly bullied by Conny (Patrik Rydmark) and his two friends, Martin (Mikael Erhardsson) and Andreas (Johan Sömnes). One day whilst playing by himself (as usual), Oskar is approached by Eli (Lina Leandersson), a mysterious girl about his age who had just moved in to the apartment next to his. The two soon form a relationship of friendship and a bit more which ultimately leads to Oskar learning that she is a vampire.

The pacing of this movie is a bit slow and will turn-off the newbie horror fans who are used to gore over story. Eli has fangs which are never seen, so the cliche Vampire shots are left out – a choice I view as an excellent one since the fangs would have changed our outlook on her quite a bit. Eli is shown to be somewhat of an innocent, a child who has lived through the ages drinking blood and although she has a killer’s instinct to feed, she comes off as lonely and sad the entire time.

Let The Right One In is a love story with the main characters being children. Innocence is exploited, revealed and at times thrown out the door. The cinematography was the highlight of this film for me as we watch the drifting snow fall upon the brick prison of an apartment complex during the initial scene when the kids meet. Filmed in Sweden and critically acclaimed, I would recommend this movie to the true vampire fans.