When young Oskar (Kare Hidebrant,) a slightly troubled 12-year-old boy who is regularly bullied by his peers, meets his new neighbor Eli (Lina Leandersson,) he begins to develop a crush on the young lady.  However, the pale, nocturnal, Eli has a secret – she isn’t exactly human, and might be responsible for a series of mysterious disappearances and murders.  However, the more Oskar learns about Eli, the more he begins to trust in her and want to be with her.

CRITIQUE

Being a horror fan, I am always on the lookout for new and fresh takes on the genre.  Yet, as big a horror fan as I am, I tend to find myself turning a blind eye to the world of vampire films.  This is due partially to the fact that most vampire films are either boring or laughable (or, in the case of the Underworld films – both.) However, this happens also because I feel that the best vampire story had already been told – Tod Browning’s Dracula is possibly the best vampire tale ever put to film and still holds up to this day.

Even F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (which is definitely one of the creepiest films I’ve ever seen) doesn’t hold a candle to Browning’s version of the tale. And with vampires making the leap from fearsome monsters into lame angsty teenage heartthrobs (Twilight, Angel) I’ve found myself growing completely tired of the genre.

Then I heard about Let the Right One In and I started to find myself getting excited about a new, dark and mature take on vampires, through the eyes of a child. And I’m happy to say that Let the Right One In has taken Dracula’s place in my heart.  It is not as though Let the Right One In is vastly superior to Dracula in anyway (in fact, as a vampire film, Let the Right One In has almost little to do with vampire mythology altogether.)

What makes Let the Right One In fantastic is that it examines how lonely it must be to be a vampire, but without compromising the integrity (and danger) of the vampire mythos.  Eli, the vampire in question, is only (biologically) 12-years-old, and needs a caretaker to keep her thirst for blood in check. And in order to keep herself from temptation, she has pretty much exiled herself from the rest of the world. However, when she meets Oskar, the two are able to bond because neither of them can function properly in the “normal” world.  And both are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep the other safe.

I found myself being very surprised at the amount of violence and gore in the film.  While there is little of it to speak of, Director Alfredson manages to make what’s there seem extremely brutal due to the frankness of it.  Eli might be 12, but she’s still a vampire. 

Let the Right One In is a dark and poetic film about two lost souls finding each one another. One just happens to be a vampire.  Classic horror fans will love this take on the vampire film, but those who are looking for cheap scares and blood will be sorely disappointed.

THE VIDEO

Let the Right One In is presented at 1080p in 2.35:1 widescreen and looks wonderful. The film is crisp and clean with only a minor bit of grain.

THE AUDIO

The film is presented in its original Swedish as well as in English, both with 5.1 DTS-HD tracks. While both tracks sound good (although there really isn’t much in this film to highlight,) I do prefer the original language track over the English.

THE EXTRAS

Deleted Scenes: 4 deleted scenes that add to the budding romance between Eli and Oskar, but add little else.

Behind the Scenes: A brief look at the filming of the feature. Nothing remarkable.

Photo and Poster Galleries: Exactly that.

FINAL THOUGHT

Let the Right One In is a wonderfully complex take on the vampire genre. Hopefully, this film is the beginning of a return to more psychologically complex horror films.