Let the Right One In (2008) Review

Written by: Aidan13   

            I got around to watching this via Netflix with the upcoming "Let me In" film around the corner.  I must admit that while that film doesn’t really intrigue me the trailer for "Let the right one in" did.  I also must admit that this film pleasantly surprised me. 

            Set in a Suburb of Stockholm, the film revolves around a boy Oskar who spends his days day dreaming of being able to stand up to the local bullies that have targeted him and being a loner, hanging out on a solitary jungle gym on the property of the apartment complex he lives in with his mother.  A new neighbor moves in, an older looking man with a girl about the same age as Oskar.  It’s evident from Oskar’s first encounter with the girl Eli that something is not quite right about her.  She does not attend the local school, only seems to come out after dark and wears no winter clothing though we can tell from the snow on the ground that it is very cold where they are.  When Oskar asks Eli if she’s cold, she replies no, and that she must have just forgotten how to feel cold. 

            We learn pretty early on that Eli is a vampire, needing blood to survive.  Some vampire mythology is cleverly used in this film but doesn’t draw too much attention away from the story.  We get the idea that she has super human strength, she can scale buildings with little to no ease and can take a full grown human down herself.  Sunlight must be avoided and we find out why when an intended victim of Eli’s survives an attack only to see sunlight the next morning. 

            This film for me seemed to focus more on a "coming of age" motif rather than straight horror and the fact that one of the main characters is a vampire doesn’t detract too much from this underlying theme.  It was refreshing to see a vampire film this original, and nice to keep the vampires still "monsters" for lack of a better word.  This film in essence is a love story…about two misfit kids who find a lot in each other, and ultimately grow from their relationship. 

            I am not sure that I want to see the remake "Let me In" after my viewing of the original, which I liked very much.  Time will tell if I decide to go check it out in theaters.  I think I will wait for early reviews from the fine folks on Horrormovies.ca