Movie Review: Let the Right One In

Oskar, the lonely one

Why you should watch it now:

Bragging Rights

Rumor is that this movie will be remade by Matt Reeves of Cloverfield fame. The new version of the movie may be entirely different from the Swedish version since the screenplay may not be written by the original author of the Swedish screenplay and the book.

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When I saw the movie poster for Let the Right One In — which shows a pale-faced girl with a haunted look about her, pitted against a slate gray backdrop, staring at something or maybe nothing around her, I was instantly motivated to review the plot of the film. A love story between a vampire girl (Eli) and a normal boy (Oskar)? The anime geek in me perked up. (Vampire Princess Miyu anyone?) And after reviewing the movie’s high Rotten Tomatoes rating (the director/movie won bla bla bla and such, see on IMDB) and looking over the movie’s poster again and then learning that some friends wanted to see the film too, I was convinced to go watch the film.

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Clip for Let The Right One In

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Just like the movie poster, each background scene creates as a picturesque backdrop to a quietly-paced movie. The cinematography is hauntingly beautiful — less is more here. This movie is called a horror film, but don’t let that label deter you from going. I’ve yet to see a horror movie that makes killing look as elegant as an Upper East Side dinner.

Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist, author of the novel and writer of the screenplay, revealed the title of his book came from the Morrissey song, “Let the Right One Slip In.” The town, its settings, and Oskar’s loneliness are largely based on Lindqvist’s life as a child in Blackeberg, Sweden. This is the main reason why the author thought it very important for him to be allowed to write the screenplay. He’s quoted on Aint It Cool News as saying:

“It’s possible, that I would ruin the story, that I wouldn’t be able to write a screenplay but then at least it would have been me and I wouldn’t have had to feel resentment towards another person or my life because he ruined my story.”

— Ain’t It Cool News interview with John Ajvide Lindqvist

Conclusion: if you want to see a sweet supernatural film that is high on beauty and lore on gore then Let The Right One In is the right one to let in.

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