Review - Let the Right One In

This strange, enchanting film from Sweden is a refreshing take on the now well worn vampire genre. Kåre Hedebrant plays twelve year old Oskar, a lonely boy who is having trouble at school with bullies and has a strained relationship with his mother at home. He meets Eli (Lina Leandersson) a similarly distant and slightly weird twelve year old girl, and we follow the development of their sometimes awkward friendship. We also learn that Eli is hiding a dark secret: she is a vampire, and her “father” (Per Ragnar) who she lives with is actually a serial killer who kills his victims to provide blood for her.

Let the Right One In successfully combines two very different genres, coming of age and vampire horror, into a thoughtful and entertaining film. Oskar and Eli's story is subtly handled and draws the viewer in with a slow burning tension that works well. The screenplay by John Ajvide Lindqvist, based on his book, is excellent and although it moves at a slow pace it does not affect the viewer's enjoyment. The story is quite happy to take its time and allow the audience to enjoy a deeper understanding of Oskar and Eli. The horror elements are handled extremely well, with the film unafraid to enter darker and gorier territory. Due to the way the main bulk of the story is sensitively handled and feels realistic, when the horror does punctuate the story it allows director Tomas Alfredson to provide some memorable shocks and scenes which will remain in your memory. The film also makes good use of Sweden's snowy landscape and is beautifully shot. The scenery sometimes giving the film an otherworldly feel.

This is an accomplished film and is the work of people highly skilled and confident in their craft. Performance wise the young actors are particularly good, making this supernatural story seem like something that could actually happen in real life. The film rightly won a number of awards at the time of its release and no doubt a Hollywood remake is on the cards, although I doubt it could match the quality of the original.