10/28/16 – day twenty-eight of thirty-one days of horror!
I think of this one as a no-brainer, but am always surprised to learn
that many haven’t seen Thomas Alfredson’s 2008 Swedish vampire classic
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. Set in the bleak, snowy world of 1980s Sweden,
Alfredson’s film – adapted from a novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist – is a
coming-of-age story about a bullied middle school boy and his burgeoning
romance with a 12 year-old “girl” who is (spoiler) revealed to be a
vampire. Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson are brilliant
and otherworldly as the star-crossed youths, and though the film leans
heavily on the emotional journey of the characters, it still manages to
deliver some moments of true shock and horror. Also, there’s a crazy
scene of cats attacking drunks, so that alone speaks to this movie’s
merits. Everything about the production is great, from the direction to
the atmosphere to the screenplay, so when Hollywood decided to make an
American version in 2010 for the subtitled impaired, naturally I
bristled. But Matt CLOVERFIELD Reeves’ remake, re-titled LET ME IN and
starring child actor wunderkind Chloe Grace Moretz, is actually very
faithful to the source material and not half-bad as far as these things
go. Still, unless you really hate a little reading with your movies, let
the Swedish original be the first you let into your blackened,
blood-craving heart.
