Guest review – Let The Right One In (2008)

This weekend I asked on Twitter if anyone was interested in doing a guest review on this blog. Liam Underwood was soon to respond and has selected Låt den rätte komma in (Let The Right One In). If you are also interested in a review you wrote appearing hit the Contact link at the top. I want to thank Liam for writing this excellent review, makes me want to see this film as soon as I can.

Vampires have an extremely sexualized romantic history on-screen, and they are currently experiencing somewhat of a resurgence. Despite their ugly origins with ‘Nosferatu (Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens) (Murnau, 1922)’ – a bald-headed creature with bat-like features – the screen vampire is often depicted as dashing charming creatures of the night with a certain allure to them.
From Bela Lugosi in ‘Dracula (Browning, 1931)’ to the iconic imposing Christopher Lee in Hammer’s ‘Dracula (Fisher, 1958)’ offering, the Count is perhaps the most famous screen vampire. The 80s saw vampires as sexed up party animals with ‘The Lost Boys (Schumacher, 1987)’ and the criminally overlooked ‘Near Dark (Bigelow, 1987)’ – this portrayal still glamourised the vampire lifestyle. Most recently, vampires have become heart-throb sparkly sex symbols, thanks to their idolised depiction in ‘Twilight (Hardwicke, 2008)’. But vampires are rarely grounded in reality, either situated in a gothic or fantastical context. Until now.

The vampire in ‘Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) (Alfredson, 2008)’ is Eli (Lina Leandersson), a twelve-year-old girl, although she’s been twelve for a long time. She is driven, and cursed, by a need for blood. There’s no sleeping all day and partying all night here, but instead the sort of existence that plagues drug addicts. A careless mistake in her desperate search for blood soon begins to arouse the suspicions of the locals, and her life in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg is thrown into jeopardy.

Yet there’s one person who sees Eli for what she truly is, and accepts her. Twelve-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is bullied at school, and his divorced parents have better things to do than look after him. He retreats into his own fantasy world where he can exact his revenge on the bullies before the mysterious Eli moves in next door to him. Their friendship is tenderly developed, and Eli teaches Oskar how to stand up for himself and hit back.

The film plays out against the stark white snow of a devastatingly dark Sweden, and the frame comes alive with breathtaking shots. Director Tomas Alfredson has lovingly adapted the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, omitting some of the darker elements, and allowing for a tender love story to develop. Neither of the young protagonists are particularly innocent, with Oskar’s hate-fuelled lust for vengeance and Eli’s need for blood, yet their young love is refreshingly believable. They come to depend on each other, navigating through this grim
horror tale together.

Alfredson cleverly positions the camera at the eye-level of the twelve-year-olds, causing faceless adults to tower above. ‘Let the Right One In’, at its heart, is a story about the journey towards adolescence. It’s about loneliness and helplessness, being ignored and afraid. Yet it also features hope, first love, and friendship. It’s about being a child. Eli as a vampire is not a matter of great importance to Oskar. Neither does the fact that she’s not actually a girl particularly phase him. While he may not have his innocence preserved, he is still young enough to see the world in simple black and white, right and wrong.

This beautiful film also stunningly captures the macabre – with dark red blood splashed onto pure white snow, or the flames of Eli’s sun drenched victim crackling skywards. Care has been lavished on each shot, no matter how grisly. The only time the film briefly falters is with the inclusion of computer generated cats in one particularly awkward scene. It’s a minor distraction from an otherwise visually astounding film – but it isn’t just the eyes that are treated. The score is simply fabulous, rarely dominating the movie but leaving a haunting lasting impression.

Let the Right One In’ is a slow-burning film, but it takes the vampire creature in a truly unique direction. Love and vampires go hand in hand, but this bittersweet tale is careful to never romanticise Eli’s plight. Alfredson proves that horror doesn’t have to be a shocking assault on good taste, and that even the fantastical can be rendered believable. Perhaps that is the films greatest trick, and it is thanks to some superb acting from the young leads. It goes to prove that there is still some originality to be found in a creature with a long and rich
cinematic history, and the teeth are as sharp as ever.

Score: 9

– Liam Underwood