Let the Right One In

2008's LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is the sort of vampire movie I can get behind.  It really carves out its own identity.  Thankfully, it doesn't resemble the TWILIGHT movies in any significant way.   It is also different from any film with "Nosferatu" or "Dracula" in its title.  Nor is it goofy like THE LOST BOYS or FRIGHT NIGHT, much as I enjoy those.  Director Tomas Alfredson's movie is also an effective coming of age drama, dealing with adolescence and all its messes.  Some here are quite literal.

However, nothing that happens in this film is that innovative.  You have likely seen every element in this film before.  Through the eyes of young Oskar (Kare Hedebrandt) we witness the dank landscape of Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm.  Life is bleak.  He lives with his distracted mother and sometimes visits his father out in the country.  Neither parent seems especially loving.  More, obligated. We also see a trio of  bullies who taunt and physically abuse Oskar around school.  Even the strange girl who lives in the neighboring flat informs him that they can't be friends.  But she will eventually prove to be a light in the murk, even if her very nature is evil.

Is that vague enough for you? Fine.  Eli (Lina Leandersson) sleeps all day and drinks blood.  She's twelve, but has been for a long time.  Oskar begins to really like her, even after he discovers why some locals have turned up dead.  Eli, and the odd older man (a paternal figure of sorts) she lives with, must feed.  Oskar also discovers why a vampire must be formally invited into a room.  The alternative leads to one of the film's signature moments.  Iconic, even.  It may also explain the film's title.

Because the central relationship is dealt with so beautifully (as are the school and domestic scenes), it's tempting to say that the horror elements of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, written by John Ajvide Lindqvist, based on his novel of the same name, are incidental.  But Alfredson has crafted a genuinely atmospheric and creepy genre pic, with some gory moments for the faithful.  The director rarely shows us the violence front and center - he will have something obscure the view or pull back for a wide shot instead.  During the brutal climax, we see more of the aftermath than the actual carnage.  It is line with Alfredson's method but also keeps the focus on Oskar, whose story this is at heart.  Another interesting movie could've wholly been seen through Eli's eyes, I suppose.