Let The Right One In
Movie: Let The Right One In
Rating: *****
"Are you a vampire?"
"Would you like me anyways?"
When an individual thinks of vampires, one of the first outlines that make out the outline is an individual named Dracula, taken from the 1897 novel of the same name, Dracula, by Bram Stoker. Irregularly shaped humans, lavishly old castles, speaking fancily, maybe even shape-shifting, but also crafty, and sinister, tricking their victims on their own into death more horrible than they could ever imagine. Thomas Alfredson's 2008 film Låt den rätte komma in, or in English, Let The Right One In, (based off the 2006 novel of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist - which I will also be reviewing), takes all of these ideologies about vampires, modernizes them, and in some cases, throws out a lot of old stereotypes we think about vampires to date. With a beautiful plot, elegant music, and cinematography, this has to be on a watchlist for any horror enthusiast.
The film tells the story of Oscar, a neglected and bullied twelve-year-old boy from Stolkhome, Sweden, who dreams of one day taking out his aggression in a fit of murder against those who did him wrong. Keeping up to date with news articles, and having a scrapbook of murder-newspaper clippings and crime scene photos, owning a few knives that prove this point. Soon a string of violent murders come around the town - victims are found drained of all their blood, and while this is happening, a new girl and her father - that Oscar assumes - moves next door to him in his apartment complex. He assumes their drug addicts, as the girl, Eli, is very pale, and their windows are always covered with blankets, and she is never seen in the daytime... But could there be something more that connects these two strings than Oscar lets on? He eventually befriends Eli, and a friendship, and eventually a romance begins to bloom, and more secrets are let loose into the air.
There were a lot of things in this movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. First of all, the story. This is not a regular vampire film that happens to feature the vampire as the villain - and that is what I love. It shows it as almost a disease in a sense. Eli hates having to drink the blood of humans, and, as a child, needs other adults to do it for her. She sees a sense of longing, wonder, and soon, what it feels like to be a child again with Oscar around her, and all of this negativity off her shoulders. It takes the monstrosity out of it and adds it on as just something she has to deal with. It focuses more on Oscar and Eli's relationship together, how she teaches him to stand up against his bullies and grow stronger. It is a film about kids that just happens to feature vampires. The soundtrack by Johan Söderqvist plays this off very well and gets you into the mood however the movie needs you to be. And yet, the music does not appear often, and if it does, almost all of it is very short and subtle. The cinematography of the movie as well is absolutely breathtaking. There are many still-shots - like the camera was just left on the tripod and the actors and actresses do their thing.
The film tells the story of Oscar, a neglected and bullied twelve-year-old boy from Stolkhome, Sweden, who dreams of one day taking out his aggression in a fit of murder against those who did him wrong. Keeping up to date with news articles, and having a scrapbook of murder-newspaper clippings and crime scene photos, owning a few knives that prove this point. Soon a string of violent murders come around the town - victims are found drained of all their blood, and while this is happening, a new girl and her father - that Oscar assumes - moves next door to him in his apartment complex. He assumes their drug addicts, as the girl, Eli, is very pale, and their windows are always covered with blankets, and she is never seen in the daytime... But could there be something more that connects these two strings than Oscar lets on? He eventually befriends Eli, and a friendship, and eventually a romance begins to bloom, and more secrets are let loose into the air.
There were a lot of things in this movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. First of all, the story. This is not a regular vampire film that happens to feature the vampire as the villain - and that is what I love. It shows it as almost a disease in a sense. Eli hates having to drink the blood of humans, and, as a child, needs other adults to do it for her. She sees a sense of longing, wonder, and soon, what it feels like to be a child again with Oscar around her, and all of this negativity off her shoulders. It takes the monstrosity out of it and adds it on as just something she has to deal with. It focuses more on Oscar and Eli's relationship together, how she teaches him to stand up against his bullies and grow stronger. It is a film about kids that just happens to feature vampires. The soundtrack by Johan Söderqvist plays this off very well and gets you into the mood however the movie needs you to be. And yet, the music does not appear often, and if it does, almost all of it is very short and subtle. The cinematography of the movie as well is absolutely breathtaking. There are many still-shots - like the camera was just left on the tripod and the actors and actresses do their thing.
Something else that I think is absolutely beautiful about the cinematography is that in nearly every shot, there is the color red at least somewhere. Given the nature of the movie and what it is about, I think it is absolutely amazing and creative how the producers did that.
Thomas Alfredson's beautiful film Let The Right One In may be one of the most beautiful horror movies of all time - and yet, some may not even call it a horror. Creepy scenes, disturbing ones, yes, but also, small moments. Magical moments. Moments that reinvent a genre, a monster, and make you realize what being human really is. A good question to think about after watching this movie is: what makes a monster? The way society views something? Through someone's actions? Thoughts? Eli says it best in a conversation with Oscar after a terrifying scene, a scene that really makes you think:
"Oscar, I kill because I have to. Be me, for a little while. Please Oscar... Be me for a little while."
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