Halloween 2015 #12: Let the Right One In (2008) - Tomas Alfredson

This and American Psycho are the only films from this century on my list.

The inclusion of this movie on several “Best Horror Movies” lists (#15 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list, with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari being #1) as well as it being on Netflix made Let The Right One In the perfect addition to my Horror Movie-cation list.

And it’s foreign! This Swedish film astonished everyone at a myriad of film festivals in 2008, and it is described on Wikipedia as being a “romantic horror film.”

Tonally, it actually does feel like a low-budget romantic indie. The story centers on the blossoming friendship between two neighbors, 12 year olds Oskar and Eli. However, Eli is not what she seems.

Besides a few frightful scenes in which Eli must satisfy her taste for blood, the film really focuses on developing this relationship. Oskar is bullied regularly at school, and Eli is lonely and afraid to let Oskar in (which I’m assuming is where the title comes from?)

I do NOT slay!

But while these two develop a strong connection, the town is busy panicking about the murders taking place. The balance is an interesting and spooky one.

The vampires in the film follow the main rules we all know: they survive by drinking blood, they can’t let light touch them, they don’t age, and they can’t enter a place without first being invited in (oh maybe that’s where the title comes from). Also, I hadn’t seen this one before, but cats can’t stand them? The best part about this movie is how human it makes these traits, as if Eli truly is a child dealing with these obstacles in her life. I mean it’s definitely no mistake that she’s at an age where most girls enter puberty.

But the story is great, subtle in ways that American horror movies usually don’t dare to be. The last scene is filled with a powerful tension that has been building up since we first met Oskar.

I had no clue while watching this, but Eli’s voice is actually dubbed because it was deemed too high for her part. The film skirts around the subject of her gender, which I think is an interesting way to subvert the idea of them being romantically involved. It feels like a coming-of-age story about friendship.

Scary but heartwarming, Let the Right One In is a cool movie all around, and definitely worth the watch while it’s still on Netflix. Plus it has a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes!