Let the Right One In (2008)

I've made it 24 days in and haven't watched a vampire movie, so I thought it was time to park my ass on the couch for some prime fanger action. I was all pumped up until I saw the selection on Netflix instant… dismal, to say the least. I decided to try a 2008 Swedish film called Let the Right One In because I do love Swedish cinema and Netflix assured me I would enjoy it. I don't put a lot of stock into their algorithm, but maybe I should start because this was one hell of a movie.

Although it was released the same year this is definitely not your typical teen Twilight fare. The story concerns two 12 year olds, one bullied by classmates and the other who is actually an ancient vampire, who fall darkly in love. The film opens with Oskar who, at first glance, you would think is the vampire. He's ghostly white, slender, staring out his bedroom window, brooding in typical vampire fashion. He's watching a new family move in to the apartment next door when he sees the girl: dark-haired, equally slender and forlorn.

You see their relationship develop slowly. Like any good Swedish film, everything is patient. The characters, the dialogue, the framing of shots, the editing. The juxtaposition of the two polar opposite lives — one where a small boy deals with bullies, the other where a small girl kills people and drinks their blood — are infused into you, dripping slowly until they begin to blur and mix. This is a movie very much about two lives colliding and the blood-spattered backdrop is just another challenge that two lovers must overcome.

The subtleties are what makes this movie. For instance, there is a twist ending… that happens in the middle of the film. It's so subtle and quick that you'll likely miss it the first time. I did. After it was over I had to go back to a few scenes before everything clicked. It's the story that lurks beneath the surface that would make repeat viewings a worthy endeavor.

Let the Right One In is not a very scary movie, but there's enough of a bloody backdrop to make this an excellent October choice.