I went into this movie last Friday night on the heels of a lot of hype. Back when I went to Fan Expo, everyone on the panel discussion I attended on Vampires in Fiction said that this Swedish sleeper hit was the best recent vampire film they'd seen. Reviews have all been good as well. I gotta say though that while I definitely enjoyed it, I watched the credits roll that night without any sense of "Oh my God, that was awesome!" I started to wonder what all the hype was about.
Now that I've had a few days to let it process, I am starting to see a few things about Let the Right One In that make the film stand out. The story about Eli, a vampire in the body of a twelve-year-old girl who befriends Oskar, a twelve-year-old boy, comes across as a surprisingly sweet tale of adolecent romance, given the subject matter. Many of the classic vampire elements are here, from sunlight = bad to not being able to enter a home without being invited (hence the title).
But what I think is the true message of the film didn't really hit me until those few days later. I think what makes the movie stand out was that it really shows the downside of being a vampire. Most vampire movies I've seen show vamps as being powerful, confident individuals, part of communities of other vamps and living indulgent, aristocratic lifestyles. Not so for Eli. She is lonely, dependant on others for survival, constantly at risk of being discovered and stuck as a twelve-year-old. Not a glamorous life at all, and showing in the full light of day (pardon the pun) that is what makes this vampire movie so unique...and so haunting (trust me that scene at the pool...you'll know it when you see it...is quite jarring). I don't know why it took a few days to pick up on all of this (maybe I was having a slow week), but I got there eventually.
My Verdict: Quiet, mature, a bit touching, and it makes you think. In a vampire movie. Wow.
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