Let Me In

Frankly, I am sick of reading reviews that simply compare Tomas Alferdson’s Swedish film ‘Let The Right One In’ to Matt Reeves remake; more often than not these reviews find Reeves’ version wanting. Well here is an opinion that lets the film stand alone and judges it on its own merit.

This is the first project of recently resurrected, legendary horror studio Hammer and it certainly lives up to their old 50s classics like ‘Dracula’ and ‘The Curse of Frankenstein’. The story revolves around Owen (Kodi Smith-Mcphee) who lives in Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1983. Owen is extremely lonely; his parents are getting a divorce so his father is not around and his mum is in a constant state of either being drunk or anxious. To add to his woes, at school he is mercilessly picked on by three boys who wedgie him and refer to him as a girl. This isolation leaves Owen both incredibly angry, slightly troubled and also very curious in the world around him that he feels separate from, so he is the first person to notice how the girl, who has recently moved in with a man who can only be her father, walks through the snow with no shoes on. This strange girl is Abby (Chloe Mortez) and we quickly find out, though Owen is left in the dark, that she is a vampire-hence has no need for things like shoes.

Chloe Mortez’s vampire in this film is, in my opinion, one of the best re-imaginings to date of the classic concept.  As well as having the mystical elements such as being allergic to sunlight, surviving on blood and having to be invited into houses, Abby also acts like a realistic predator. Gone is the glamour and moody looks of Edward Cullen – compared with Abby he seems like neutered dog. She is fast, strong, becomes feral at the sight of blood and has no problem killing innocent people to satisfy her hunger, but hides this strength behind her fragile girl like appearance, making her all the more dangerous. It is strangely refreshing to see a portrayal of vampires that reflects what they would be like in reality. All the modern renovations of the myth have diluted the original horror that they are meant to install, but Abby is a return to the original roots. Blood sucking creatures that prey on humans are not meant to be glamorous or sexy, they should be terrifying; Abby is certainly terrifying and one of the best things about this film.

Both kids are absolutely fantastic in the film and give high caliber performances. They both handle the tough subject matter exceptionally well, but that shouldn’t really be too surprising when you look at their pedigrees: Mortez was Hit-Girl in comic book film ‘Kick Ass’ while Smith-Mcphee played the boy (that was the characters name, there is no problem with my memory) in post-apocalyptic film ‘The Road’. Neither of these films are exactly light and fluffy, but I think ‘Let Me In’ certainly pushed both a bit more out of their comfort zone, though it is difficult to say who handled it better.  Mortez is able to appear both innocent and vulnerable, yet also wise and jaded at the same time, a feat that many actors with decades more experience cannot pull off. Smith-Mcphee is also exceptional playing the full spectrum of emotion, from anger to fear, delight to despair. In the end there is nothing to fault either one of these actors and both need to be commended to the highest regard for their performances.

Now finally we get to the real crux of the film, the bit that really made it for me was the haunting and touching moments that were found throughout the film; little scenes that would be sweet if not for the sinister undertones. There is a great amount of chemistry between Abby and Owen and the relationship is extremely sweet; both are very lonely and unable to connect with people and this draws them together. But the blood beneath it mars all of their relationship and this is never made more clearly than in a scene where Abby, fresh from a kill, hugs Owen and he hugs her back while her hands are still dripping with blood. This might all seem rather chilling to the audience, but Owen is in love with Abby and sees past all the violence, which is sweet, albeit in a very strange sort of way. What is truly distressing is the realisation that Abby has done this before and Owen is no more special to her than any of the other loners she has attracted. She appears to have been playing the same game for centuries so Owen really never had a chance;this is probably the most distressing part of the entire film.

As a director Matt Reeves has done an excellent job with the film. It is true that many scenes are a shot for shot copy of the original version (at least if all the other critics are to be believed), but there are some of his ideas in there. The car crash scene is ingeniously filmed from within the car itself; a stunning piece of cinematography. There are other little things that Reeves has done within the film that deserved to be noticed, such as consistently hiding the faces of Owen’s parents to add to the feeling of his loneliness. There are also a lot of little extra 80s details, such as a rubix cube and also a televised speech by Regan, which adds a tiny bit more detail to the overall appearance of the film.

Overall this is a very good film with a strong story, cast and director. I think it is a shame that critics are not looking at it as a film in its own right, but instead comparing it to the original. I can’t do that and believe that anyone who wants to see an amazing horror film or an amazing vampire film should go and see this while they still can.

Degree- 2:1

Although it might not be as good as the original it certainly

is an excellent film when taken alone. For those

who want to go back to the old style of vampires here

is something they must see.

(If you are confused about the rating system please click on the ‘About This Blog Page’ which will explain it all)

Let Me In

Everywhere you go now a days you see pearly white fangs! It first happened to dragons and then witches and wizards and now vampires have become the new fictional cash cows. Thanks to shows such as ‘Tru Blood’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries’ we have been shown how sexy drinking blood can be; whole films like the Twilight Saga show us how we can love them. I am surprised there are no media-hungry ceblebreities who are filing down their canine teeth! ‘Let Me In’ shows us that we should in fact fear vampires and gives a more realistic view on them then any previous cashing in.

Owen (Kodi Smith McPhee from The Road) is a social out cast at his school, with few friends and lots of bullies. His loneliness causes him to form a bond with the secretive Abbey ( Chloe Moretz who played Hit Girl in Kick Ass) who has recently moved in next door to him. About the same time this happens a string of grisly murders occur where the bodies are all drained of blood. Own begins to realise that this is all done by Chloe; she is a vampire and kills to live.

Originally a Swedish film called ‘Let The Right One In’, it will be interesting to see if Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) can demonstrate that Hollywood doesn’t make empty soulless remakes. On October 29th we will see if ‘Let Me In’ is a successful remake like ‘The Departed’ or a hallow shell of the original like ‘The Grudge’.

Until then here are some other clips you can sink your teeth into.