There really isn’t much of anything directors can do with the vampire sub-genre anymore and that’s been a given for horror geeks for a long time. I’m repellent to any and all vampire fang films that come to the forefront and I’ve made it a rule to carefully dissect most fang films after constant turkeys passed my way. Thankfully “Let the Right One In” isn’t your average vampire movie. And while it’s trite to make such a declaration the truth remains: “Let the Right One In” is a different vampire film and one I loved with every aching horror geek bone inside me.
You take “Lost Boys” mixed with “Lean On Me,” and we get the story of young Oskar, a young recluse who prefers the company of anyone but his parents and the bullies who torture him day in and day out. Director Alfredson doesn’t just go for the throat with the tale of a vampire confidant by instead opts for a combination of a pastiche of tones and moods that keep the terrain Oskar resides in, dead and hopelessly frigid. The company of his new friend Eli brings about a new shade of social courage that doesn’t just change him but provides him the power he’s borrowing front Eli who is an extrovert who draws in many helpless folks with her childlike innocence and ability to draw folks with her reflexes and shocking abilities she uses on her prey.
The results of making this friend leave Oskar to fend for himself and prove his worthiness to Eli who watches on trying to cure her hunger. Alfredson isn’t obsessed with the apparent elephant in the room when we get to meet Eli the first time because most of his film is about human relations and crumbling bonds broken as the secret of young Eli becomes apparent to the ring of bystanders she comes across in her desperation for blood. In spite of being another vampire title, there’s a wonderful emotion between Oskar and Eli and one that accentuates the look at the shallow doldrums of even the core doldrums of Oskar’s role as a child as opposed to his parents who don’t care for him unless Oskar tries for affection.
“Let the Right One In” is such a fantastic take on the vampire sub-genre that looks to break the mold upon its start; And it comes dangerously close to doing so with a rich love story, acute coming of age elements, and pure maniacal revenge. And boy when said revenge is had it’s quite an commendable example of skill and craft in horror cinema. That’s something you can’t say too much about modern horror films. “Let the Right One In” is the perfect example of that rare breed of modern horror that goes for the throat with great characters, good scares, and a tired formula twisted in to one of the best horror films of 2008.