Hello! Have you seen Let The Right One In? What did you think?

With so much vampire stuff around lately, Twilight etc, I think it’s quite brave for a film to avoid a lot of the clichés. Of course, she’s still quite pale and there’s some blood but it didn’t have the moody green haze that I found so annoying with Twilight. It’s like, “Stop trying so hard, Twilight!”. I saw the first film, had no idea what was going on, got very bored. I didn’t feel that with Let The Right One In however. It was much more stylistic and fresh, and in no way comparable once you get past the vampire link. I also liked that it wasn’t like, BOOM, she’s a vampire, deal with it. Of course, as the audience, I think we all knew but little Oskar had his doubts to work through and I enjoyed watching and waiting for him to finally ask her. With him being bullied as well, I found myself really behind Oskar and rooting for him. This makes for some weird emotions as him and Eli become closer. On the one hand, I felt really happy for him. You can see from the start they’re adorable together, and he’s finally getting something good in his life. On the other hand, you’re screaming “Noooo, Oskar! She’s a vampire! How’s it ever going to work?!”. But mostly rooting for him!

I also loved how the film isn’t afraid of quiet. So many films, just like us in real life, are afraid of silence and think every gap needs to be filled, but sometimes, keeping things quiet makes them a lot creepier and a lot more poignant. The pool scene near the end is the perfect example of this. To start, Oskar is so vulnerable – he’s almost naked, soaking wet, and physically below the bully seeing as he’s in the pool and the bully is kneeling over him – very theatrical set up. I found myself with my eyes fixed on the action…then they kick the radio into the pool. Complete and utter concentration. You just can’t look away. And showing Eli’s arrival from under the water so all you hear is the slight ‘water coated’ audio just adds to the whole thing. Genius. If you didn’t see it or want a reminder, here it is.

If you didn’t get the chance to see Let The Right One In this month, I’d highly recommend it as it really is a beautifully crafted film, and who knows, you may even pick up some Swedish!

Did you like this form of a vampire? Could you predict what was going on? Do you find it more or a horror story or a romance? I’d love to know your thoughts on this in the comments below!