Vampires. A popculture phenomenon in recent years that I'm sure has a number of you readers already rolling your eyes at the thought. Our TV stations and friendly neighborhood cinemas have been pumping out vampire hits as fast as they can ranging from the highly romanticized and shamelessly cheesy Twilight Saga to HBO's gory and envelope-pushing True Blood. I too was part of the vampire jaded camp for quite some time. I admit, I read Twilight and shamefully have seen all three movies. But there was never any really oomph or spark to this series (other than Edward's apparently glittering abs) that left any lasting impression.
Robert Pattinson starring as Edward Cullen in all his vampiric glory.
As an avid horror fan I was seeking something a little darker, a little less polished and a whole lot more bloody than the average vampire fare had given me in recent years. I was steadfast in my preference for zombie movies and apathy towards vampire films.. up until I saw one little foreign film at CIFF in 2008 that changed it all.
Which film was that? You may be wondering. (Even if you weren't wondering I'm going to tell you anyways.)
Well fellow film buffs, the film was: "Låt den rätte komma in" Swedish for "Let the Right One In." The film was so many things other vampire films of late were not. Refreshing, tragic, eerie, poignant - and of course, gory. It showed that horror could be both a work of art and leave you feeling jumpy and nervous walking to your car afterwards in the dark.
The film takes place in a suburb of Stockholm in the 1980s and centers around a young boy named Oskar who is a victim of constant bullying at school. A strange young girl named Eli and her father move into the apartment next door and the two develop a bizarre yet strong friendship. We soon learn that Eli is not the timid and innocent pre-teen that she appears to be, and in fact has been 12 years old for a loooong time.
Let the Right One In was a haunting and beautiful film, and has justly earned a spot on my list of favorite films of all time. So where does Let Me In fit into all of this? Well, it is a Hollywood remake of this beloved Swedish film, and stars a number of breakout young stars. Most notably, Chloe Moretz who starred as Hit Girl in the underrated comic book movie Kickass. But I digress. From the trailer it is apparent that Let Me In has taken strides to make itself a memorable movie in its own right while remaining faithful to the original Swedish text and film. Let Me In takes places in a small town in New Mexico in the 1980s and follows the burgeoning relationship between the young loner Owen and the mysterious new girl, Abby.
Chloe Moretz as Abby in Let Me InLike all of you, I will be seeing this movie for the first time tonight and I couldn't be more excited. Let the Right One In has become a cult-classic in its own right, and it will be interesting to see how director Matt Reeves (of Cloverfield fame) puts his own spin on the beloved story. Be sure to pick up tickets to this show now, as it's certain to be a full house. You can purchase tickets either online at calgaryfilm.com or through the Festival Central box office in Eau Claire. The film plays tonight at 7pm at Eau Claire Market. Jump at the chance to see this movie before it opens in theaters later this week. See you there!
