Let Me In

By Lisa Anderson

As the leaves turn and the air grows colder, a few extra horror movies always make their way into theaters. This year, one of the most anticipated new releases is Let Me In, a remake of the 2008 Swedish vampire film, Let The Right One In. Transplanted from 1980s Stockholm, Sweden to 1980s Los Alamos, New Mexico, this version is helmed by Cloverfield director Matt Reeves.

The basic storyline is the same: a bullied 12-year-old boy in a dreary, snowbound apartment complex befriends a mysterious new neighbor his age. At first, their relationship appears to be typical preteen love, albeit between two strange children. It turns out though, that she is a vampire, and the adult human who lives with her has been committing murder to obtain blood for her. Before the story is over, vampire, boy, and man all see their lives change permanently.

When the news of the remake first hit, a lot of people felt like Reeves’ Cloverfield cred was, if anything, reason to stay away. I disagreed. I found Cloverfield both moving and innovative. In it, Reeves demonstrated a talent for scaring as much with what he didn’t show as with what he did, and for creating compelling emotional dynamics in the midst of action.

These skills serve Reeves well in Let Me In. Fans of Let The Right One In will be happy to know that the remake retains both the subtlety and the bittersweet tone of the original. The ratio of onscreen gore to off screen gore remains the same, and the heartbreaking arc of lost innocence—visible to the audience but not to the participants—is still at the center of the story.

A few things have been changed. The bullying suffered by the young boy (named Owen this time, not Oskar) is worse, and shown more graphically. The vampire’s human “father” is moved closer to the center of the story, and the way he hunts his victims—although impractical—will have you looking over your shoulder for weeks. We get to see the vampire (named Abby instead of Eli) “vamped out” a little more this time, and that’s a good thing.

Let Me In is an almost scene-by-scene remake, although far from being a shot-by-shot one. The biggest change is probably the omission of a group of working-class friends who catch on that something strange is happening. I kind of liked them, but the movie doesn’t honestly need them. The thing I missed the most was the moment in Let The Right One In where we get to see what a vampire’s eyes do in the dark. . . when she’s thinking about blood.

I’m not saying that Let Me In is an airlessly faithful adaptation. There are quotable lines that are not in the original. Judiciously used ’80s pop culture references give it a uniquely American voice. Most importantly, between clips of Ronald Reagan and critical conversations that Owen has, the concept of evil has a presence that it didn’t in Let The Right One In. And as with any good horror movie, supernatural evil is mirrored by the evil in human nature.

In these days of Edward and Bella and Bill and Sookie, it’s refreshing to find a story where the vampire sees people as prey instead of potential dates. It’s also challenging to be reminded of our own pre-adolescence by a child vampire trapped on that cusp. Let The Right One In cast a long shadow in the worlds of horror films and international cinema, but Let Me In has strengths that it did not, and is sure to delight both film buffs and more casual fans.