The young vampire genre is not new to filmmakers – witness Lostboys and Interview with a Vampire, and most recently, Twilight – and the trick is often not so much the function but its form. This Swedish effort directed by Tomas Alfredson is a magnificent example of the stark beauty that results when form trumps function. In its sparse dialogue and chilly scenes of Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm, Alfredson gives us a tome on loyalty, friendship, loneliness and revenge. Most definitely, revenge. Based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel, Let the Right One In gives us the story of Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) a young misfit who is bullied at school who one day meets Eli (Lina Leandersson), the forever 12-year-old vampire in his tenement house playground. The two form a unique friendship and when Eli’s mortal protector and benefactor, Hakan (Per Ragnar) is discovered bleeding out a young lad for Eli’s sustenance, Oskar steps into his role: the deal sealed by Eli’s dealings with Oskar’s bullies. The title refers to vampire lore that suggests they must be invited in before entering a house. With a high creepy factor that has been perfectly polished, this film is well worth the risk of inviting home.
My rating 9 out of 10.
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