Review of Let Me In (2010) by Kyler D — 22 Sep 2012

Good: Emotionally captivating, some horrific moments, heart-wrenching, one of the few "horror" movies that features character driven drama, good characters and dialogue.

Bad: I can't see anything especially bad about this film.

As I read the information within my recently DVR'ed copy of Let Me In, I was worried with the fact that it mentioned things such as "Drama" and "Romance". A sense of dread spread over me, "Oh no! This is a Twilight copy isn't it?!" I shouted. I still decided to try it out to see how it went. My first impression was very wrong. Let it be known that I have not read the book, nor seen the Swedish movie that this is "based" (basically copied except for a few aspects) on. I found that while dramatic, the film was actually extremely intelligent. The relationship between the characters is fascinating, most of all is the one between Abby(Chloe Moretz) and Owen(Kodi Smit-McPhee). These relationships were one of the great parts of this film, and held my attention throughout. The background of both Abby and Owen are explored deeply enough that we can feel and understand them. Abby is a fascinating character, who we both feel sympathy at one moment, and hatred at another. Now for the horror fans out there, there isn't a full length straight up Friday The 13th massacre and its biggest appeal is the emotional drama. But I found there were enough horrific moments that a fan would be left pleased. Throat tearing, acid searing, immolation, this film has a good amount to keep you good and satisfied. Some parts of the film are very sad, and at many times I could not figure out if I even liked Abby as a protagonist. Some of the things she does will leave you shocked. The dialogue, music, and lighting all keep the movie moving along smoothly.

I can't find anything especially wrong about the film, which is why I have given it the 5 star rating. For a long time I have looked for a movie that I could say "See! Horror can be intelligent!", and I have found it. This movie explores both spectrums, from a blossoming love between two young children, to a monster ripping innocent people to shreds. This is a must see for anyone.