Review of Let the Right One In (2008) by Diego D — 05 Apr 2013

The best vampire film OF the century, possibly ever. It's the type of film you just want to keep watching. When Twilight came along, the vampires sort of 'twinkled' out, but if all those fans saw this movie, Twilight would get bumped out of our culture...."Hard." What is this beautiful piece of vampire cinema about? Let's talk about it.

Oskar is a bullied boy with divorced parents. He dreams of revenge against his school tormentors and is desperate for a friend. Then Eli moves in. She's weird though. She doesn't get cold, smells, and doesn't know what a Rubik's Cube is. Oskar becomes friends with Eli, then he learns her dark secret, and the meaning behind the connection of her arrival and the series of murders that occur.

From the moment Oskar first appeared, holding his knife and saying "Squeal" I was immediately drawn to the movie. Then when Eli appeared the film got even more interesting. When Hakan's character went to kill for Eli, the film became even more interesting. The film just starts so abruptly, right in the middle of these strange lives. It draws you into this story of love and pain.

The film was made to be awed at. From the cinematography to the story; it all is just to great! The clever use of silence and music in the film creates such an atmosphere that isn't present in most modern horror films today.

What really is so profoundly unique and beautiful about this film is the coming of age story. These two people, outcasts for two very different reasons, find a sort of peace and comfort in each other. What the most terrifying thing about this is, though, is the fact that Eli is a vampire--a "monster". What's even sadder is that all of this could have been avoided if Oskar had someone to turn to, or a regular human friend. But Oskar was alone; he had no friends. It was his loneliness that drove him towards Eli. This is what also makes LTROI a tragedy, and a parable against bullying.

Let The Right One In is a gripping thriller/romance movie that Twilight will never be able to match up to. It's everything Twilight wishes it could be.