Horror Movie a Day: Let The Right One In

Today’s entry is Let the Right One In, is a tender coming of age story about a boy and his 200 year old Vampire crush. While the Swedish novel it’s based on focuses as much on real world monsters like pedophiles and murderers, the movie sticks to the core of the story, the budding friendship between Oskar and Eli.

Oskar is a bullied child who’s darkest revenge fantasies are as disturbing as the actions of any Vampire. He wants to cut up his tormentors and make them squeal like a pig. Because of recent events, tormented children where tormented children are now seen as villains, when we first meet Oskar he’s not a very likeable character. Despicable even. We soon learn that his mother is vary caring and his father also dotes on him as father does a son. But they are separated and Oskar seems to have fallen through the cracks because of his father’s alcoholism and his splitting her time between working late and her new boyfriend. No one seems to mind the bruises he comes home with.

His new neighbor Eli notices though. Eli is a strange sort of child who regularly joins Oskar on the plain ground in the late afternoon once the sun has set. Eli lives with a caretaker Håkan, which one immediately assumes is a father or uncle. We soon learn though, that Eli is the master in the relationship. Eli’s a 200 year old child vampire, and Håkan is a manservant. A rash of murders in the nearby village is Håkan’s handiwork. He’s collecting blood for Eli, who although is a strong for child of that apparent age, Eli would have some difficulty feeding on a full grown man.

Oskar and Eli develop a special kind of bond. He teachers Eli Morse code and they begin to communicate though their bedroom walls. Håkan grows jealous of the situation and we begin to see him for who he really is. There’s a scene in Highlander where the immortal Connor MacLeod rescues a World War 2 orphan, whom later turns out to be his secretary Rachel in modern day New York.. You get the feeling their relationship went through a phases were MacLeod was at first her father, then her Lover and now Rachel is his mother figure. You get the same feeling with Håkan, who is willing to do anything for Eli, and that they were also childhood friends, and now he has assumed the fatherly caretaker role. When he asks Eli to stay away from Oskar you feel both at once jealousy and fear at Oskar being trapped in the same role he is, and for a moment your sucked away from the fantasy, and into the harsh reality of this evil Vampire child. Many times the film brings you back to that same feeling, when Eli feeds or gets a blood lust, or when Eli callously talks about victims or tries to equate blood lust to Oskar’s desire for revenge. You wake up and shake your head at the cute little child vampire, point and shout EVIL!

But your always sucked back in to the love story. This isn’t a timeless teen lust we see in Twilight. This isn’t Claudia and Louis from Interview with a Vampire after the honeymoon has ended. It always feels innocent and not sexual. But let’s face it Eli’s a Vampire so it always feels seductive. I wouldn’t say this is the “My Girl” of Vampire films but it’s close. Maybe a dark version of Fox and The Hound? ;)

Oskar is drawn to the vampire. He doesn’t care what Eli is. He doesn’t care that Eli is not a girl, he doesn’t care that Eli is a 200 year old vampire, such is his attraction. And it may be more than just simple attraction. We’re right there with him as he’s trying to befriend Eli and Eli seems uninterested. When he offers candy and Eli refuses, his heart seems wounded. Eli sees this and despite knowing better eats the candy and begins to feel ill. It begins to feel like young love, and what we’re willing to do for it. We feel Oskar’s nervousness as he tries to get a peek of Eli undressing. We feel his contempt when Eli’s fucked up and revealed the vampire within. We can see the pain Oskar feels as he watches Eli attempt to enter his home without an invite and Eli begins to decompose and deteriorate. For what other reason do we cause pain to others and let others cause us this pain, if isn’t love.

I don’t really want to spoil anything more. This is great film about childhood innocence and young love you’re hooked immediately soon after they meet. The final scenes when the bullies finally get their comeuppance is frightening not just in a supernatural way but also the real-life fear Oskar feels as the victim of bullying.

The DVD Box has several quotes on it, the one that stands out from the Washington Excelsior reads. “Best. Vampire Movie. Ever”

I wouldn’t go that far. But it is a damn good one. I give it three boxes of Count Chocula.

Watch it now before the American Remake shies away from some of the un-christian like subject matter, and casually turns this one into a Tween Twilight.