Låt den rätte komma in

Plot synopsis:
Twelve year old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is so wimpy that he's constantly picked on by the other boys at his school, especially Conny (Patrik Rydmark) and his two friends, Martin (Mikael Erhardsson) and Andreas (Johan Sömnes). Out of fear, Oskar never fights back. In the evenings, however, he sits in the courtyard rehearsing knife attacks on his tormentors. One evening, Oskar notices a new girl about his age and her father moving into into #15, the apartment next door to his. Oddly, the first thing they do is to cover the windows with cardboard. What Oskar doesn't know is that Håkan(Per Ragnar) is not Eli (Lina Leandersson)'s father... he is her renfield... and Eli is a vampire. It is Håkan's job to bring Eli fresh blood, which he gets by killing other humans. First he anesthetizes them with halothane, then he strings them up by the feet, slits their necks, and catches the blood in a jug, leaving the bodies to be discovered the next day. Unfortunately for Eli, Håkan is having problems securing blood for her. On his first kill after moving into the new apartment, he either lost or forgot the jug filled with blood. Consequently, Eli is beginning to get hungry.One evening, as Oskar is in the courtyard stabbing a tree in lieu of his tormentors, he notices Eli watching him. She's not very friendly, as she tells him right off that she can't be friends with him. The next evening, they run into each other again in the courtyard. Oskar notices that Eli is not wearing a coat even though it's the dead of winter in Stockholm. What's more, she's not even cold. And she smells bad. Still, Oskar shares with her his Rubik's cube and shows her how to work it. After Oskar has gone inside, Eli goes hunting. She waits in the shadows under a bridge. When two neighborhood friends, Jocke (Mikael Rahm) and Lacke (Peter Carlberg), part company, and Jocko walks under the bridge, Eli calls out, "Help me!" Thinking that the little girl has fallen, Jocko picks her up. Suddenly, Eli latches onto him and bites his neck. Gösta (Karl-Robert Lindgren), a friend of the two men, sees everything from his apartment window. By the time he is able to stumble into the Sun Palace Cafe and get help, however, Jocko's body is gone (Håkan has already covered up the killing by tossing the body into a pond), but they do find Jocko's blood in the snow. The next morning, Oskar finds that Eli has solved the Rubik's cube and left it in the courtyard. When they meet there later in the day, Eli is a bit more friendly, taking the time to explain to Oskar how she went about solving the puzzle. She also smells better, but it's odd that she cannot remember her birth date when Oskar asks. Since Eli doesn't know her birth date, she doesn't celebrate her birthdays and gets no presents, so Oskar offers her the Rubik's cube.The next day at school, Oskar stays after class to copy the symbols for Morse code from the encyclopedia. On his way home, he is confronted by Conny and his two friends. When Conny orders Oskar to show him what he copied from the encyclopedia and Oskar refuses, Martin grabs Oskar and Andreas begins to whip his legs with a stick. As an added measure, Martin slaps the stick against Oskar's cheek, gashing it. Oskar later tells his mother that he fell during recess. But when Eli asks what happened, he tells her the truth. Eli tells him that he must start to fight back. If so, they will stop tormenting him. If they don't stop, Eli promises to help him. Oskar shares with Eli the Morse code that he copied from the encyclopedia. That night, they practice tapping on the wall that separates their apartments. The next day at school, Oskar signs up for the weight-lifting program. Later, he takes Eli to a candy store and offers her a piece. At first, she refuses; then she tries one. Oskar finds her heaving on the sidewalk around the corner. He hugs her. Eli asks him whether or not he would still like her if she wasn't a girl. "I guess so," Oskar replies, not quite understanding what Eli is asking.As the friendship between Oskar and Eli deepens, Håkan starts feeling a bit jealous. He tries again to obtain blood for Eli. This time he preys on a student alone in the weight-lifting room, but he is interrupted when Matte (Christoffer Bohlin)'s friends come to pick him up. Knowing that he is trapped and about to be discovered, Håkan pours acid on his face so that he can't be identified. When Eli learns that Håkan has been taken to a hospital, she shows up asking for her father. The desk clerk tells her that Håkan is on Level 7, so she climbs up the outside of the building until she gets to his window. Håkan lets her in and offers her his neck. After Eli drinks his blood, Håkan falls to his death. Eli returns to the apartment building and taps on Oskar's bedroom window, asking to be let in. Oskar is almost asleep but he tells her to come in. Eli crawls into bed with him, and Oskar notices that she doesn't have any clothes on. He asks her whether she'd like to go steady with him, and Eli replies "I'm not a girl." That doesn't seem to bother Oskar, so they decide to go steady. The next morning, Eli returns to her own apartment, but she leaves a note for Oskar that reads, "To flee is life; To linger is death. Your Eli."One afternoon on a school outing to a local pond for some ice skating, Conny, Martin, and Andreas again confront Oskar with a warning that they are going to push him into an ice hole. This time, however, Oskar stands up for himself and takes a swipe at Conny's head with a stick, causing his ear to bleed. At the same time, two younger students gone off to pee behind some trees notice a body frozen in the ice. The police are called, and the body is cut free. Later that afternoon, after school is out, Oskar brings Eli to a basement room at the school. When Eli asks why they're there, Oskar pulls out a knife and cuts his palm, offering to mix bloods with her. Watching Oskar's blood drip on the floor, Eli can no longer stand the hunger that she's experiencing now that Hakan is not providing her with blood. She falls to the floor and begins to lap up Oskar's blood.The body stuck in the ice is identified as that of Jocko's. Jocko's drinking buddy, Lacke (Peter Carlberg) and his girlfriend Virginia (Ika Nord), try to convince Gösta to tell the police what he saw the night that Jocko was murdered. During the discussion, however, Lacke defends his closeness with Jocko by pointing out that Virginia is "cold", Consequently, Virginia storms off. Lacke follows her to the subway where Eli jumps on her. Fortunately, Lacke is able to kick Eli off before she kills Virginia. Unfortunately for Virginia, Lacke's save only means that Virginia is doomed to become a vampire. She notices the change the next morning when she opens the blinds and quickly closes them again. That evening, she visits Gösta's apartment looking for Lacke, but she is viciously attacked by Gösta's cats. Later, in the hospital, Virginia realizes that she's been infected with something and decides that she doesn't want to live. She asks the doctor to open the blinds to her room. Immediately, she is consumed in flames.A wimp he might be but Oskar is not a dummy. He has figured out that Eli is a vampire and confronts her. Knocking on the door ot her apartment, he is let in to see that there is no furniture and that Eli smells bad again. When Eli comes to his apartment and asks to be invited in, he stalls, asking her what would happen if he didn't invite her in. Eli steps inside and begins to bleed from various places on her body. Oskar relents and invites her in. Eli explains that she drinks blood because she has to. Apparently, Oskar understands, as he allows Eli to shower and put on one of his mother's dresses. As Eli dresses, Oskar peeks in the door and notices that Eli has a horizontal scar across her public area and no evidence of a vaginal slit. [NOTE: In the novel, Eli was born male and castrated at age 12 by the vampire that turned him.] When Oskar's mom comes home, Eli immediately scampers across the window from Oskar's apartment to hers, even though it's two stories up.The next morning, Oskar finds a note from Eli asking him whether he wants to meet her that evening. Lacke has somehow traced Eli to her apartment. He breaks in and finds her asleep in the bathtub. Because he can't see in the dark, he rips open the cardboard covering the windows. Oskar, who was in the apartment waiting for Eli to wake up, screams "NO!" giving Eli sufficient time to jump on Lacke and drink his blood. After feeding, Eli thanks Oskar, but informs him that she must go away. That night, Oskar looks out the window to see Eli moving.The next day, Oskar gets a call from Martin, asking whether or not he's going to be at swimming practice that afternoon. Martin also tells Oskar that he thinks Oskar was right to stand up to Conny. That afternoon, while Oskar is in the pool, someone starts a fire in the trashbin out back, forcing the attendant to leave the pool area unattended. As Martin distracts Oskar, Conny, Andreas, and Conny's big brother Jimmy (Rasmus Luthander) enter the pool area. Jimmy orders everyone else out of the pool. When they are alone with Oskar, Jimmy gives Oskar an ultimatum... either stay under water for three minutes or have one of his eyes poked out... Oskar's eye for Conny's ear. Then Jimmy grabs Oskar's hair and pushes him under. A minute passes. Suddenly, feet can be seen skimming on the surface of the water, followed by Jimmy's severed head, and then Jimmy's severed arm. An almost drowned Oskar is pulled from the water by Eli, who has just slaughtered three of Oskar's tormentors, leaving the fourth sobbing on the side of the pool.Epilogue: Oskar sits on a train. Snow is falling outside. A large basket sits in front of him. From inside the basket comes a rapping. Oskar raps back in Morse Code, "P-U-S-S", Swedish for "kiss". [Full synopsis by BJ Kuehl]

Tags: dark, boring, cruelty, murder, gothic, suspenseful, violence, cult, horror, atmospheric, romantic, revenge, sentimental

Review:
In this Swedish film, adapted from John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestselling book, director Tomas Alfredson dares to mix pleasure and pain in a way that is both horrifying and tender."Let the Right One In" has a storyline which, although it reveals some secrets early on, is best left as a surprise.
But there is a deep dark secret to be discovered here and when it's revealed the audience is both repulsed and curiously fascinated at the same time, in a similar fashion as when yellow crime scene tape brings us closer rather than warning us away.The supporting cast is completely beholden to the narrative as it revolves around the adorable young couple, whose performances rival the best I've ever seen for actors of that age.
Leandersson matches him scene by scene, line by line, and the result literally gave me chills.Production values are stellar, with all technical aspects -- lighting, original music by Johan Soderqvist, and Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinematography -- combining in perfect synchronization to produce a Hitchockian tale that somehow brings love and light into what could have been the darkest drama imaginable."Let the Right One In" was the overwhelming choice for Best Narrative Feature after its North American Premiere here at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.
Tomas Alfredson's "Let The Right One In" is an original, dark, twisted and gory horror fantasy, one of those special films that are hard to classify.
Not merely an exercise in style, his film is a brilliant piece of amoral storytelling, and even if some characters' actions defy any logic or common sense (I don't wanna spoil any moment here, but you'll know what I mean when the first revenge moment of the story happens), they seem to be there just to remind you that this is just a fantasy tale (but not for the little ones!).
Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a 12 year-old bullied boy that befriends and develops an innocent crush on his new neighbor, Eli (Lina Leandersson), who happens to be a vampire.
What comes next is a twisted tale of revenge and pubescent love, made with visual flair (the swimming pool scene is already classic), creative directing and impressive performances by the young pair of protagonists.Hollywood, of course, didn't waste time and already announced an upcoming remake for those who are too lazy to read subtitles.
Most likely, the remake will turn out to be PG-13 in order to make more money, and be filled with moral values so the prudish parents will let their kids watch the movie (don't they know "The Little Vampire" was made years ago?).
(a Swedish director vs a Hollywood one, come on...) If Twilight is no more than an idol gallery under the skin of vampire horror, Let the Right one in is such a film that completely redefines people's perception on traditional vampire horrors.There aren't many gory scenes or special visual impacts, unlike Twilight being fraught with computer generated scenes.
And that is truly written to the core plot.The last scene at swimming pool is totally mesmerizing and mind-blowing.By the way, if Sweden submits this movie to be in competition with other nominees around the world for Oscar foreign-language film category this year, this masterpiece should win or at least be short-listed for the final fives.10 out of 10.
I saw several movies at the Seattle International Film Festival this year, and Let the Right One In was by far my favorite of the bunch.
At it's worst "Let the Right One In" is far too subtle and slow and nothing like typical horror movies, (if it should be considered one.) At its best its one of the better films we've seen in the last decade.
Only when the vampire theme is satirized e.g. in the recent (2012) Abraham Lincoln outings, can viewers get their money's worth, perhaps, and a few laughs.Generally, the pacing of this One is slow to the point of soporific; the acting, for the most part, has all the life of, well, dead people, I'd say; there are annoying plot holes; the final scene between the victim and the bullies is outrageously, unbelievably bizarre; and the aftermath, which features only the - now triumphant - victim, is truly ludicrous.
Unfortunately, it explicitly advocates inhuman violence as a viable solution for personal problems; implicitly, it suggests the dissolution of the difference between right and wrong is morally acceptable; it distorts the concept of true love between humans; and, worst of all, it explicitly suggests pre-teens rarely, if ever, need adult advice.So this One certainly isn't a horror movie - it's just a horror of a movie....But, as I said, I'm not anti-horror or anti-terror in movies per se.
A Nutshell Review: Let The Right One In. The cinematic vampires I've seen to date in cinemas recently have usually been the ramped up sexy versions, where it's either black leather on lithe female frames, or dreamy hunks to whom teenage girls would sacrifice their necks to in order to live with their lover boy forever.While the release of Twilight had made a lot of noise in the commercial theatres last year and raking in an obscene amount of money sending fan-girls into a frenzy, one vampire movie has been making its rounds very successfully in the film festival circuit, and the accolades garnered thus far have been nothing less than stellar.
Come next week, you too will know why, as Let The Right One In (LTROI) gets its deserved commercial release here.LTROI is pared down to the very basics, and that in itself is a refreshing take thanks to John Ajvide Lindqvist's story and Tomas Alfredson's assured direction, both confident that there's absolutely no need for artificial spices to spruce up the film.
But like best friends, such are secrets between themselves, and nothing in the world is going to change that.It's kinda terrifying knowing that the Oskar in a way condones the killings that Eli commits, and the direction here to show that is unflinching.
Yes LTROI is less showy, but miles more effective in its storytelling craft and technique.For a genuinely satisfying vampire movie, Let The Right One In nails it and deserves being Highly Recommended.P.S. Hollywood now wants to remake this.
Yet this movie seems to have clicked with its audience, and it's not hard to understand why: Eli, the 12 year old vampire is a highly engaging character, with a wisdom that belies her tender age.
I feel that from the beginning to end, somewhere on the way, Eli & Oscar have grown up and now they'll try to manage on their own (just my opinion).All scenes are carefully directed so everything looks perfect, with minimum of computer staff, which makes it even better.
Director Tomas Alfredson uses different angles, slow movements of the camera so the scenes like the hospital one or at the swimming pool are memorable and they will stick with you long after watching this movie.
Let the right one in, critically acclaimed, is a Swedish Indie-like coming of age story with a vampire thread thrown in for good measure.
During its runtime, which felt like it was going for a new world record, we see the excruciatingly slow developing relationship between Oscar, a 12 year old bullied schoolboy and Eli, a much older Vampire who very convincingly passes as a 12 year old herself.Though the premise is original, which at least should entertain a shade of interest, the whole movie is set up to be more of a painting than an actual film.
Let the Right One In is a most unique film about early adolescent puppy love between a sweet and oft bullied boy and his new neighbor, a 100-plus year old vampire that has occupied a 12 year old girl's body.
The direction is tasteful, the acting is good (as far as I can tell, speaking not one word Swedish) and the movie is certainly one of a kind.Still, personally I didn't enjoy "Låt den rätte komma in" too much and had to fight my way through it.
As a drama "Låt den rätte komma in" is okay, but the horror elements are just a bit out of place.A lot of people will love the movie for exactly the same reasons that I was pretty much bored throughout the entire 120 minutes running time.
In a lot of vampire movies there is often a servant to the vampire, its never explained how this comes to pass, usually its just an accepted vamp thing, this is especially true of older vamp flicksthis movie is an depth discourse on how a vampire and human can end up with such a bond.the human must have a dark side, must be capable of killing, cannot be a whiner, probably is dysfunctional in his/her family tiesThis is the kind of person a vampire would be drawn to, and this is what the movie does oh so wellthe people who did the 'remake' to this, did not even understand the purpose to the original movie, they completely discard the key characteristics of the boyDo yourself a favor, watch this and understand what you are watching, and ignore the Hollywood trip that was done as a remake.
"Låt den rätte komma in" has overwhelming cinematography (probably the strongest I've seen this year...), extraordinary acting (not only considering the age of both protagonists it's outstanding) and a wonderfully dark love-story with horror elements.
After all it's a very human story about two outsiders that find and accept each other despite all differences.As far as I can see it doesn't happen often these days, that a film is told in such a fine and sensitive manner like this work by director Tomas Alfredson.
It is hard to find a good and original horror film let alone in the vampire genre.
I had seen the film Twilight and 30 Days of Night, but neither one captured the mystery, Gothic romance, nor the chilling horror of the vampire genre.
And tonight I saw Let The Right One In a film that follows all the vampire rules and breaks away from the campy and clichés of casting beautiful people, pumping corn syrup and sex simultaneously.
Let The Right One In (a reference to the myth that a vampire cannot enter a mortal's home without being invited) tells the story of Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), a 12 year old boy who is horribly bullied at school and alienated by his divorced parents.
Let the Right One In is the missing answer to the film Twilight and I highly recommend to those who are fan of horror, film, and the vampire genre..
Effective in the simplest ways, never beats you over the head with the vampire idea, yet goes where so many blood-sucker movies haven't - I saw interesting, simple questions raised in the vampire-mythos that no one else has touched upon - along with stylish nods to many old fairy-tales and fantasy stories.Great tension, pacing, cinematography and incredible actors give a compelling story everything they need to and more.
Now if I can like this movie, without being a fan of either vampires or drab interpersonal dramas, those of you who are will definitely love it to pieces.LETROI reveals most of the problems that plague modern horror by excelling in those respective departments.
The rich possibilities of teenage vampire romance are illustrated by two new movies, Twilight and Let the Right One In. Different as they are, they satisfy similar adolescent fantasies.
''let the right one in'' doesn't disappoint us in any way but it still has had its own problems.After reading the reviews and noticing the high ratings, I thought this was going to one of those phenomenal movies that explore the emotion of fear itself while letting it overlap with greed, revenge, sexuality or love.
A young Swedish boy with confidence issues falls in love with a mysterious girl who lives next door.This is a vampire movie for people who want to see a little something different.
There is no real love story and it is not comparable with any other vampire movie I have ever seen, since they are either with action or completely weird like twilight.
The new Swedish horror-drama "Let the Right One In" is squarely one of the best foreign-language films I've ever seen.
It's a horror film, a revenge movie, a school drama, and a love story.
At the end of the day, "Let the Right One In" is a beautiful and horrifying tale on the pains of adolescence, expertly presented by filmmakers dedicated to their film and carried out by two young leads who know the hard truths about their youth.10/10.
Few are the movies that left me trembling...and incapable of expressing the hundreds of different feelings i felt after watching Tomas Alfredson's "Let the right one come in".
Even if you knew at least it would help if it was filmed well, but B movies surprised me more than that.I read the excellent reviews before watching the movie and I was expecting something really good, coming from Europe I thought finally there was a horror movie that would make me hold on my glass and stare at the screen but my dog slept through it and I should have done the same..
A rash of murders in a small Swedish town has a young kid convinced his new friend is the one responsible, and upon learning of his nature as a vampire, tries to help him control his bloodlust before he murders again.This is actually a massively overrated entry, since not a whole lot at all really happens and it's more of a drama than a horror film, which I'm not personally interested in watching.
Blood seems to be the common denominator – and for an introverted boy like Oskar, who is fascinated by gruesome stories, it doesn't take long before he figures out that Eli is a vampire.
Alfredson creates a world much like our own, same rules and same emotions, you just have to worry a bit more about who you let into your house.But don't think of this as a vampire story; it is so much more than that.
But at least you can't say I didn't warn you.But both films are transcendent in their beauty, in their craftsmanship, in the brilliance of their young actors, and in their vision of how young love can endure and overcome all obstacles...at least in the movies.Personally, I think that "Let The Right One In" is the better film, and that Tomas Alfredson is potentially a greater talent in the world of film than Danny Boyle.
Gory thrillers are basically all that Scandinavian movies are famous for worldwide and Tomas Alfredson doesn't want to share away from this with his vampire flick Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in).
However, he's quite a singularity with this in the cast of Let the Right One In. One could pick on the fact that the child actors don't feel genuine, the director has a way too austere approach to an unbelievable story, or that there isn't any suspense at all, but eventually, all boils down to the mixture of horror, drama, romance, and coming-of-age story that just doesn't work.
"Let the Right One In" is a Swedish romantic vampire horror about love,despair and loneliness.It's based on the best-selling novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist,which I bought today to read.When a strange girl moves in next door,introverted boy Oskar may actually find that elusive friendship.Eli(Lina Leandersson)and Oskar's relationship exists only at night,under the untarnished luster of the moon and a bracing wintry wind.The nightly rendezvous disclose an indefinable connection between the two protagonists as they sit in silence on a barren playground configuring a Rubik's Cube.The girl is an ageless vampire and she needs fresh human blood to survive.When townspeople turn up murdered,the trail seems to follow a mysterious man back to Eli's apartment.Very intimate and exquisitely tragic love story,which lacks sexuality.The sound design is especially remarkable as is marvelous acting.Watch original "Let the Right One In" before American remake destroys it.9 out of 10..
I just saw "Let the right one in" and I know that its actually not the best way to write down your feelings right away...BUT...that movie was so beautiful, so intense, so overwhelming but still so minimalistic that its very hard to describe it as something else than a masterpiece.
The only qualm I could think of was that, once or twice, the music was a little intrusive on the quiet beauty of the scenes, but this is a very minor complaint.After TDK, 'Let The Right One In' was the best movie I saw this year, and I cannot wait until the DVD release so I can watch it again.
Mostly I think this is a mesmerizing tale of boy (Oskar) meets Nosferatu (Eli) and falls under the spell of it's vampiric charms.What I liked about this movie is that it intentionally did not do the "trying to scare you" bit - you know, the quick cuts and the loud music that makes you jump out of your seat.
Good film about an overlooked and bullied boy who finds love and vengeance through Eli , a beautiful but peculiar girl in her early adolescence who results out to be a vampire , it was well directed by Tomas Alfredson and remade by Matt Reeeves (US version , 2010) .
The film will like to vampire movies fans .
*Captures the 80's in Sweden in a way I have never seen before, also the darkness in the movie (winter) gives it a slow, depressing and beautiful look.*The photo is really good, some of the "scare scenes" are done with just creepy music and a camera 10-15 yards away standing still.
Would say that "Let the right one in" is one of the best thriller/drama/horror movies out there, ever.