Abby

**Abby** is a character that appears in a fan film titled *Let Her In*.

Abby is the female lead of the story in the British/American film Let Her In; the character whom she was partially based on is Eli, one of the main characters in the original novel and the subsequent Swedish film of the same name. Both characters are vampires in secret and while they share many similarities, Abby was created to be her own character just as the film was inspired by the novel rather than being an actual adaptation, according to the film's director Matt Reeves.

## Overview

In both the original novel and film adaptation, Abby is as a vampire from Sweden, who survived for more than 200 years. He is a boy who has his genitalia removed (as opposed to a simple castration) and lives as a girl. Eli starts getting feelings for Oskar and tries her best and hardest to keep him from harm. They fall in love.

Abby, the female lead In the American version of the story, is based on her Swedish counterpart to a certain degree, although there is significant variation between the two. Unlike Eli, Abby was born and raised in North America, presumably before the formation of the United States of America. Chloë Grace Moretz, the actress who portrayed Abby, states that her character, permanently frozen at the physical age of twelve due to the effects of vampirism, was born two to three centuries before the events in the film, placing the year of her birth around 1671 at the earliest. Furthermore, Moretz also revealed that her character was the daughter of a plantation owner, thus confirming the character of Abby to be genetically female as opposed to being born a boy like Eli (originally Elias).

Further variation between the two characters can be seen through Håkan, Eli's companion, and Thomas, the servant of Abby. While both pose as the presumably single father of a young girl, their reasons for doing so are quite different. Håkan serves Eli due to his desires as a pedophile; Thomas's loyalty to Abby is implied to be the result of genuine feelings for her rather than lust, as shown in the American film and its comic book prequel. Also, Håkan was an adult by the time he came to serve Eli, whereas Thomas had known Abby since he was a child.

## Let Her In (novel)

In the novel, Eli is a roughly 200 year old vampire. Born sometime around the 1760s in Norrköping, Eli was originally a young peasant boy named Elias, who was taken from his family by "The Man in the Wig", a vampire nobleman who not only castrated but removed Elias' penis and then imprisoned him. Elias escaped, and adopted a feminine appearance as a result and is perceived by outsiders as a young girl. By the twentieth century, Eli manipulates an older man named Håkan, a former teacher and pedophile, into becoming a servant responsible for procuring blood for her. By the end of book, Håkan dies and Eli and Oskar run away together. The nature of their relationship is ambiguous.

## Let Her In

Abby cannot enter private rooms unless the occupant lets her in. According to Chloe Grace Moretz, Abby was born two to three hundred years before the events in the American film, Let Me In, which is set in 1983. She states that Abby was the daughter of a plantation owner and that their family was hard-working but destitute and they were forced to rely on Abby's wealthy uncle, a secret vampire for financial support. Moretz reveals that it was Abby's uncle who was responsible for infecting her with vampirism, as depicted in a deleted scene. The scene reveals how Abby was attacked and infected by her uncle when she was a child, thus freezing her at the physical age of twelve. Prior to the events of the film, Abby met and befriended a young vampire named Thomas. Thomas carries a photo of Abby and himself from when he was a human. He and Abby were companions for many years and he protected her, as she was inexperienced at fighting. He stalked and killed people so he could harvest blood to feed to Abby.

Abby first appears witnessing Seth transforming and murdering some drug dealers that were assaulting a pregnant woman when she was unable to pay for a batch of drugs due to unemployment. He offers to help the woman, but she is understandibly horrified by his monstrous appearance. Seth runs away when he hears police sirens, heading to an abandoned mansion in the woods to hide. Abby follows him and witnesses him turn back into his human form. After waking up, Seth meets Abby for the first time. She tells him that she's homeless, and also that she's a vampire. She also starts talking about what she saw, thinking that werewolves were a myth, despite her knowing about the existence of vampires, not to mention being one herself.

## Let Her In: Crossroads of Blood

A graphic novel, *Let Her In: Crossroads of Blood*, was made as a prequel to Let Her In. During the events in Crossroads of Blood, Abby hides in the rural countryside, living a secluded life. Abby is gradually befriended by a strikingly handsome young man named Jon Dixon. Abby becomes increasingly attracted to Jon, despite being a child . With Jon covered in his own blood after being attacked by a pedophile that targeted Abby. On the verge of death, Abby is unable to resist her urge for fresh blood, and feeds on him, turning him into a vampire himself, though Jon's time as a vampire is short-lived as a serial killer disguised as a salesman sets Jon on fire while trespassing in Abby's house. After Jon burns to death, an enraged Abby avenges her fallen friend by dismembering and killing the 'salesman'.

With her hunting ground compromised, Abby immediately gathers her belongings and relocates to Los Alamos, an American city in the State of New Mexico where the film takes place.

## Physical Appearance

Despite having the appearance of a 12-year old child, Abby is very beautiful, with shoulder-length blonde hair, a fair face, and a quiet, soothing voice. She also has a slim figure due to jogging whenever the sun is down.

However, she thinks of herself as "unpretty" due to her vampirism; that is until Seth tells her that she'll grow into an attractive young woman soon, presenting a vial of doppelgänger blood, which enables her to visibly age for the first time in hundreds of years, now bearing the look of a 19-year old girl.