It's time for a new addition of Retroplex Cinema. We only go back two years this time to check out a film that has it's American remake hitting theaters tomorrow called Let Me In. The original Let The Right One In is an amazing and haunting film that is highly recommended to watch. Read on and about it here and go find this film to watch if you have not seen it already!
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(SPOILERS FOLLOW) Oskar , a meek 12-year-old boy, lives with his mother, Yvonne , in the western Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982. His classmates regularly bully him, and he spends his evenings imagining revenge. One night, he meets Eli , who has the physical appearance of a pale girl his own age. Eli has recently moved in next door to Oskar with an older man named Håkan ). Eli initially informs Oskar that they cannot be friends. However, over time, they begin to form a close relationship, with Oskar lending his Rubik's Cube to Eli, and the two exchanging Morse code messages through their apartment wall. Eli discovers that Oskar's schoolmates have bullied him after questioning him about a cut on his cheek, and encourages him to stand up for himself. This inspires Oskar to finally stand up to his tormentors during a field trip and to strike the leader of the bullies, Conny , on the side of the head with a pole, damaging his ear.
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Virginia survives the attack, but soon discovers that she has become painfully sensitive to sunlight. Thirsting for blood, she pays a visit to her friend, the eccentric Gösta. Gösta's many cats attack her fiercely. In the hospital, Virginia asks an orderly to open the blinds in her room. When the sunlight streams in, she bursts into flames. Lacke, who has lost everything because of Eli, seeks out Håkan and Eli's apartment. He finds Eli asleep in the bathtub and, as he is about to strike, Oskar distracts him. Eli is alerted by the noise and kills Lacke. Eli realises that it is no longer safe to stay, and informs Oskar of this. The two kiss.
The next morning, Oskar receives a phone call from Conny's friend, Martin (Mikael Erhardsson), who lures Oskar out to resume an after-school fitness program at the local swimming pool. The bullies, led by Conny and his older brother, Jimmy , start a fire to draw Mr. Ávila , the teacher in charge, outside. This leaves Oskar trapped alone in the pool, where Jimmy forces him to hold his breath underwater for three minutes, threatening to cut Oskar's eye out if he fails. As Oskar is underwater, a commotion takes place above the surface. Soon, Jimmy's severed head drops into the pool, followed shortly by his arm, which was holding Oskar down. Oskar is then pulled out of the water by Eli. A closing wide shot reveals three dismembered bodies around the pool and Andreas , the reluctant fourth bully, sobbing on a bench. The film concludes with Oskar travelling on a train, with Eli beside him in a trunk to avoid the sunlight. Inside, Eli taps the word "kiss" to Oskar in Morse code, which he taps back.(SPOILERS END)
Swedish critics generally expressed positive reactions to the film Let the Right One In was well received by US critics. As of 2010[update] the film has a 97% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 148 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2 out of 10, including a 97% "Cream of the Crop" rating from top critics, based on 29 reviews. Bloody Disgusting ranked the film first in their list of the 'Top 20 Horror Films of the Decade', with the article saying "It’s rare enough for a horror film to be good; even rarer are those that function as genuine works of art. Let the Right One In is one of those films – an austerely beautiful creation that reveals itself slowly, like the best works of art do. The simplicity of the story allows Swedish director Tomas Alfredson to focus on these two pre-teen characters with a penetrating insight that not only makes it a great vampire film but a great coming-of-age film as well. At its core, the film is, simply, a human story, a pensive meditation on the transcendent possibilities of human connection. Most of all, it’s a film that sticks with you, and whose stature will continue to grow in the decades to come."
The film was released in North America on DVD and Blu-ray in March 2009 by Magnet Films, and in the UK in August by Momentum Pictures. The American discs feature both the original Swedish dialogue and an English dubbed version, while the European versions feature only the Swedish, and an audio-descriptive track in English. Icons of Fright reported that the American release had been criticized for using new, oversimplified English subtitles instead of the original theatrical subtitles. The subtitle issue has since be resolved and if you pick the film up look on the back of the case for the words "original theatrical subtitles" for the corrected version.
When Reeves was initially approached, he at first was against the idea but after reading the novel gained a better appreciation for the story. "I said... that we shouldn't remake it. I read the book too and was completely taken with it and I was really intrigued how personal the story felt. I thought John Lindqvist had written this terrific story, and he also adapted it for the film... I wrote Lindqvist and told him that it wasn't just that I was drawn to the story because it was a brilliant genre story – which it is – but also because of the personal aspect of it. It really reminds me of my childhood."
Reeves was also asked to change the ages of the main characters, but he refused, saying that "would ruin the essence of the story and change everything completely...we need that childlike innocence." He also told his actors to not watch the original film beforehand so "we could make our own version but stay very true to the essence of the story." TMIAJ has covered the film quite a bit and you can find all our coverage right here.
We highly recommend watching the original film. It's a deep emotional film that is different than most American horror films and quite refreshing to watch. If you are a Netflix member it is available for free through their instant watch service! We hope you really enjoyed this edition of Retroplex Cinema and more to come at TMIAJ everyday!
