When it was first announced that there would be an American remake of the 2008 Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, my reaction was mixed. There's really no need to redo a film that is as good as Let the Right One In but if remaking it means a bigger audience and more people finding the original (and maybe the book both films are based on), that's a very good thing. The simple fact is that there's a large number of Americans who are either hesitant or simply refuse to see a film with subtitles. Ultimately the only thing that really matters is if Let Me In is good enough to stand on it's own and in that regard it most certainly does.
If you're not a familiar with the plot, it involves a skinny, friendless and constantly bullied 12 year old boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road) who develops a friendship with the new girl next door (Chloe Moretz, Kick-Ass). The girl is not what she appears to be on the surface and their newfound friendship has strange results for everyone.
Let Me In is not your typical horror movie. There are definitely violent moments but they are few and far between. Most of the film is spent on exploring the children's friendship and establishing the proper mood. It's pace is a bit slower than most horror movies as well but the attention paid to successfully creating the right tone more than makes up for a lack of constant scares and bloodshed. The cast and their performances are another major highlight. While the adults in the film (Elias Koteas, Richard Jenkins) are excellent in supporting roles, the movie lives and dies with it's child leads. Both Smit-McPhee and Moretz are more than up for the challenge and their chemistry together is one of the main reasons Let Me In works as well as it does.
The only negative thing about Let Me In is that it's so very similar to Let the Right One In. Ive only seen the Swedish version one time so I'm sure there are many subtle differences between the two but on the surface they're practically the same film. While this isn't a bad thing at all for anyone who is new to the story, for fans of Let the Right One In there just isn't much new on display.
The video transfer is pretty soft but I'm fully confident that's how it's supposed to look. There's not a whole lot going on for colors either. The muted look of the film is perfect for establishing the proper atmosphere but it doesn't make for an overwhelmingly impressive high-def video. The Audio track is pretty similar. There's a lot less going on sonically than most horror films but dialogue is always strong and when the track does require some heavy lifting, it's more than up for the task. Let Me In may not be a demo worthy blu-ray but it's transfer fits the film perfectly.
If Let Me In weren't so similar to Let the Right One In it would probably earn a perfect score. It's a fantastic tale of childhood innocence disrupted and is as sweet as it is scary. It's too bad that it is so similar to the Swedish film. It's still well worth seeing no matter how many times you've seen the original film and newcomers to the story should check it out immediately. I had The Crazies as my favorite horror movie of 2010 but Let Me In tops it. Highly recommended, even if it isn't exactly necessary.
Ratings:
Movie: 4/5
Blu-ray 4/5
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