Let The Right One In

Rating:

* * * *

Verdict:

Unique Swedish film successfully mixes romance and horror

In this macabre romance, Swedish director Tomas Alfredson steps outside Hollywood horror rules to create an artful, unique and deeply disturbing vampire film.

Most impressive about this adaptation of John Ajvide Linqvist's novel (he also wrote the screenplay) is Alfredson's ability to convincingly marry the young romance and horror elements of the story and create an experience both shockingly violent and surprisingly touching.

Set in the 1980s,

Let the Right One In

is the story of a 12-year-old boy Oskar (Hedebrant) who lives with his mother in a snowbound suburban apartment block on the outskirts of Stockholm. He's lonely, friendless and bullied at school - until the arrival of Eli (Leandersson), the vampire girl next door.

Eli lives with a man, presumably her father, and even though she initially warns Oskar they can't be friends they slowly develop a sweet, protective relationship that gives Oskar the courage to fight back against his abusers.

While Eli's need for blood adds a gruesome supernatural touch to the film, Alfredson doesn't make a big deal about Eli being a vampire. Rather, it's Oskar's potential psychopathic behaviour (keeping scrapbooks featuring newspaper articles about murders, and acting out stabbing his assailants) that comes across as disturbing.

Let the Right One In

is a sparse, unsentimental film. There is nothing in the script, soundtrack or sets or which aren't essential to telling the story, and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema frames every shot like a beautiful photo.

Interestingly, while most contemporary horrors rely on fast cuts and snappy editing to create tension, Alfredson's manages to make his film excruciatingly suspenseful by doing the opposite and the result is an intelligent, terrifying and tender film.

While Alfredson's approach has been quite un-Hollywood, Hollywood has seen the potential for a remake, with

Cloverfield

director Matt Reeves' version projected to hit the big screen in 2010. Needless to say, this first bite will be deeper.

Francesca Rudkin

Cast:

Lina Leandersson, Kre Hedebrant

Director:

Tomas Alfredson

Running Time:

114 mins

Rating:

R16 (violence and content that may disturb)

Screening:

Rialto