Let the Right One In

If you watched the recent Academy Awards, you probably saw Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart of the "Twilight" series introduce a tribute to the horror genre, a genre repeatedly ignored by the Oscars for whatever reason. It could be that the genre is ignored because in many ways these horror stories branch off from the fantasy genre, and everyone is quite aware of the handicaps of fantasy films at award ceremonies.

I don't recall if there was a moment in the montage that featured this Swedish film, "Let the Right One In," though there were moments from "Edward Scissorhands" and "Beetlejuice," hardly horror films by any stretch of the imagination. Regardless, what good would it do if "Let the Right One In" was included? As I recently stated, if the Oscars wish to honor the genre, perhaps they could actually give these films a couple of rewards.

What better way to start off a review than with a rant? Yes, the Oscars have nothing to do with this movie (particularly so since the film was not nominated in any category--maybe there could be a token category for horror films like the Best Animated Feature award). I am not an expert on Swedish cinema, but based on films that I have seen, like Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" and "The Virgin Spring," and based on its position next to the melancholic and pessimistic Finland (a nation "depressed and proud of it," as Morley Safer said), it seems fitting that this very acclaimed film came from such a country.

This is a very gloomy film, from its snowy beginning to its violent climax. It is frightening, far more than most recent horror films, but not gratuitous. There is an urge not to look away, even at its gloomiest. It possess spectacular cinematography--of snowy forests that are simultaneously dark and bright--without simply pleading to be viewed and offering nothing much in return. And to bring back Mr. Lautner and Ms. Stewart, "Let the Right One In" is often called "'Twilight' for grown-ups." I have never seen either of the "Twilight" films, but I would be willing to bet money on whether or not it is worth my time to watch them instead of "Let the Right One In."

The main character is a boy named Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), who is bullied his classmates; he's even called a "good piggy" by the jerks. Oskar does not utilize a mirror at home like Travis Bickle, but he does work on his intimidation fantasies on a tree. It is here when he is outside practicing that he meets a young girl (Lina Leandersson).

The young girl, Eli, is a vampire. Vampires are by definition quite hungry, so she requires the help from an older man (Per Ragnar), who spends some evenings murdering people to collect blood for Eli. When he is taken out of the picture, she relies on herself. She cries when she kills a man and drinks his blood.

Oskar does not realize at first that his new friend, whom he talks to frequently and who never wears a jacket despite how cold it is, is a vampire. He eventually asks her if she wants to "go steady," which must be a peculiar question for a vampire. She's not a girl, she tells him. To Oskar, of course, this means that Eli is a boy, but he loves her anyway.

The film, similar to "Paranormal Activity" released the same year, becomes increasingly unsettling. Sometimes it goes into territory it needs not enter, like when a group of angry CGI cats attack a vampire. This sequence looks incredibly dated--have the Swedes just now discovered CGI? Fortunately, the attack of CGI cats is only brief. That character who must suffer from the cats' malevolence eventually faces a situation, or rather fate, which is expected, but for it to run its course it seems to take about twenty minutes. The character believes she has been "infected" with something by the girl, Eli.

This is a brilliantly crafted movie. It deserves comparisons to "Nosferatu" and the better "Dracula" films, perhaps even to "The Exorcist." Ignored, like so many, at the Oscars, it is nevertheless far more memorable a film than blue aliens or an ignorant hangover.