Vampire films have captured the hearts and minds of cinemagoers since the advent of the medium, sparked by Max Schrek's iconic turn in F.W Murnau's 1922 feature Nosferatu in the first film adaptation of Bram Stoker's archetypal horror novel "Dracula". Over the years, the face, flavour and tone of the Dracula story has changed through countless iterations, from Tod Browning's 1930 version starring Bela Lugosi, to Francis Ford Coppola's 1993 feature starring Gary Oldman, and including comic, modern and action versions - Dracula Dead and Loving It, Dracula 2000, and Van Helsing respectively - however the mass appeal has remained. Indeed, the wider vampire legend has been heartily embraced by the film and television community in general, firmly entrenching the genre staple into popular consciousness through popular TV programs (some witty like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, some paint-by-numbers like Moonlight, some racy and fresh like True Blood), male-oriented action features (the three Blade films, the Underworld trilogy, 30 Days of Night, Daybreakers), period dramas (Interview With The Vampire), teen fare (The Lost Boys, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer film), shlock-horrors (From Dusk Til Dawn) and derivative romances (the Twilight saga, of course), and cementing the vampire as a cultural phenomenon.
Not to discount the appeal of the mass market fare, along the way a few truly unique offerings were crafted outside the popular vampire molud. Films such as George A Romero's Martin, Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark, Guillermo del Toro's Cronos and Park Chan-wook's Thirst presented a different take on the age-old story, and each reinvented the genre as a result. With all things vampire back in flavour thanks to the current pre-teen obsession cultivated by Stephenie Meyer's inane books, thankfully innovation is still inherent in the vampire universe as illustrated by Swedish feature and instant classic, Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). The latest and greatest in the alternative vamp school of cinema, presenting an adolescent story with adult sensibilities populated with a cast of unknowns (no Robert Pattinson in sight), Let The Right One In is a critically applauded, culturally relevant, cult-status film that deservedly ranks amongst the best in the genre.
Whilst gazing out his bedroom window into the snowy night sky, twelve-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant, in his first film role) witnesses the arrival of a young girl and a man he assumes is her father. The next day they meet in person in the playground adjoining their apartment complex, with Oskar hopeful of befriending Eli (Lina Leandersson, again a newcomer to the silver screen) to fill the void left by his oft-working yet over-protective mother, weekend-only father, and school peers who torment him for being different. Though it is immediately apparent that Eli is not like other girls - disturbingly pale and malnourished, with a dark glint in her eyes, a supernatural grace to her movements, and a tendency to appear only at night - Oskar is able to see past these strange traits through his generousity, innocence and sole-minded quest for companionship. Bonding over a shared puzzle (a Rubik's cube infact, one of the only details to belie the film's early 1980's setting) Oskar and Eli forge an unlikely friendship - but when Eli's natural thirst threatens to destroy their bond (and their suburban community) Oskar is forced to confront the nature of their connection, and the life and death consequences possible as a result.
Preceding the current Swedish pop culture phenomenon (the novel-to-film translations of Steig Larsson's crime trilogy The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest) seasoned director Tomas Alfredson's translation of John Ajvide Lindqvist's best-selling novel of the same name is complex, engaging and rewarding. Perfectly capturing the isolation, melancholy and innate cultural specificity of the literary source material despite the small but significant variations in narrative and lack of background depth transposed to the screen (by Lindqvist himself), it is more quiet, hopeful and romantic than the book with less of a traditional horror bent, but retains an unmistakable vampire essence nonetheless. Further, the child characters inject a sense of humanity in what is, at the most basic level, a very human story of connecting and finding one's place in the world. As much a moral as an emotional journey, the juxtapositions of violence and nature, survival and love, and sacrifice and acceptance, are subtle but richly-layered, infusing the narrative with depths beyond the standard vampire fare. Similarly, the director's stylistic choice to favour vivid imagery over rapid-fire dialogue ensures a level of restraint, reflection and even beauty not normally associated with the content, creating a finished product akin to an artistic masterpiece.
With the Hollywood remake Let Me In scheduled for a cinematic release later in 2010, directed by Cloverfield helmer Matt Reeves and starring Chloe Moretz (Kick Ass, (500) Days of Summer) and Australian Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road, Romulus, My Father) in the lead roles, time is running out to discover this original, haunting and insightful coming-of-age vampire film before it forever lurks in the shadow of the mainstream copy. Truly a vampire film like no other, Let The Right One In is genre-breaking, poetically-framed, disturbingly and surprisingly sweet horror, and completely essential viewing.
Not to discount the appeal of the mass market fare, along the way a few truly unique offerings were crafted outside the popular vampire molud. Films such as George A Romero's Martin, Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark, Guillermo del Toro's Cronos and Park Chan-wook's Thirst presented a different take on the age-old story, and each reinvented the genre as a result. With all things vampire back in flavour thanks to the current pre-teen obsession cultivated by Stephenie Meyer's inane books, thankfully innovation is still inherent in the vampire universe as illustrated by Swedish feature and instant classic, Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). The latest and greatest in the alternative vamp school of cinema, presenting an adolescent story with adult sensibilities populated with a cast of unknowns (no Robert Pattinson in sight), Let The Right One In is a critically applauded, culturally relevant, cult-status film that deservedly ranks amongst the best in the genre.
Whilst gazing out his bedroom window into the snowy night sky, twelve-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant, in his first film role) witnesses the arrival of a young girl and a man he assumes is her father. The next day they meet in person in the playground adjoining their apartment complex, with Oskar hopeful of befriending Eli (Lina Leandersson, again a newcomer to the silver screen) to fill the void left by his oft-working yet over-protective mother, weekend-only father, and school peers who torment him for being different. Though it is immediately apparent that Eli is not like other girls - disturbingly pale and malnourished, with a dark glint in her eyes, a supernatural grace to her movements, and a tendency to appear only at night - Oskar is able to see past these strange traits through his generousity, innocence and sole-minded quest for companionship. Bonding over a shared puzzle (a Rubik's cube infact, one of the only details to belie the film's early 1980's setting) Oskar and Eli forge an unlikely friendship - but when Eli's natural thirst threatens to destroy their bond (and their suburban community) Oskar is forced to confront the nature of their connection, and the life and death consequences possible as a result.
Preceding the current Swedish pop culture phenomenon (the novel-to-film translations of Steig Larsson's crime trilogy The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest) seasoned director Tomas Alfredson's translation of John Ajvide Lindqvist's best-selling novel of the same name is complex, engaging and rewarding. Perfectly capturing the isolation, melancholy and innate cultural specificity of the literary source material despite the small but significant variations in narrative and lack of background depth transposed to the screen (by Lindqvist himself), it is more quiet, hopeful and romantic than the book with less of a traditional horror bent, but retains an unmistakable vampire essence nonetheless. Further, the child characters inject a sense of humanity in what is, at the most basic level, a very human story of connecting and finding one's place in the world. As much a moral as an emotional journey, the juxtapositions of violence and nature, survival and love, and sacrifice and acceptance, are subtle but richly-layered, infusing the narrative with depths beyond the standard vampire fare. Similarly, the director's stylistic choice to favour vivid imagery over rapid-fire dialogue ensures a level of restraint, reflection and even beauty not normally associated with the content, creating a finished product akin to an artistic masterpiece.
With the Hollywood remake Let Me In scheduled for a cinematic release later in 2010, directed by Cloverfield helmer Matt Reeves and starring Chloe Moretz (Kick Ass, (500) Days of Summer) and Australian Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road, Romulus, My Father) in the lead roles, time is running out to discover this original, haunting and insightful coming-of-age vampire film before it forever lurks in the shadow of the mainstream copy. Truly a vampire film like no other, Let The Right One In is genre-breaking, poetically-framed, disturbingly and surprisingly sweet horror, and completely essential viewing.
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