Let the Right One In (2008) | Plot, Cast & Horror Facts

Let the Right One In is a 2008 Swedish vampire film by Tomas Alfredson about a bullied boy and the vampire child next door.

At a Glance

Overview

In the snowbound Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982, twelve-year-old Oskar lives with his mother and is tormented by bullies at school. At night he imagines taking revenge on them. One evening in the courtyard he meets Eli, who seems to be a girl his own age and has just moved into the next apartment with an older man, Håkan. Eli tells him they cannot be friends, but they begin tapping coded messages to each other through the wall they share. Eli urges Oskar to fight back, and he starts going to exercise classes after school.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood is shaken by a series of killings. Håkan is murdering strangers to drain their blood for Eli, and when he fails, Eli hunts alone. Alfredson films all of this with eerie stillness: long, fixed shots, pale winter light and sudden, quiet bursts of violence. The film is a coming-of-age story and a love story as much as a horror film, and it treats its vampire with a seriousness that recalls Nosferatu, while its cold, lonely atmosphere carries the influence of The Shining‘s isolated, snow-bound dread.

Production

Producer John Nordling of the company EFTI contacted Lindqvist about the film rights in late 2004 and found they shared the same idea of the film. A friend introduced Alfredson to the novel, and its depiction of bullying affected him deeply. Sveriges Television and Filmpool Nord co-produced, and the total budget was around 29 million kronor. Casting the leads took almost a year of open auditions around Sweden. Lina Leandersson answered an online advertisement for a 12-year-old boy or girl “good at running,” and Eli’s voice was dubbed by Elif Ceylan because Leandersson’s was considered too high.

Although the story is set in Blackeberg, most of the film was shot in Luleå in northern Sweden to guarantee snow and cold, with a few scenes filmed in Blackeberg itself. The climbing frame where Oskar and Eli meet was built specially to suit the wide CinemaScope frame. Hoyte van Hoytema shot the film, and Johan Söderqvist composed the score.

Cast

• Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar
• Lina Leandersson as Eli (voice dubbed by Elif Ceylan)
• Per Ragnar as Håkan
• Peter Carlberg as Lacke
• Ika Nord as Virginia
• Mikael Rahm as Jocke

Reception

The film premiered at the Gothenburg Film Festival on January 26, 2008, winning the Nordic Film Prize, and later won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature at Tribeca. Its Swedish release was delayed until autumn to allow a longer run. Rotten Tomatoes lists 98 percent approval from 192 reviews, praising how it “reinvigorates the seemingly tired vampire genre,” and Metacritic’s score is 82 out of 100, indicating universal acclaim. Roger Ebert gave it three and a half stars and later called it “the best modern vampire movie.” It won four Guldbagge Awards, including Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay, plus the Saturn Award for Best International Film. Matt Reeves directed an American version, Let Me In (2010), for Hammer Films.

Spoiler: The Ending

When Håkan fails to bring back blood, he throws acid on his own face to avoid being identified, and Eli drains him at the hospital. Eli and Oskar grow closer, and when Eli enters his apartment without being invited, Eli begins bleeding until Oskar relents. Lacke tracks Eli to the bathtub where Eli sleeps by day, but Oskar intervenes and Eli kills him. Knowing it is no longer safe, Eli leaves that night. Oskar is later lured back to his exercise class at the pool, where the bullies hold Oskar under the water. Eli arrives and kills the bullies, sparing only one, who is left sobbing on a bench. In the final scene, Oskar rides a train with a large box beside him. From inside, Eli taps their code for a small kiss, and Oskar taps back.

Trivia & Facts

• Lindqvist adapted his own novel, whose Swedish title is Låt den rätte komma in.
• Lina Leandersson answered an online casting call seeking a child “good at running.”
• Eli’s speaking voice is dubbed by Elif Ceylan.
• Most of the film was shot in Luleå, far north of its Blackeberg setting, for the snow.
• Sweden chose Everlasting Moments instead of this film as its Oscar submission.
• The US DVD was criticised for oversimplified subtitles, which Alfredson called a “turkey translation.”