Susan Granger’s review of “Let the Right One In” (Magnolia Pictures/Magnet Releasing)
Set in a wintry Stockholm suburb, this vampire/horror love story gives a tender, unique twist to the bloodsucking thriller genre that dates back to the classic 1922 “Nosferatu.” Thin, pale, introverted Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) is relentlessly tormented by bigger classmates, so the shy 12 year-old generally keeps to himself, concocting elaborate revenge fantasies. But then, one evening, he meets sad-eyed, dark-haired Eli (Lina Leandersson), also 12, who has just moved into an adjacent apartment with a man who is presumably her father (Per Ragnar). About the same time, there are a series of gruesome murders %u2013 a man is found hanging upside down in a tree in the park, his blood draining out; another corpse is frozen in the lake; and a woman is bitten on the neck. Noticing that Eli only ventures out in the dark shadows of night and never seems to cringe in the cold, Oskar catches on to her grisly secret rather quickly, yet he’s determined to make her his girlfriend. Their relationship grows rather than diminishes, although the emotionally conflicted Eli cautions, “I cannot be your friend.” Nevertheless, the two adolescents soon become inseparable so, when school bullies return to torment Oskar, who seems unable to fight back, Eli defends him the only way she can. Based on the best-selling novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Swedish filmmaker Tomas Alfredson creates an enthralling, subtly disturbing story by astutely casting youthful newcomers Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leanandersson, who are totally convincing in their respective roles, and trusting the creepy, atmospheric cinematography of Hoyte Van Hoytema to generate a pervasive aura of tragic dread. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Let the Right One In” is a chilling 10, a haunting, suspenseful coming-of-age tale.
