Let The Right One In: A Strange Tale …

You know, I think — think — that Kevin D and I have seen something of an interesting film, we really have …

And no: despite Kaiju and Debbi both recommending David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, I’ve not managed to persuade either Kevin — or Movie Night Adrian, who couldn’t make tonight — to actually sit down with it.

Although Kevin did admit to being rather fond of Straight Story, tonight.

Something I’ll have to mention to Adrian, as I know I’ve not seen it …

Lets get moving on, and tell you about what we did see, shall we … ?

Yes, I think think I should … !

~≈§≈~

You see the film we actually caught, tonight … ?

Was the 2008, Tomas Alfredson directed, Swedish horror film, Let The Right One In: or Låt Den Rätte Komma In, in Swedish, based on an original novel — by John Ajvide Lindqvist — of the same name.

Set during the early 1980s, Let The Right One In tells the story of 12-year-old Oskar, a shy and bullied schoolboy who spends many of his nights plotting revenge on his tormentors.

And who — one night — meets a new neighbour in the estate where he lives: a rather pale — apparent — 12-year-old girl called Eli, who’s not all she seems.

For starters … ?

Eli has never seen a Rubik’s Cube, for example, until Oskar lends her his.

And the chap that Oskar assumes is her father …

Isn’t the healthiest chap for a boy to get to know …

To top off that lot … ?

Oskar also happen’s to think Eli “… smells funny”.

That kid’s got a definite way with the ladies …

~≈§≈~

At any rate, I think I’ve come away …

Well …

Mildly impressed.

But not necessarily as impressed as Kevin was: he definitely enjoyed Let The Right One In!

Personally … ?

I can’t for the life of me fault it.

However, I do know that this is one of those times where — much as with The Silence Of The Lambs — I’d like to have read the original novel that this is based on. I’m thinking there’s a depth to the film’s version of the characters boiled down — or toned down, I should say — from the novel. Håkan, for example, Eli’s apparent protector, seems strange, but harmless in the film: as far as someone can be, who spends his time hanging teenagers upside down before draining their blood.

In the novel, Håkan’s motives in helping an apparent child, with a much older mental age … are only implied in the film … and outright stated in the novel.

As it stands, though … ?

The film is a beautifully done piece of work, forcing us to examine whether the monsters it depicts are Eli, its vampire central character, or the bullies picking on Oskar, orOskar’s divorced parents: and as a minor point, ALSO telling us what happen’s when a vampire comes into a home, uninvited, something I know I’ve not seen dealt with in anything else.

But, here …

I’ll leave you with the usual stars …

Let The Right One In

Paul ★★★☆*

Kevin ★★★☆

* Like I say, if I’d read the original novel, before hand, I’d possibly bumped it up a touch …