2008 was very good year for vampire film fans, even those who couldn’t stand Twilight. One of the most impressive genre pieces was Let the Right One In, Swedish film directed by Thomas Alfredson. The plot, based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindquist, is set in 1981 Blackeberg, bleak suburb of Stockholm. The protagonist is Oskar, 12-year old boy who lives with his single mother and has to deal with school bullying before he befriends Eli, strange pale girl who never appears during the day and warns him “that she is not really a girl”. Let the Right One In effortlessly uses the unusual story to combine vampire lore with social commentary about serious issues like single parenting, bullying, alcoholism and violence and features very un-nostalgic display of 1980s. Despite graphic violence and generally grim atmosphere, it won accolades among critics, thus paving the way for 2010 Hollywood remake known as Let Me In starring Chlöe-Grace Moretz.
RATING: 8/10
