LET ME IN (Matt Reeves, 2010)

Review by Jason Lees, MoreHorror.com

Anyone reading this site already knows more about LET THE RIGHT ONE IN and its American remake LET ME IN. The Swedish original truly was one of the most ground breaking vampire flicks that I’d ever seen. The way it presented its story in such a stark matter of fact manner still haunts me, and it sits proudly on my dvd shelf. Now, right beside it, rests my copy of LET ME IN. It doesn’t hold the same station as the original, but it’s also a truly great movie, if not, by its very nature, as original.

The story follows young Owen as he spends his awkward days trying to avoid both his stagnant life at home and at school. He’s that fully realized outcast who never fits in. His parents see him as just another cog in their divorce, and the bullies at school see him as their prime mark. Owen, with his odd clothes and peculiar manner, might as well have a target painted on his back, which might be why the new girl in the building starts to talk to him. He’s set apart and alone. Easy prey, especially for someone who has special needs. You see, this new girl is far more than she appears, and the beauty of the film is how her true identity is revealed.

No, this is not your standard vampire flick, not that there really is such a thing as that anymore. LET ME IN is a peek into another world. An unnerving peek, one that doesn’t blink when it starts to get good and red.
Is it as good as the original? Do I have to admit to being a snob when I say no?

A big part of the magic to the original is the twists and the surprises, but the real key is that you absolutely believe that the children in it are real. At no point do you ever doubt that our hero (here named Oskar) is really a kid that could live next door to you. There’s no sense of presentation to the film. It just comes off as a cold reality. LET ME IN, and this isn’t a fault really, is far more polished and the actors are easily the best young actors working today, but that’s the problem. The remake is a great movie, and if you haven’t seen the original and just don’t care to read subtitles, then it’s going to be a hard film to ignore. Reeves has made, like Stephen King said, a great American horror movie. It’s just now the best of its kind. Close. Very close.

As a remake, LET ME IN has its heart in the right place. In the years ahead of us, when people discuss remakes, they should now include it on that list of remakes done right. Matt Reeves’s film deserves to be mentioned alongside Carpenter’s THE THING and Cronenberg’s THE FLY. It’s a comparison that not many films can live up to, but LET ME IN meets the challenge and claims its place alongside the best of its kind.