Better than Twlight
Original Title: Låt den rätte komma in
Release Date: March 10, 2009 (DVD in the US)
Starring: Kåre Hedebrant (Oscar) / Lina Leandersson (Eli)
Rating: R (Not for kids)
Origins: Swedish with English Subtitles
Official Site: Let the right one in
I should have posted a review on this movie a while back because I saw it in December of last year. I was really surprised to find out that it was even showing in my little town because we usually don’t get those really hard to find movies. But luckily the one theater around here that ever shows anything indie was able to get a hold of this one and play it for a limited time. It was such a big deal around here that they even had a facebook page for the premiere.
I went to see this with my Mom who is also somewhat of a scary movie fan. Although she isn’t quite as die-hard about it as I am. The theater was packed on opening night and I wasn’t surprised. I had read a lot of hype about it on the net before hand which had been all good reviews.
The movie’s cinematography is excellent with tones of gray/black/white throughout except for emphasis on the color red. That part of it reminded me of 30 Days of Night in a way. Even the opening sequence was perfect to set the tone of the film. I will have to say though that this movie could not have been made in the US. There are certain aspects of it that wouldn’t be accepted with a wider audience considering the US is more conservative in nature. And I’m not talking about the gore being the issue either.
All that aside, it was a great film to watch and the story was a completely new take on a topic that has been run into the ground more than anything else in the horror genre. Well, I take that back, other than the whole “teen” slasher thing which is completely stupid. Who honestly wants to see a bunch of naked horny teens get stabbed? If you raised your hand to that one then congratulations, you’re an idiot. I am a major “vampire” fan. I have all the Anne Rice books regarding the subject and even got a massive Vampire anthology a few years back from my aunt (who also likes the blood suckers) which describes any and every vampire reference throughout history.
But back to the film, there was a genius balance of drama and violence that made it compelling but horrifying at the same time. You might have wanted to look away but you just couldn’t bring yourself to do so. This was something that Twilight failed to do totally. That movie was not a horror film in the least of the sense. It was only a teen romance movie. Period. Not to say it was that bad or anything, just that this movie was obviously better.
The one of the last sequences had to of been my favorite where some local boys get what’s coming to them. For all the gore (which was totally realistic) the film still managed to be sweet and reminiscent of a first romance. I loved it for all its boldness and originality.
Bottom Line: PURE HORRIFIC AWESOMENESS
