Let Me In

Dir. Matt Reeves
Starring. Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins

I have a dream that one day a universal law will be passed outlawing the remake of a film until at least 5 years after the release of the original. I am unfortunately not yet ruler of the universe, so until that time I am forced to wade through the skeptic tank of re-makes, re-dubs, re-imaginings, re-releases, re-duxes, re-inforcings, and re-mixes like everyone else. That being said, I am re-lieved to re-port (that's the last of the "re's," I promise) that Matt Reeves' Let Me In did not disappoint. In fact, it grabbed me from the opening scene and mercilessly sucked the cynic right out of me.

Drawing from its source material, John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel Let the Right One In and the Swedish film of the same name, Let Me In tells the story of a troubled boy, Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee), facing his adolescence virtually alone. He comes from a broken home and is friendless and bullied at school. Then he falls for a vampire. If you're thinking you've heard this whole vampire thing before, you haven't (unless of course you've read this book...or seen the original movie). But Abby (Chloe Grace Moretz), is no sparkly bottled-blood drinking vamp. She is a thirsty killer, a fact Owen must face when he learns the evil nature of his one true friend.

Let Me In is violent yet beautiful; disturbing yet incredibly moving. Reeves proves his affection for the subject matter and shows enough restraint during the gory bits to keep viewer eye-rolling at a minimum. An exceptional performance from Kodi Smit-McPhee grounds the supernatural elements in real human emotion and Michael Giacchino's score is arresting if not overpowering at times (or maybe that was just the wave of nostalgia I felt for Lost every time the strings kicked in). The result is a well orchestrated emotional thriller that touches on that primal human need for companionship.

Fans of Let the Right One In are surely tapping anxiously on their keyboards by now shouting into the abyss of the interweb, "Fine, fine, but how does it compare to the original?!" I know, I hear you. I have that power. Rest assured, little ones. Let Me In does right by your beloved Swedes. It is a faithful and compelling adaptation. Only a few scenes were given the "Hollywood treatment" and they were minor enough to be overlooked in the end. However, so were the moments in which Let Me In added something new to the story. So as to the question of whether or not this remake was entirely necessary, I stand firmly in the corner of the converted optimists. If Let Me In can expose a wider audience to the definition of what a modern horror film should be, this remake has my approval... and re-approval.

(Check out Britfilms.tv for this review and much, much more.)