Blood Story

Let Me In is an emotionally wrenching film. My opinion/review is for this film, not the original.

Hopefully you know that the gist of the movie is about a lonely boy who is bullied at school and then a young girl moves in next door who is a vampire. By emotionally wrenching, I want say how expertly this film made you feel: anger and fury at the bullies, helpless for the boy Owen, sadness at both Owen and Abby's isolation, frustration at Owen's parents, hope for Owen and Abby with their budding friendship, and genuine surprise/horror at the violence of Abby's vampire actions. You will walk out with a lot on your mind after this movie.

Definitely NOT your mindless horror/vampire film and as a movie on its own (not compared to the original) it is capable of pulling lots of different emotions. It also definitely had some jump-in-your-seats moments, too.

This movie for kids? Definite NO - this is not a sappy romance with pretty actors. It is a dark movie with heavy themes. You need to gauge it appropriately for tweens -- it has some heavy plot lines regarding the kids at school and what Abby&'s father-figure is willing to do for her.

Whether you are a fan of Gothic horror or not Let Me In is well worth a viewing and by no means is it just a "scary film" it is so much more than that. Before I go into the film itself I have to comment that this is a re-make of a Swedish film called "Let The Right One In" from 2008 and both films come from the novel of the same name by Swedish author Tomas Alfredson.

The film itself is a masterpiece and hats off to director Matt Reeves for brilliant work on what was a difficult task re-making an already loved film for American audiences (and all those who don't like subtitles). The film is shot in the eerie Los Alamos, New Mexico snow, mostly at night time and it is truly gorgeous and the dark, cold land gives a real genuine vibe to the tale and you feel Owen's despair .

The story itself centers on Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who is a twelve year old child whose parents are going through a divorce and is a victim of bullying, he lives with his mother and is dangerously isolated and becoming slightly weird. All his problems are answered when the amazing Abby (Chloë Moretz) moves into the apartment next door. She is a self assured twelve year old who helps Owen overcome his bullying problems, gives him someone to love and their friendship blossoms.

However all is not right with Abby who is played by the highly capable Chloë Moretz, (Hit Girl in Kickass) her performance is remarkable and the chemistry with her and Kodi Smit is all the more special when you take into account they are only children. You feel every touch, you love every second Abby and Owen are together their bond is beautiful yet you know all is not well. Abby is a vampire, she "needs blood to live" and she will do anything to get it, indeed even jump on an innocent persons back as they go for a nice jog and feast on their blood. Yes there are plenty of shock moments in this film it is scary but its more than that.

Like Owen we (the audience) has to see past the fact Abby is a vampire and become immersed in this special and beautiful friendship and we do; thanks to the performances of both Kodi and Chloë, that are nothing short of brilliant, and long may they succeed.

Matt Reeves, who is most famous for his monster film "Cloverfield", took on the task of adapting and directing this film. Two years ago, film festivals were in love with the Swedish Horror film "Let the Right One In" and it was almost a given that it was needed to be made American. In our culture vampires have kind of turned into more of romantic figures and a lot of times represent sexuality. This film goes back to basics and makes this vampire what I think they are sup post to be, which is completely scary and messed up. What is very impressive is that Reeves takes this and in a way, his changes actually enhance the story and kind of makes it better and more entertaining. Kodi Smith-McPhee who was spectacular in last year's "The Road" and Chloe Moretz who received most of her fame as Hit-Girl in this year's "Kick-Ass" carry this film and both of these kids bring a type of eeriness; these kids both knew exactly how their characters were sup post to be and they hit it spot on. This gory, terrifying, and dark film turns into some type of odd entertainment and represents why people would even want to see a horror film; it has a strong story and an even stronger scare. Instead of going over the top Reeves bends this movie into a tension roller-coaster more than anything. Very rarely can a foreign film be successfully adapted and made a success in America, but Reeves made something that can stand a distance from the original, but still he true to its origin. It is a great movie for the Halloween season, it will most likely refresh people who are used to "American Vampires" and give them a real vampire movie

Reeves has done it. Saw this at Fantastic Fest with director and cast present and I have to say I was very impressed. The acting is great as my heart went out to Kodi's character Owen. I honestly wanted to jump into the screen and make the cruelty stop. It was heartbreaking. Chloe is a wonderful actress and she portrays Abby very well. I wanted a bit more from that character but it is good. The scenes together are very good and sweet. Jenkins who plays the caregiver is very very good. His portrayal is a very real and creepy take. His means of attaining victims was chilling. His character climax is great, my jaw dropped.

Reeves does a wonderful job with cinematography and I loved the setting. I have been eagerly awaiting this movie and I was not disappointed. If you have seen the original you still haven't seen Let Me In.

Really? Your going to remake a movie 3 years after it was released? Is that even necessary? About a year ago, i use to feel this way about this production. Seriously, just go to the video store and watch the original....it's cheaper than going to the theater. But then i realized that it isn't that simple. If you want to show people good cinema, you really need to force them to watch it. Honestly, if i told someone to go to the video store and rent an awesome Swedish vampire movie, they would probably skip my suggestion, and pick up "Couples Retreat" or some crap. The only way someone would even view a portion of this film, is if they came over to my house, as i am in the middle of watching "Let The Right One In", they sit down and finally ask "What movie is this again?". So no, i am no longer dissing this movie, because in order for people to truly accept something good and different, it needs to be shoved in their faces.

Now when it comes to reviewing remade movies, all you can do is compare and contrast. So let me go ahead and get that out of the way so i can speak to the majority of you who have not seen it. The film is not an exact carbon copy of the original. However, it still has the same working parts. Sure they changed things around a bit, nothing too major......but they really did hit the nail on the head by still maintaining the overall eseccense of what this movie promotes, and that is crucial for this feature. The one thing that they did improve on however, was the musical score. It was more developed and very fitting to the gritty style of cinematography. It took those really eerie yet intriguing sequences, and made them that much more entertaining. As far as the acting, i am leaning towards the original, but it is a very VERY close race.

So with that being said, this movie is probably the best horror movie of the year. Yes, it is a remake, but i don't care. All these original ideas still do not compete with something that obviously works. This movie is very dark, the way a vampire movie should be. Not with it's gore, which is amped up by the way, but it's method of storytelling. That is the hook in this film. That is what gets you. It isn't some crybaby teen heartthrob, it is an in-depth storyline told in an entertaining yet odd fashion. It is very different compared to any vampire movie you have seen. Take Kiersten Dunst character in "Interview with a Vampire", and make a whole movie about her.....thats pretty much what this is.......somewhat.

Bottom Line, hopefully this movie will bitch slap all those wannabe vampire geeks harder the second time around, because this is how you make a vampire movie people. Yes, i still like the original more, but this movie gets as close to the original as you possibly can get, and that is saying a lot in my book. I urge all of you to see this, because there is a reason why they wanted to remake it so quickly. However, if you do get the chance, please still try to watch the original.