{"id":3447,"date":"2024-08-28T17:13:13","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T17:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/?p=3447"},"modified":"2024-10-14T13:54:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T17:54:52","slug":"let-me-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/2024\/08\/28\/let-me-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Let Me In"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Let Me In <\/strong>(2010)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Overture\/Horror\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 116 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated R (strong bloody horror violence, language, a brief sexual situation)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Matt Reeves\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: Matt Reeves\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Michael Giacchino\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: Greig Fraser\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: October 1, 2010 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Cara Buono, Elias Koteas, Sasha Barrese, Dylan Kenin, Chris Browning, Ritchie Coster, Dylan Minnette, Jimmy “Jax” Pinchak, Nicolai Dorian, Rebekah Wiggins.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Box Office: $12.1M (US)\/$27M (World)<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: ****<\/p>\n

\u00a0My all-time favorite vampire movie is the 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In, an adaptation of the 2004 novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist. It\u2019s NOT the kind of vampire movie American audiences have become accustomed to. The vampire doesn\u2019t look like a member of an 80s hair metal band. She doesn\u2019t sparkle in the sun either. It takes the idea of vampires as seriously as either version of Nosferatu. Imagine if Ingmar Bergman made a vampire movie. It would be like LTROI.<\/p>\n

\u00a0When I heard an Americanized remake was on the horizon, I damn near choked on my Coke Zero. It was impossible for me to believe it would even come close to doing the original source justice. Usually, when Americans attempt to redo a foreign film, they screw it up royally. Also, there was a good chance the makers would water it down to a PG-13 to appease studio execs less concerned with art than selling tickets to kids. LTROI is NOT meant for kids despite its two main characters being 12YO (more or less). In any event, my fears were allayed once I saw the finished product. To my delighted surprise, Let Me In <\/strong>is that rare instance when a remake is actually decent. I\u2019d even say it\u2019s as good as the original. That, let me assure you, is high praise coming from me.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The plot of Let Me In<\/strong> is more of less the same as the original save for a few details. Obviously, the setting has been changed. It now takes place in wintry Los Alamos, NM circa 1983. Why 1983? I guess so the writers can throw in references to Reagan, Ms. Pac-Man and Rubik\u2019s Cube. The main character Owen (McPhee, The Road) is lonely and unhappy. A child of divorce, he\u2019s neglected by both his alcoholic, religious mother and absentee dad. At school, he\u2019s the target of a sadistic bully (Minnette, Don\u2019t Breathe) who refers to him as a \u201clittle girl\u201d while beating on him. He spends most nights hanging out alone in the empty courtyard of his apartment building.<\/p>\n

\u00a0One night while looking through his telescope, he spots new neighbors, a young girl and her father (presumably), moving in next door. Her name is Abby (Moretz, Kick-Ass) and he can\u2019t help but notice she\u2019s unusual. It must be the bare feet and the funny odor. Although she pointedly tells Owen they can\u2019t be friends, a friendship does develop between the two kids. To be honest, I\u2019m not sure if Abby qualifies as a kid. When asked how old she is, she replies, \u201cTwelve. But I\u2019ve been twelve for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0It\u2019s no big secret. Abby is a vampire and requires fresh blood to survive. That\u2019s where the older man (Jenkins, Step Brothers) enters the picture. He\u2019s her guardian meaning he watches over her while she sleeps during the day. He\u2019s also the one that goes on blood runs for her, attacking victims and draining them of their blood. His time with Abby is nearing its end. It\u2019s time for her to find a new companion. She sets her sights on Owen.<\/p>\n

\u00a0There\u2019s a slight wrinkle in the fold in the form of a detective (Koteas, Chicago PD) who starts snooping around after the body of a teenager is discovered. He\u2019s convinced it\u2019s the work of a Satanic cult and goes on the hunt. If he figures out what\u2019s really going on, it would be very bad for Abby who does herself no favors when she attacks a neighbor and doesn\u2019t finish her off.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), who also adapted Lindqvist\u2019s original screenplay, Let Me In<\/strong> is remarkable for several reasons not the least of which is it restores credibility to a genre drained of blood by a certain popular franchise. Instead of glittering vampires and moon-eyed teen romance, it gives us terror wrapped in a shroud of despair. Both Owen and Abby alienate themselves from their peers and the adult world around them. The only adults of any real consequence are the guardian and the detective. The neighbors are always shown at a distance. Reeves emphasizes Owen\u2019s feeling of disconnect by never showing a full-view shot of his mother and his father being only a voice on the phone. In addition, he effectively uses the snowy landscapes to convey the boy\u2019s sense of isolation. It works due in no small part to Greig Fraser\u2019s stark cinematography.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The performances by the two young leads are superb. In an early role, Moretz established herself as a young actress to watch. She\u2019s amazing as Abby, a girl who\u2019s not really a girl, an old soul with the body of a pre-pubescent. She\u2019s been around a while and understands Owen better than he thinks. She\u2019s the one who encourages him to stand up to his bully which he finally does in a great scene. McPhee adds a haunting quality to his character with his pale complexion, scrawny body and fearful looks. He\u2019s a boy living in misery until his new friend provides a possible way out. What\u2019s interesting about their relationship is neither one appears interested in sex. Owen hasn\u2019t hit puberty yet; Abby…. well, she\u2019s Abby. Owen\u2019s idea of intimacy is hugging; it seems like Abby\u2019s never been hugged before.<\/p>\n

\u00a0I guess you can infer from my comments that Let Me In<\/strong> is not your traditional horror movie. It has scares, blood and freaky scenes like Abby ascending the side of a building, but it\u2019s really more of a mood piece. It\u2019s creepy, eerie and melancholy. It also contains a hint of nostalgia with its early 80s setting. Reeves makes excellent use of Reagan\u2019s infamous \u201cEvil Empire\u201d speech. He was referring to the Soviets (remember the Cold War?), but it hits a nerve with Owen for an entirely different reason. Let Me In<\/strong> really is a brilliant film on many levels. Most importantly, it makes vampires scary again. Take that, Teams Edward and Jacob!\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let Me In (2010)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Overture\/Horror\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 116 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated R (strong bloody horror violence, language, a brief sexual situation)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Matt Reeves\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: Matt Reeves\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Michael Giacchino\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: Greig Fraser\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: October 1, 2010 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Cara Buono, Elias Koteas, Sasha Barrese, Dylan Kenin, Chris Browning, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-horror","category-sequels-remakes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Let-Me-In-PIC.jpg?fit=620%2C348&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3447"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5042,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3447\/revisions\/5042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}