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Let the Right One In
Magnet Releasing (Magnolia Pictures)


8.5

based on 30 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 124 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for some bloody violence including disturbing images, brief nudity and language

Starring Kare Hedebrant, and Lina Leandersson

A fragile, anxious boy, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates but never strikes back. The lonely boy's wish for a friend seems to come true when he meets Eli, also 12, who moves in next door to him with her father. A pale, serious young girl, she only comes out at night and doesn't seem affected by the freezing temperatures. Coinciding with Eli's arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. One man is found tied to a tree, another frozen in the lake, a woman bitten in the neck. Blood seems to be the common denominator. But by now a subtle romance has blossomed between Oskar and Eli, and she gives him the strength to fight back against his aggressors. (Magnolia Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Drama \| Horror \| Romance
WRITTEN BY:	John Ajvide Lindqvist
DIRECTED BY:	Tomas Alfredson
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: March 10, 2009 Theatrical: October 24, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	114 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Sweden
LANGUAGE(S):	Swedish

Alternative Title: Låt den rätte komma in

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Washington Post John Anderson

In the basest of terms, a horror flick. But it's also a spectacularly moving and elegant movie, and to dismiss it into genre-hood, to mentally stuff it into the horror pigeonhole, is to overlook a remarkable film.

100

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

This is one of the real finds of 2008.

100

Empire Kim Newman

At once a devastating, curiously uplifting inhuman drama and a superbly crafted genre exercise, Let The Right One In can stand toe-to-toe with Spirit Of The Beehive, Pan's Labyrinth or Orphee. See it.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

It's one of the great horror films of recent years -- and a welcome antidote to the in-your-face sonic assaults that all too often pass for genre fare.

Film Threat Jeremy Knox

The best fairy tales always have so much darkness in them. That's why they resonate so deeply. This is a magnificent film.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

Could be summarized as a vampire tween romance, but that cheap and tawdry sum-up does zero justice to the magnificent emotional resonance of this gemlike bloodstone of a film.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

The beauty of Let the Right One In resides in the way the horror remains grounded in a tragic kind of love.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Most contemporary horror films derive shocks from mere torture. Let the Right One In locates most of its fright-power in the needs and confusions of people who are usually overlooked.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The most violent scene is dreamlike, and more direct killings are often seen at an angle or from a distance. The camera placement is thoughtful and effective, never titillating.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Stick your neck out for this Swedish horror show. It's a winner, full of mirth and malice, plus a young romance you'll never see on the Disney Channel.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The young actors are powerful in draining roles. We care for them more than they care for themselves. Alfredson's palette is so drained of warm colors that even fresh blood is black.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Funny, fear-inducing, with periods of voyeuristic gore and an undercurrent of anxiety and dread, Let the Right One In is up there with the bloodsucking classics.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

It's a little long and dissipates some of its power in an unfocused subplot, but the skewed sensibility of the film is both innocent and feral and offers a smart and satisfying reworking to the familiar genre. An American remake is already in the works.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Maria Schneider

It's a sweetly queasy film that suggests the spirit that sustains us, the demons we hide from the world, and the monsters that prey upon us in the dark might all be variations on the same beast.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

It's a genuine genre vampire picture; and it's Swedish, winter-lit, Bergmanesque.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

An ingenious mixture of satire, dead-end suburban realism and gory vampire fantasy.

Village Voice Elena Oumano

A coolly balanced and utterly compelling examination of alienation and love.

Newsweek David Ansen

Let the Right One In unfolds with quiet, masterly assurance.

The Hollywood Reporter Justin Lowe

A moody adaptation of the Swedish best-seller about a fateful mortal-vampire romance, Let the Right One In is atypically literate and unexpectedly affecting suspense fare. Complex characters, ominous situations fraught with mortality and the recklessness of youthful ardor create a tense and subtly shaded narrative.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Alfredson makes the most of every detail, carefully crafting an atmosphere of haunting alienation. These two lost souls may come together under unusual circumstances, but their connection feels universally human.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

In this sinister but gorgeous and compelling film by director Tomas Alfredson, being human and acting human don't always go together.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

There is a remarkable stillness to many of the film's most indelible images, particularly the exteriors, which are so carefully photographed, and without the usual tiresome camera jiggling, as to look almost frozen.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

A remarkably fine and genuinely frightening movie about a teenage vampire.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Despite having no previous film experience, Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson give evocative performances as Oskar and Eli, respectively.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Let the Right One In is a children's film, but you wouldn't want your child to see it. It's a horror film, but the gruesome splatter is the least of its scares. And it's a love story, but the prepubescent kind where sex is a distant idea and loneliness a shared reality. A wicked trick, a cinematic treat, this is some Halloween offering.

San Francisco Chronicle Reyhan Harmanci

Strikes a surprising array of notes: scary, sad and hopeful. The director, Tomas Alfredson, does a great job of presenting peril in the film.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Some will classify Let the Right One In as a horror movie, and I suppose that's technically accurate. To me, however, this is much more of a coming-of-age/friendship movie.

Variety Alissa Simon

Calling to mind the work of Anne Rice and Stephen King, atmospheric adaptation of Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestseller is well directed by his countryman Tomas Alfredson ("Four Shades of Brown") and should click with cult and arthouse auds.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The Scandinavian moodiness of the first half gives way to a series of jolting set pieces in the second.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

If random arty blood thrills are your cup of fear, perhaps you'll enjoy Let the Right One In, a Swedish head-scratcher that has a few creepy images but very little holding them together.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 124 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

C. Chambers gave it a5:
Just finished watching this movie...and I have to say I did enjoy the story...I'm a sucker for a good vampire movie...that said, the pace of the movie just didn't do it for me...it was a struggle to keep up with due to the pacing of the film-very SLOW...loved the little girl who played the vampire!

Doctor Montalban gave it a10:
This movie is brilliant. It's telling that you have to go to foreign cinema to see something made with quality and depth, rather than the hacked McDonald's-esque crap that Hollywood churns out for the teeny boppers (looking right at you Twilight). Definitely follow other reviewers advice and watch it in Swedish with English subs. This movie is stirring on a number of levels, I'll leave it at that. To the guy saying it lacked depth and intensity, I'll just say that it was there and then some, but it was clearly lost on you. Just one piece, that I'll keep spoiler-free, is the juxtaposition of Oskar and Eli's companion/guardian/EX?!?!....i.e. a glimpse of Oskar's future state.....anyhow, Twilight's there for those that prefer to be unchallenged. Anyhow, I'm glad it's getting so much critical respect, b/c it's well deserved.

D craft gave it a10:
A vampire film with as much heart as gore. No patent leather, slick-fashion-wear, or uber-cool characters turn this into a puberty-struck superhero fantasy. The casting and acting is superb. There is a real sense of intimacy and empathy for the young characters. Occasional, but awesome special effects add little shocks in this minimalist treatment. The director's use of mise-in-scene is all the more artistic when coupled with the stark scenery. This is the best vampire film I've seen. Due to language patterns, hearing the original Swedish with English subtitles sounds more emotive than the dubbing.

Dale gave it a10:
Finally watched this last night, and its quickly went into my list of favorite films. A classic.

Juan J gave it a10:
Pacing, script, cinematography... everything that could possibly go right in a production did in this one. My favourite movie of all time.

Mikael H gave it a10:
Awesome movie ! ! !

David F gave it a1:
After shuffling restlessly in my seat waiting for some interest, at last the film began to pick up - as the end credits started to run!

Let the Right One In Magnet Releasing (Magnolia Pictures)

Let the Right One In
Magnet Releasing (Magnolia Pictures)