Limacher Low Down: “Let Me In” is an American remake of the acclaimed Swedish movie “Let the Right One In” [Read editor, Rick Swift’s review, here], which was released in 2008. Now I will be the first person to say that I really dislike American remakes of foreign horror films because of the way the movies get dumbed down for us. “Let Me In” was in some ways changed, but it helped in developing the story. I know some will say it was made simpler, but in my eyes they added more details and for those who didn’t see the original – this movie will really open your eyes and is definitely enjoyable to watch.
“Let Me In” takes place in a small New Mexico town in 1983. The way the movie begins really makes you wonder what the hell is going on, but soon it takes you back to two weeks before the original events happen.
We see a 12 year old boy sitting outside in the snow in solitude; his name is Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee). He seems disturbed and we don’t know why. He has a telescope and tends to see what his neighbors are doing. He hears a door close outside his window and goes to see who or what it might be. He sees an older man and a young girl moving into the building, he apparently thinks nothing of it. The next day at school we quickly learn that Owen is bullied unmercifully, and the leader of the trio that bullies him is named Kenny (Dylan Minnette). Owen is too little and too weak to fight back against three and takes what they dish without ever telling anyone what is happening to him.
We see Owen outside when he’s talking to a tree in the same way that Kenny talks to him. Owen hears someone behind him, and it’s a young girl named Abby (Chloe G. Moretz). There is tension between the two at first, and Owen gets called inside. The next day at school, Owen gets bullied again, this time with a noticeable mark on his face. When his mother asks what happened to him, he lies.
Owen encounters Abby again; they have a small conversation and then Owen heads back inside. But that night Owen hears yelling through the wall. He can’t quite make out who is talking or what exactly is being said. It appears Abby’s father (Richard Jenkins), needs to retrieve something for Abby – something vital . . . blood.
Abby goes out into the night on her own and when a person jogging hears her cries, he comes to help her. The jogger picks Abby up only to get tossed around violently and drained. She has done what she needed to do to survive. She goes home to tell her father what has happened, and once again Owen hears yelling from the neighbor. Not knowing who or what is going on he keeps to his own. The police are around everywhere questioning people if they possibly know what happened to a recent graduate of the local high school. No one seems to have any clue.
The father has to go back out to do what he can to support Abby. This scene is one of the more intriguing scenes in the movie. The events that take place lead us back to the opening and everything starts coming together. We are now caught up on the previous events and the movie shifts from a slow beginning into something that really picks up steam. The relationship between Abby and Owen grows, and they learn to care for one another. Is Abby a Vampire? Well, like it says in the previews, “She needs blood to live”! She never comes out and says whether or not she’s a vampire which is an interesting twist on one of horror’s oldest figures, the vampire.
When the movie starts developing it really grows quick on the viewer. The fact that I saw the original and was comparing it to this one quickly was lost on me when the movie really started moving along. This movie has more violence than the original, and also one scene that was made MUCH LESS AWKWARD. (Those who saw ‘Let the Right One In’ should know which scene I’m referring to.)
All in all the acting in this was superior to the original and for two kids having the majority of the screen time; they really did an EXCELLENT job. I know this movie is not for everyone, and some who LOVED the original will NOT enjoy this version. I really enjoyed the story that was told and how it was developed. I will admit that some aspects were hokey, especially in the age of technology we live in now, and that is the reason I didn’t rate this higher. I will say in a world with Vampire movies geared for teens about teens, it amazes me that a story about two 12 year olds has more depth and romance than the others do!
