2008 was a big year for vampires. The Twilight series of books have sold millions, while the first film of the novels debuted at #1 at the box-office. While the film and books were wildly popular, a small Swedish film, Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in), wowed the critics of the world, earning numerous accolades. Sadly, the film was snubbed by it's own country's film board, and not submitted for Oscar consideration. But only one of these films can be crowned “Vampire Flick of the Year”. So which should it be? No, Underworld (i.e. World of Darkness Rip-off ) isn't up for the title. If I want bad costuming and snobby posing, I can go to a Ren-Faire or a LARP, thank you.
For the masses, the obvious answer would seem to be Twilight. After all, hordes of fans can't be wrong. Millions flocked to the theaters to witness the beginning romance of Bella (Kristin Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson), a vampire. As I am a consumer of the book series, it interested me to see how the material translated. The verdict: not very well. The biggest problem is one of the film's stars, Robert Pattinson. Given his biggest role yet here, he phones in a performance that isn't even community theater level. He seems to feel all he has to do is look angry, and then smile to be considered an actor. Seriously, there hasn't been this bad a vampire since Brad Pitt's Louis in Interview with a Vampire (A prime example of an hack acting job). Kristin Stewart and the rest do a workmanlike job, with Stewart bringing enough of an airhead charm to the role to pull it off.
Director Catherine Hardwicke, who did a great job with teen drama in Thirteen, drops the ball on several moments in here. Edward's big reveal of his true sparkly nature, a high point in the book, is mere silliness due to some seriously awful FX work. Also, the ending drama of the book seems rushed, as if the director realized she'd spent too much time on the Bella/Edward dynamic, and suddenly had to wrap up a plot she'd only loosely developed. As a plus, I think the hints of the local Native American's true furry nature were handled well, leaving the door wide open for their further exploration in the sequel, coming later this year. Another problem with the movie is Bella's complete acceptance of Edward's vampiric nature. Most, if not all, vampire romances deal with the heroine having to overcome her revulsion of her love's inner monster. Here, its glossed over, leaving an empty sheen much like the entire movie. It leaves Twilight as shiny and empty as its signature vampires appears to be.
Let the Right One In has no shine to it. Set in Sweden during the winter, it reflects all the stark coldness of the Swedish countryside in both its visuals and story. It concerns a small boy named Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) who is bullied regularly at school and seems to be concerned with nothing more than eventually getting revenge. He meets a girl named Eli (Lina Leandersson) who, it turns out, is a vampire. Her feeding, helped by a mysterious older man who lives with her, has spawned serial killer rumors to spread. Oskar, already on his way down a path of violence, seems nonplussed and tries to claim Eli as his girlfriend. Things start going downhill when Eli's slave is caught harvesting blood for her. Oskar stand up to the bullies, trying to impress his new girl. The bullies respond, culminating in violence both sudden and brutal.
On first viewing, it's amazing that this movie didn't get nominated for an Oscar. That two first time actors could put forth such brutally honest performances is a testament to the skill of director Tomas Alfredson. Lina Leandersson, as Eli, is note perfect as a child vampire, managing to somehow convey both innocence and ancient hunger with her eyes. Mark down her name, you'll be hearing more from her. Alfredson deserves credit also, for managing to convey the horror of vampire attacks without going overboard. It's almost a textbook definition of subtle horror, and the natural landscape of urban Sweden is both beautiful and empty, reminding one a lot of Minneapolis.
Is the movie perfect? In a word, no. The first attack by Eli is stolen almost directly from Abel Ferrar's 1995 “The Addiction”. There's also a large homosexual subtext, that seems to be almost homophobic in the way it's presented, from the glares of Oskar's classmates when he stares at them, to the hinting of that a gay relationship may be why Oskar's parents no longer live together.
So, who gets the title? I was hoping Twilight might have been a contender, but after seeing it, it wasn't even close. Twilight is the sort of big, flashy, artistically empty flick that Hollywood churns out of its bowels on a daily basis, despite strong indie-cred from the producers and directors. Let the Right One In is good cinema, a piece of art that both reinforces and surpasses the horror genre. It wasn't even close, this fight. Maybe the Twilight films should stick to fighting the Underworld movies, or if they need a squash, any horror film coming out of the Sci-Fi channel. Let the Right One In is heads and shoulders above them, and goes on the list of movies that deserved Oscars, but weren’t nominated.
Winner: Let the Right One In by TKO.
