Shocktoberfest 2015-Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In), Tomas Alfredson, 2008

 Remember that kid in middle school that no-one liked?  The one that just didn't fit into any group except as Fresh Meat for the bullies?  Ever wonder what happened to him or are you glad you don't have to avoid sitting next to his funny smelling ass on the bus any longer? According to original novelist and screenwriter, John Ajvide Lindqvist, there is a pretty good chance he is drugging people, draining their blood and taking it home to feed it to his best friend, a centuries old vampire.


Shocktoberfest continues with Lindqvist and director Tomas Alfredson's 2008 sublime Let the Right One In, about Oskar, Kåre Hedebrant, a boy so alienated and marginalized by everyone that his only friend is Eli, Lina Leandersson, the tiny vampire that moves in next door.  This is one of my favorite movies and repeated viewing has only made me appreciate it more.

Oskar is introduced to us as he gleefully dances around in his underwear, pretending to stab his enemies and practicing one-liners.  As he does this, he witnesses the arrival of Eli, seemingly a girl his own age, and her male companion move into the apartment next to his in the drab, housing block where he lives with his mother.

From the beautifully filmed opening, the story is told rapidly and with great economy.  There is almost no exposition. Much of the action around Oskar in takes place through an insulating layer of glass, seen through a window or in a mirror. The adults are often off camera, out of frame or out of focus.  The viewer's eye is constantly drawn to look through the windows at the unfolding action, making us all keenly aware of what voyeurs we are.

Eli and Oscar are much scarier than Abbey and Owen, their American counterparts from Matt Reeves 2010 remake, Let Me In.  All four of the young players  are excellent, actor American ellen is like a giant puppy dog, he's just looking for somebody that he can love unconditionally Swedish Oscar pretty scary.  Eli and Oskar's relationship is central to the move and Eli's hunger for human blood is the catalyst that brings things to a head, which is last seen floating to the bottom of the swimming pool.

What's missing from both of these are the fantastically detailed backstories from John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel. It's also a whole lot creepier on many levels.  One story centers around Eli's familiar who is a pederast that survives falling from the hospital window and returns as a a child raping monster from Hell.

There is so much uncovered material in the book that I think it would make a great original miniseries offered by one of the popular streaming services like Netflix or Amazon.  They have been doing such great work with creating their own content.

Click here to see the list of movies I am shooting to watch between now and the Halloween.  Make sure to check out the original article at Movies, Film and Flix that produced the list!

I also watched Night of the Demons on YouTube in HD!