 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Let the Right One In
- Review Date: September 22, 2010
- R
- Genre: Horror
- 2008
Common Sense Media says
Swedish vampire tale is much grislier than Twilight.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this vampire drama has brief but intense, bloody scenes of biting, dismemberment, beheading, and grotesque images of an acid-scarred face and severed limbs. Sunlight turns one vampire into a fireball, while another begins suddenly bleeding all over. Swearing includes a few uses of "f--k." A "blood brothers" ritual is attempted. There is a bleak depiction of kids on their own in a world where adults are distant/distracted/divorced/drunk, in varied combinations. There are strong overtones of bullying and kids warped by divorce. The boy-girl relationship at the center of the film starts to take a homosexual turn. This movie was filmed in Swedish, but an English-dubbed version is a DVD option for viewers who don't like subtitles.
What's the story?
The setting is Sweden in the early 1980s. Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) is a misfit adolescent schoolboy living with his divorced mom in the Centrum, a sterile apartment complex, even bleaker in the winter months. New neighbors move in: Eli (Lina Leandersson), a precocious, friendless little girl who only seems to appear at night, and an unsociable, taciturn man who acts as her parent-guardian. In fact, the adult periodically kills strangers to drain their blood to bring to Eli -- who is, in reality, a vampire, incredibly old, strong, and lethal despite a waifish appearance. In the effort to solve the murders, police and other grownups edge nearer to the Centrum; meanwhile Oskar and Eli draw closer as friends.
Is it any good?
The title refers to a snippet of vampire lore (also employed in the more mainstream-Hollywood Lost Boys) that a supernatural bloodsucker cannot enter a private residence unless invited in first. In other words, Oskar's learning the dreadful truth about Eli and her fatal appetite is no deal breaker -- and it even strengthens their relationship as fellow outsiders. Oskar does not reject her, and when it seems Eli might not even be a "her" at all, the film suggests unconditional love, albeit in a kinky and grisly way. Shot in austere style, often with long, formal takes -- hardly any MTV-action stuff -- LET THE RIGHT ONE IN sacrifices much of the character development in the Swedish source novel (very dense and Stephen King-like) but remains strongly focused on the Oskar-Eli relationship, which is creepy and compelling in a way similar movies aren't because the Swedish lead thespians are obviously real children, not 20-ish actors playing a decade younger like in Twilight adaptations.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about whether Eli is an "evil" vampire or not. What do you think will happen to the characters after the ending?
Oskar is a regular target of bullies. Talk about Eli's advice for him to fight back -- hard -- and whether that's a good idea or not in real world.
Vampire movies continue to be popular. Ask kids who their favorite screen bloodsuckers are and why.
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AGE
Beautiful, violent movie.
Really great movie! I appreciated the differences between this movie and that other horrible paranormal romance series that I don't say the name of. First of all, when Oskar finds out, he takes a bit to get used to it. And, as stated before me, the movie was slow, which REALLY bored my 10 year old brother. But I thought was absolutely beautiful.
Now, for the BAD things about this film. Very, very violent, and the suspense is almost always there, wheather it be with music or just the dismal surroundings. Oskar is ruthlessly bullied, and is filled with hatred for those boys. After being encouraged to "Hit back. Hard." by Eli, he gives the main bully a good smack on the head, therefor protraying that violence can solve your problems. A few f-words and a couple uses of h--- are used.
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AGE
Fine for most (if not all) kids past the age of 14. an Amazing film!
i LOVE this movie. while there are some violent scenes, they dont show the gore or it is in quick bursts. the thing that kids wont like is that its slow and that they wont fully get the meaning of the story.
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AGE
Sad and dull
Just a depressing movie. It's more sad than scary. The adults in this film are pathetic and unsupportive, and the kids are left to fend for themselves in a "Lord of the Flies" kind of way. I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone, unless you really want to be depressed.
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Kid, 12 years old
November 3, 2011
AGE
Disturbing in a ... Beautiful Way
I realize that a lot of people are generally turned off of this book somewhere around when you start to see what could be called pedophilia. And, yes, to a certain degree, this can make you cringe. It's creepy and weird ... especially with how strikingly realistic it sounds. Creepy forty year old looking for little boys? Yeah. But nothing was all that disturbing. It was a little strange, sure. But, if I can read this book in fifth grade and write an entire report about it, and NOT get in trouble with the teacher, it's not the worst thing out there. Forgetting that, this book is amazing! It's an interesting story, it's something that once you start reading it, you really don't want to put down. Besides the confusion about Eli's gender, the book is much better than the movie, even if it's a little more ... explicit.
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Kid, 12 years old
December 26, 2011
AGE
Good!
It was pretty good. The book was much better, but this had a good cast and and some shots that will stay with you for a long time.
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AGE
DISSAPOINTING,DULL,MAKES TWILIGHT LOOK LIKE A MUST WATCH.
wtf,i wasted 10 bucks just to watch this at the theatre.this dosent even qualify for a real horror movie AT ALL
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| Studio: | Magnolia Pictures |
| Director: | Tomas Alfredson |
| Cast: | Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Run time: | 114 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 24, 2008 |
| DVD release date: | March 9, 2009 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | some bloody violence including disturbing images, brief nudity and language |
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