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Parents' Guide to

Let the Right One In

By Charles Cassady Jr., Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Swedish vampire tale is much grislier than Twilight.

Movie R 2008 114 minutes
Let the Right One In Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 7 parent reviews

robbie1
robbie1 Adult
February 7, 2020
age 18+

This title has:

Too much sex
CSMContentDefault
CSMContentDefault Adult
November 22, 2018
age 15+

The butt review

Let the right one in is a bit of a sad movie. The parents are crapheads and the parents have to fight for themselves. The movie has action, a little sexy stuff, and cussing where they do say f*ck a couple times. They perform a bloody ritual in the movie. This movie is more for teens and like most other creepy horror movies they are not meant for little kids.
See all 7 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (8 ):

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. But it 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.

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.

Talk to Your Kids 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.

Movie Details

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