Vampires... Are they a little bit passe? Hollywood has given the tweens Twilight, and good old Blighty has delivered Lesbian Vampire Killers, especially for the discerning spotty teenage boy market, but as for quality? Well, all we've had recently is Coppola's creaky old Bram Stoker's Dracula (too stagy) and Neil Jordan's Interview With The Vampire (too pretentious).
The untouchable classic is, and always will be, Nosferatu of course, but has modern cinema provided anything even remotely gripping within the vampire genre? I know there's The Lost Boys, but the pleasure of that film remains a guilty secret for most people. I'm thinking more of the films you can actually admit to liking. You know, the ones you'd stand up for in a fight, safe in the knowledge that their innate quality and ultra coolness will back you all the way.
Well, it looks like the Swedes have gone and done it. Every magazine I pick up seems to be raving about Let The Right One In. And the most encouraging thing is, although the story is dark and scary, nobody seems to be focused on the horror. That's just a by product. No, it would seem Let The Right One In is blessed by a decidedly fragile, humanistic element. That's why it's receiving all the kudos. And that's why despite vampires being passe, Let The Right One In might just be worth shelling out for. Click the link above for my exciting preview of the film.
Pictures: Lena Leandersson in Let The Right One In, EFTI. Nosferatu still. Lost Boys promo poster, Warner Bros.
