Let Me In Review: Knock the Door Down to See This Film

I blame Edward Cullen (the Robert Pattinson version) for my love of anything vampire. Before that R. Patz stare I would have never even considered seeing a film like Let Me In, and that would be a great tragedy because this is probably the best grade of film I have seen all year. It isn’t often that a film is horrifying and sweet, illogical and genuine, thought-provoking and simplistic, yet Let Me In is all this and more.

Let Me In tells the story of a young boy named Owen (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee.) A harassed child of bullying and divorce, Owen spends much of his time alone. He has no friends and his middle school tormentors are well on their way to turning him into a full-time sociopath. It’s clear that some intervention must be made. Enter Abby (played by Chloe Moretz). A young girl shrouded in mystery, Abby offers Owen friendship at a time when he most needs it. But Abby has a secret and with her friendship comes a terrible cost. And as Owen finds that the only person that he trusts is an ice-cold murdered, can their friendship survive Abby’s bloodlust?

Let Me In is wow amazing (yes I just added “wow amazing” to the ranking system; you’re welcome.) It has a great cast, excellent plot and a story that sticks with you long after the ending credits have rolled. With a subtle touch, this film follows the horrifying lives of our young protagonists leading to a finish that is both disturbing and sincere.

Let Me In is classified as a horror film. Strikingly, the most horrifying scenes in Let Me In don’t actually involve the immortal creature who is designed to kill you and suck you dry. This says a lot, but set against the backdrop of humanity at its basest (grade school terrorists, serial killers in training) Abby and her struggle to survive looks a bit more sympathetic. It’s disturbing what the humans of this story put each other through, but far from shadowed villains even they have a story to tell. Leading the pack of Owen’s very own emotional terrorists is Kenny (played by Dylan Minnette,) a troubled youth who has his own set of demons. Richard Jenkins stars as a serial killer and father-figure to Abby, his story is truly heartbreaking. Cara Buono stars as Owen’s mother, a woman trapped in her own world of grief.

In this world of chaos, Abby and Owen’s flourishing friendship comes off as a solace to them both. McPhee and Moretz (Owen and Abby respectively) give superstar performances as the film’s protagonists. The film anchored around the strength of these two actors and they did not disappoint. Moretz brought an innocence to Abby that was very endearing. McPhee’s Owen showed great transformation as a boy coming of age. This film also stars include Elias Koteas as a policeman on Abby’s trail.

Let Me In is almost two hours long, but the pacing is great and none of the film seems to lag. As a horror film, there isn’t a lot of gore although there is a tone of blood and some squirm-worthy moments. Horror genre light-weights (like myself) shouldn’t have any problems. The R rating seems fair for violence and sexual scenes. There were a couple of scenes in the movie that made me laugh, I don’t know whether this was intentional but it seemed natural enough. Overall, Let Me In was a great film. Definitely see it.