Let Me In   Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moretz, Elias Koteas and Richard Jenkins Icon Home Entertainment RRP: £15.99 ICON10220 Certificate: 15 Available 14 March 2011

Owen is a young school boy who shares an apartment with his mother. However, as she works odd hours and is obviously (off-screen) enjoying a relationship, Owen is often left to his own devices. He is quiet and withdrawn, and so a perfect target for the school bully and his hangers-on. A twelve year-old girl and an older man move in next door. Owen and the girl, Abby, develop a reluctant but compelling friendship. It isn’t long before a couple of fatal attacks occur in the area. A police detective is put on the case, and pretty soon Owen discovers that there is a lot more to Abby than meets the eye. It’s a revelation that could make or break their unique bond...

A new production from the legendary Hammer Films is a cause for much celebration, in my opinion. This is the first from the British studios in more than 30 years. Upon it’s first cinematic release it was quite rightly critically acclaimed as something special. In fact, if I had seen this film before the original, I probably would have rained more praise for this gem, and awarded an additional point to that given today. However, even as I sat through and thoroughly enjoyed this film, I soon realised it was virtually a scene by scene copy of what went before. The only significant differences, aside from the cast, are Abby’s change of eye colour when she feeds, and a police detective tracing her, as opposed to a friend of an earlier victim. There is also the presence of a photograph which appears to suggest that the elderly man with Abby was her previous childhood friend.

Let The Right One In was a Scandinavian film with English subtitles. The entire story felt more magical, partly I think because it was new to me, and more so due to the obvious charisma between the two children.

Make no mistake, this is a good film using an excellent concept, but the Swedish original is undoubtedly better. However, both films have encouraged me to discover more about the further works of author John Ajvide Lindqvist - one of the most exciting emergences into the horror fiction universe since Suzuki Koji.

7

Ty Power