Next week, Obsessed With Film will have the pleasure of chatting with director
Matt Reeves and his young stars
Kodi Smit-McPhee and
Chloe Moretz to discuss '
Let Me In', a remake I had long ago submitted to the Movie Blog Gods as almost certainly a cut-and-dry, D.O.A. case. I've had that diagnosis since day one, actually. But... my head has been turning worse than Linda Blair from 'The Exorcist' lately, and I'm now anticipating a U-Turn when I finally get to see the movie this week. It didn't particularly begin
with the trailer unveiling like it did for most, but instead it's happened more recently with the substantial vocal support that has been building for Reeves' cover version of last year's memorable, and atmospheric vampire classic. And well, sometimes a loud mob just has to be listened to and can't be ignored.
Roger Ebert posted the first review that got me excited with his two thumbs up endorsement, then
A.O. Scott, and very quickly everyone was getting bit by this particular vampire. It currently scores 87% positive right now on
Rotten Tomatoes. That's a pandemic, by all accounts. Can an Americanised version of 'Let Me In' really be that good? Really? Has Matt Reeves, against all the odds, fashioned a film that stands on it's own two feet and doesn't offend, or embarrass the original? Can he possibly have re-created the same evocative mood?
Two more significant supporters have voiced their opinion, as captured by
Hollywood Elsewhere;
Stephen King; "Let Me In is a genre-busting triumph. Not just a horror film, but the best American horror film in the last 20 years. Whether you're a teenager or a film-lover in your 50s, you'll be knocked out. Rush to it now. You can thank me later."
Now granted, you can name the amount of 'good' horror films from the U.S. in the last two decades on one hand (and I bet you can't come up with six stone classics, even if you tried) but still, the statement succeeds in peaking my interest just the same. Then amazingly, though I'm sure he has probably made a packet out of his original novel and will gain further $$ by this praise, author
John Ajvide Lindqvist;
"Let The Right One In is a great Swedish movie. Let Me In is a great American movie. There are notable similarities and the spirit of Tomas Alfredson is present. But Let Me In puts the emotional pressure in different places and stands firmly on its own legs. Like the Swedish movie it made me cry, but not at the same points. Let Me In is a dark and violent love story, a beautiful piece of cinema and a respectful rendering of my novel for which I am grateful. Again."
What do I know about 'Let Me In' at this point? Only that it's an exhaustive shot-for-shot remake of the Swedish original but unlike say Gus Van Sant's '
Psycho', it works, and manages to capture the slow-build pace of the original, kind of astonishing for this moment in American filmmaking. The rest I'm eager to find out this week. I desperately want to see Chloe Moretz,
Richard Jenkins and
Elias Koteas play around in this world, and with these characters. I wanna see if Reeves is really the big deal we all hope we could be. The movie itself ain't out till November 8th over here.
