Let the Right One In (2008)

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Original Swedish version of vampire film remade this year as "Let Me In."

A lonely bullied kid befriends a local vampire. Hijinx ensue.

Anyone see the US version?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The Swedish one is spooky and beautiful and comments on/explains some of the tensions and weirdness of adolescence better by bloody analogy than most narrative works about kids explain 'em directly (kinda like Buffy at its best, or most good sci-fi).

Richard Jenkins involvement notwithstanding, I've tried to ignore the existence of the second. I've heard enough about it to ensure that I'll do so for the rest of my life.

[The original Swedish book, by the way, has some twists and backstory that aren't present in the movie (either of them, I presume) that... um... complicate things.]

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

From what little I'd heard I was prepared for more of a vampire flick than this turned out to be, but that was good, it was a better film about kids than bloodsuckers. I'm sure the US version is the opposite.