Let the Right One In at the Music Box

Let the Right One In
Midnight Feb. 27 & 28, Mar. 6 & 7
Directed by Tomas Alfredson, 2008, 114m



A well-crafted horror film in the tradition of Guillermo del Toro's THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, Swedish import LET THE RIGHT ONE IN ably blends genre chills with genuine feeling. There are plenty of scares, but it remains moving and intelligent, a rare feat for the genre.

Below is Dr. AC's capsule review from 2008:

"From the cold, windswept snow fields of Sweden comes one of the most astonishingly sensitive and original vampire tales ever to hit the screen.

Kare Hedebrant plays Oskar, a bullied 12-year-old who hungers for revenge, keeping a scrapbook of vicious murders to comfort himself. Enter the strange and exotic Eli (Lena Leandersson), a bloodsucker forever imprisoned in the body of a young girl. Together, the two strike up a precarious friendship that surprises and rewards viewers again and again.

Tomas Alfredson’s direction finds just the right balance between chilly and warm, bolstered by John Ajvide Lindqvist’s exquisitely crafted screenplay (adapted from his own novel). A brilliant fable of unconditional companionship, eclipsing the romantic Anne Rice/Stephanie Meyer notions of vampirism with honest emotional content, and does it without skimping on the red stuff. Not to be missed."


Music Box Theatre
3733 N. Southport Ave,
Chicago, IL 60613
773-871-6604 (showtimes)