#Let The Right One In Is Still Bloody Brutal And Oddly Touching

Eli is a monster, yes. But, like all the best monsters, she’s one you can relate to. Her connection with Oskar is a top-tier coming of age … romance is the wrong word, although there is a deeply romantic undercurrent to their relationship. Their connection is almost primal. A young boy with no one to care for or that cares for him meets a centuries-old creature who desperately needs a caretaker.

It’s a complex relationship, problematic on a whole lot of levels for obvious age-related and living/undead reasons. But I’ll be damned if by the end of the movie I didn’t want to see Oskar and Eli taking on the world together.

That relationship is the core of this story, the foundation that takes it past just being a smart, fresh take on a vampire tale, and the fact that it’s set against a freezing cold backdrop only enhances the themes of isolation.

It’s an incredible movie and the pool sequence finale is one of my all-time favorite movie scenes, period, end of story. The way it is shot, the reveal of what’s happening above the surface of the water, the look on Oskar’s face when he resurfaces. Chef’s kiss material, I’m tellin’ ya’.

So, if you’ve never seen this one or it’s been a while, how about you make up a nice cup of hot chocolate, settle in, and usher in the new season in bloody style?