"Let the Right One In" Remake Gets a Release Date

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

Remember that 2008 movie about the human who feels separated from the world and falls in love with a vampire? No, not "Twilight." 2008 saw the release of a wholly different vamp romance, "Let the Right One In," a Swedish adaptation of the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist and one of the very best films of that year. It followed a budding romance between a bullied boy named Oskar and an immortal vampire with the form of a young girl named Eli. The film garnered enough attention that a remake was scheduled with "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves signed up to direct. The film has been completed with a recently announced release date of October 1, 2010.

Many fans of the original Swedish film will be up in arms over this, but I, a constant defender of remakes in theory, have a good feeling about this one. To start, "Let Me In," as the remake is called (it was the title of the English-language version of the novel), has an absolutely incredible cast.

Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Moretz (of "The Road" and "(500) Days of Summer," respectively) replace Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson of the original, and I couldn't think of a better pair. Smit-McPhee has been said to have given a very powerful performance in "The Road," and Moretz has that tough but sensitive appeal that is absolutely crucial for the character. The most exciting cast addition for me, though, is Richard Jenkins, who serves as a sort of caretaker/father figure to Moretz's vampire character.

Reeves has claimed that he has every intention of staying faithful to the material while also making it a bit more accessible for American audiences. Such is expected, especially considering the very dark tone of the original. Since the days of Ingmar Bergman, Swedish film always has had a more subdued and bleak tone compared to pretty much any other cinema. Such is definitely the case with "Let the Right One In," which shows a romance born out of cruelty, violence and abuse--and between children, no less.

Reeves has moved the story from Sweden to New Mexico, which seems to be the perfect setting to maintain the distant and empty quality of the original's setting while still changing it to something distinctly American. Any other changes are yet unknown, but considering Reeves' claims that the novel and original film meant so much to him I don't expect him to make any really blasphemous changes.

So, while most other fans of the original film will undoubtedly complain left and right about yet another remake, I maintain that this could very well be as good or better than the original.

But I suppose we'll see for sure in October.

Source.