Let The Right One In (2008)

Let The Right One In, or Låt den rätte komma in, was directed by Thomas Alfredson, and stars Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson. It was filmed in Sweden, and can now be seen in theatres with English subtitles. It is based on a book by the same name, by John Ajvide Lindqvist. There is currently an American remake in production.

Let The Right One In is an excellent film. I attended with both my parents, neither of whom particularly enjoy Horror, and we all left with similar feelings of satisfaction. Let The Right One In combines just the right amount of gore and grisliness with what is, at heart, a love story. Oskar and Eli are, despite Eli's status as a vampire, just two isolated children who find solace in one another.

The treatment of Eli's character is really what makes the movie unique. She is not Anne Rice's Claudia, a spoiled and cunning woman in miniature, but a child. Her every movement is imbued with vulnerability, and the need to be accepted. When Oskar buys her some chocolates from a shop, she eats one, though she throws up moments later, because she so wants to be his friend. Eli is innocent, a word almost never used to describe a vampire. Her stomach rumbles with hunger before she goes out to feed, and she kills not out of blood lust but out of necessity.

This is not to say, however, that she is "good" or "tame." She does not feed on animals or from willing donors, but on any person she can. When Oskar is attacked by bullies, she responds with all the violence that comes with uncontrolled power. She is the perfect mix of monster and angel, making her awkwardly budding relationship with Oskar darkly endearing.

Overall: A+

The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula

The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula by Eric Nuzum, published in 2008 by St. Martin's Griffin. Available in paperback.

I really enjoyed this book.

It's really more of an anecdotal retelling of Nuzum's encounters interspersed with facts than a scholarly text, but this what, in the end, keeps this account appealing. Rather than composing a thorough and, in the end, lifeless account of the psychological motivations of the vampire-obsessed, or theories concerning how the vampire archetype originated, Nuzum focuses on what most audiences would most be interested in: stories about hanging out with crazy weirdos who think they're vampires.

However, this is also the weakness of the text. Though Nuzum sets out to discover the appeal of the vampire image and lifestyle, he has seemingly already made his appraisal: that these people are simply outcasts looking for empowerment, which they find through self-delusion. Nuzum fails to truly bond with any of his subjects, and keeps a cynical distance which is then imposed upon the reader. There is no growth over the course of the work. Nuzum gains no understanding, and many of his subjects are simply minor characters, passing in and out of the background.

However, this is not to say there is nothing to learn from the book. If one is interested in the history of Bram Stoker, this book provides quite a bit of information on his life and the conception of his most famous novel, along with the facts about his inspiration Vlad Tepes. However, I felt there were a few topics that were grievously overlooked. Anne Rice was barely mentioned, and though I harbor no particular love for her work, one must admit that she revitalized and forever altered the vampire mythology. Nuzum says he watched every episode of Buffy, in order, yet he never sets down his conclusions about the series. All in all, there were quite a few loose ends.

Research: A

Book Overall: B-