Let Me In
Let Me In
A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.
James Saenz reviewedJune 18, 2025
this is one of the few american remakes of a foreign film that isn’t laughably worse. the original swedish film is still vastly superior, but what’s here is still captivating. it borrows a lot from the original film’s screenplay while also incorporating more of the book’s horror elements; it has a darker tone and also seems like it wants to tackle satanic panic and broken families but never quite sticks the landing. there are some very tense moments, especially when thomas is out hunting for victims. it’s so obvious how much reeves’ approach to these car sequences inspired his portrayal of the riddler in the batman, like almost beat for beat; he reheated his own nachos for that film, but they’re even better there.
it’s incredibly moody and atmospheric, but its sacrifice of character development for horror can definitely be felt in the relationship between owen and abby. every moment of tenderness is undoubtedly moving, but they never reach the emotional peaks of oskar and eli’s relationship in the swedish version— the bedroom scene in both films is a prime example of this disparity.
i respect this adaptation, and i love the horror elements and reeves’ directorial approach, but i still prefer the original.