FILM SPOT - Let Me In (2010)

Let Me In is that oddity in films; an American remake that is not only worthy of its predecessor, but comes dangerously close to actually surpassing it. For as brilliant as Let the Right One In is, it was never really a horror film. It was a slightly chilling and depressing love story (no bad thing, so don't kick my arse), but with a few exceptions, rarely wore its intentions on its sleeve. This obscureness was a great strength, but was at times a little frustrating. I am all in favour of subtlety over style, but I'm just saying it was nice to see what was implicit made a little more explicit, in all the right ways. Let's start off by saying the film is not garish, trashy or exploitative. The fact is that this is a better film than Cloverfield, it has far more character and is far more nuanced than his previous directorial effort, and perhaps this is finally his chance to make himself shine beyond the patronage of J.J Abrams.

Hugtime! Huge the creepy bleeding girl!

There's plenty of claret splashed liberally around at the right times, but for the most part this is a cold, stark and sorrowful retelling of the original story. It follows the story of Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee, a lonely and bullied boy who befriends Abby (a frightening Chloe Moretz), another lonely soul who it turns out is a vampire. At the same time, a number of people disappear in the local area, and are found dead - which Abby plays a strong role in of course. Perhaps the more interesting addition to this film is the duplicity of Abby's motives. You feel great sympathy for her, but her monstrous side makes her an uneasy screen presence. Clearly this film has less sympathy for Abby than Eli, the girl from the original. One particular scene stands out for me, when Abby is in the kitchen with her 'father', and he is preparing to go out and collect blood for her. She looks up at him and says almost blankly 'Are you going out?'. He looks at her, and responds world-wearily 'Do I have a choice?'. Then, he turns to the sink in his kitchen. Given that we have already seen her rage earlier in the film, you genuinely hold your breath as she puts her arms around him. What is she doing? Is she hugging him tenderly, or is she about to break his neck? Owen too is well performed by Smit-McPhee. The bullying subplot works because he is clearly abused and beaten down by them, but also because he shows almost no mercy in his retaliation, even when it is clear that the bully has an even more bullying brother who treats his brother pretty badly, Owen still takes a great deal of pleasure in his revenge. That's because Matt Reeves, who wrote and directed this film, understands that children can be innocents and monsters. The same goes for Abby; the fact that Matt Reeves handles her strange duality so well certainly answers some of those questions about this 'difficult second album' after Cloverfield.

She can complete a Rubik's cube. Of course she's a freak.

It is perhaps for these reasons that Let Me In works, in that it teases out certain plot strands from the original and just gently brings them more to the surface. Those who know my general hatred for garish up-front modern horror are probably slightly surprised to find how I'm enjoying its explicity. Indeed even positive reviewers have said that they felt the film was designed as more of a 'crowd-pleaser' and is less subtle than Let the Right One In. To be fair though, if Let the Right One In was any more subtle it'd be almost unwatchable. There is nothing wrong with a piece of cinema designed to be a horror film. Nothing at all. It is first and foremost, a horror story. It is also often a very frightening film, more so than Let the Right One In. The truth is that although this film is augmented with CGI and blood splatter, enough usually to make most film purists raise their banners and declare it to be an unholy abomination unto mankind, it is an excellent film. Effects are impressive and used sparingly. One particularly astonishing piece of practical work is a car crash, in which we stay in the car as the vehicle rolls down a hill, which is astonishingly striking in its ambition. While, yes, you can tell when Chloe Moretz becomeds a special effect so to speak, it is to chilling effect. One long shot which features a bit of wall-crawling particularly impresses in this regard. This girl, you realise, ain't human...and yet she is. Often the prospect of a remake actually improving in any way on the original is a concept unheard of, mainly because it doesn't really happen. I would however prepare yourself to be pleasantly surprised by this film.

The most awkward game of Whose Line Is It Anyway in history.

The main reason for its success is that it takes its subject matter seriously. Abby and Owen share a very believable and yet worrying relationship, the dynamic between the young actors utterly natural. It is a testament to Matt Reeves' very controlled direction that they are given room to breathe, that nobody has desperately tried to shake up the focus of the film - Matt Reeves clearly understands that this film is about Abby and Owen, not the policeman (Elias Koteas) or anybody else. Well, if you don't count the setting that is. The snow covered Los Alamos, New Mexico perhaps seems like an unlikely place for this story to take place but it's a visual treat. To avoid repeating myself, I can simply say that the film looks and feels good. It is not just well put together, though that it is, but it has been done with thought and creativity. It has flair and life, and is not just a precise retread of its source material like Gus Van Sant's Psycho. Let Me In is a worthy and imaginative horror film, and is far superior to almost every single horror sequel that has disgraced our screens this or last year.