By Eric Polk-
Here we go again. A vampire and an adolescent in love. For pete's sakes not a pre-teen version of Twilight!!!! The answer in this remake of the 2008 film Let The Right One In is, proudly,no.
Abby's "father", Thomas, occasionally goes out to kill local residents to acquire blood for the vampiric Abby. During his first murder, he accidentally spills the blood and returns home empty-handed; a furious Abby leaves, kills, and feeds on a jogger who lives in their neighborhood. One night, Thomas hides in the back of a high school student’s car in order to subdue him, but the student picks up a passenger, completely altering Thomas's plans. While the driver stops at a gas station, Thomas subdues the passenger and tries to flee. He crashes the car in a nearby ditch and becomes trapped inside. Thomas douses his face with acid so that his connection to Abby will not be discovered. He is taken to the hospital; when Abby learns of this, she climbs up outside his window to see him. Thomas leans forward to offer his throat to Abby, who drinks his blood. Thomas passes out and falls to his death. The detective gradually learns of Thomas's connection to Abby.
The next day, on a school outing to a frozen pond, Kenny threatens to push Owen into an ice hole. Owen defends himself with a metal pole, splitting Kenny's ear. A body is also discovered under the ice. Later, Owen takes Abby to an abandoned area of their apartment complex, where he cuts his finger to make a blood pact with her. Abby is drawn to the blood; thirsty, she licks it up and Owen sees her vampiric form for the first time. Not wanting to attack Owen, Abby flees and instead attacks Virginia,a woman in the complex park. Owen then confronts Abby at her apartment, where she admits that she is a vampire. Owen also discovers that Thomas was not her father, but a man she has known since he was a boy. Horrified, Owen immediately makes to leave. Abby tries to block his way, but eventually lets him go. Meanwhile at the hospital, Virginia transforms into a vampire, but when a nurse draws the curtains, the daylight causes her to burst into flames, killing them both.
During an evening gym class, Kenny, his older brother Jimmy and their friends start a fire outside to distract authorities and clear out the swimming pool. Jimmy tells Owen that if he can hold his breath underwater for 3 minutes, he will cut Owen's cheek; if Owen cannot, he will poke out one of Owen's eyes. As Owen is held underwater, chaos ensues as Abby slaughters the four bullies. Abby and Owen then make their escape.
This is a beautifully dark, atmospheric movie that keeps the vampire rules in check while creating a sweet,innocent love story that is real and not melodramatic. The gore is present but you don't see buckets of the red stuff sloshed across the screen either. And of course, I relate to the bullied boy and was quite happy when his tormentors met their fate.
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