Let the Right One In
Encyclopedia
Let the Right One In or Let Me In, is a 2004 vampire fiction
novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist
. The story centers on the relationship between a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, and a centuries-old vampire
child, Eli. It takes place in Blackeberg
, a working class suburb of Stockholm
, in the early 1980s. The book focuses on the darker side of humanity, dealing with issues such as existential anxiety, school bullying
, paedophilia and murder.
The book was a bestseller in the author's home country of Sweden and was translated into several languages, including English. A Swedish-language film, Let the Right One In, directed by Tomas Alfredson
, was released in 2008 to widespread critical acclaim. An English-language film adaptation (based on the original Swedish screenplay and novel), directed by Matt Reeves
, was released on October 1, 2010, titled Let Me In
, which was also well-received by critics.
and a boy who was castrated about 200 years earlier and turned into a vampire. Oskar and Eli develop a close relationship, and Eli helps Oskar fight back against his tormentors. Throughout the book their relationship gradually becomes closer, and they reveal more of themselves and in particular fragments of Eli's human life.
Håkan serves Eli, whom he loves, by procuring blood from the living, fighting against his conscience and choosing victims whom he can physically trap, but who are not too young. Eli gives him money for doing this, though Håkan makes it clear he would do it for nothing if Eli allowed them to be physically intimate. Eli keeps the money in several boxes, along with a variety of different puzzles. These, apart from a few items of clothing and food, are all that are within the apartment. After several failures to acquire enough blood for Eli, Håkan offers to go out one last time if they can spend the night together. With the caveat that he may only touch Eli, they agree, but it is stipulated that Håkan must get the blood first.
Håkan's attempt to get blood from the last victim fails. He intentionally disfigures himself with acid to avoid the police tracing Eli through him. When Eli finds Håkan in the hospital, he offers his own blood and is drunk dry while sitting on the window ledge, but a guard interrupts them and Eli fails to kill him. So that he will not end up becoming a vampire such as Eli, Håkan throws himself out of the window to the ground below. The fall kills him, but he is later resurrected as a vampire, though a mindless one that seeks only to find Eli. Håkan manages to trap and sexually assaults Eli in a basement, but Eli escapes, and Håkan is later beaten immobile and harmless.
Meanwhile, a man named Lacke suspects a child is responsible for the murder of his best friend, Jocke (whom Eli murdered for blood before snapping his neck). Later, he sees Eli as a small, shapeless creature who leaps from the trees at his sometime-girlfriend, Virginia. Eli attempts to drink her blood, but is interrupted by Lacke. Virginia succumbs to vampirism, but she does not realize her "infection" until she attempts to prolong her life by drinking her own blood, and finds that exposure to the sun causes boils on her skin. In the hospital, Virginia deliberately exposes herself to daylight and bursts into flames.
After Oskar fights back and injures his main tormentor, the boy's older brother hunts down and attempts to hurt Oskar as retaliation. Oskar further incurs their wrath when he sets fire to their desks, destroying a precious photo album of their father's. They then corner Oskar in the local swimming pool and attempt to drown him. However, Eli rescues Oskar and kills three of the other boys, and the two flee the city with the remaining money, puzzles and each other.
song "Let the Right One Slip In
", and the element of vampire folklore which says that vampires cannot enter a house unless invited.
The American version is called Let Me In because the publishers believed that the original title was too long. They first suggested the title be changed to Let Her In, but Lindqvist suggested Let Me In instead given that 'Her' was inaccurate. A paperback with the original title was later released to promote the film.
, and the main characters' names were changed to Owen and Abby.
Vampire fiction
Vampire literature covers the spectrum of literary work concerned principally with the subject of vampires. The literary vampire first appeared in 18th century poetry, before becoming one of the stock figures of gothic fiction with the publication of Polidori's The Vampyre , which was inspired by...
novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist
John Ajvide Lindqvist
John Ajvide Lindqvist is a Swedish writer, mostly of horror novels and short stories. Ajvide Lindqvist grew up in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg. His debut novel Let the Right One In a romantic, social realistic vampire horror story published in 2004, enjoyed great success in Sweden and abroad...
. The story centers on the relationship between a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, and a centuries-old vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
child, Eli. It takes place in Blackeberg
Blackeberg
Blackeberg is a suburb of Stockholm built in the 1950s, and is part of the Bromma borough. Blackeberg was originally a croft first mentioned in 1599. The croft was demolished in 1861 by Knut Ljunglöf, who built a house, a stable, a mill and a saw instead. The saw and mill are now both cultural...
, a working class suburb of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, in the early 1980s. The book focuses on the darker side of humanity, dealing with issues such as existential anxiety, school bullying
School bullying
School bullying is a type of bullying that occurs in connection with education, either inside or outside of school. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or emotional and is usually repeated over a period of time.In schools, bullying occurs in all areas...
, paedophilia and murder.
The book was a bestseller in the author's home country of Sweden and was translated into several languages, including English. A Swedish-language film, Let the Right One In, directed by Tomas Alfredson
Tomas Alfredson
Tomas Alfredson is a Swedish film director, best known internationally for directing the 2008 vampire film Let the Right One In...
, was released in 2008 to widespread critical acclaim. An English-language film adaptation (based on the original Swedish screenplay and novel), directed by Matt Reeves
Matt Reeves
Matthew George "Matt" Reeves is an American film writer, director and producer.-Early life:Reeves was born in Rockville Centre, New York, and raised in Los Angeles, California. He began making movies at eight years old, directing friends with a wind-up camera. Reeves met and became friends with J.J...
, was released on October 1, 2010, titled Let Me In
Let Me In (film)
Let Me In is a 2010 American romantic horror film directed by Matt Reeves and starring Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloë Grace Moretz. It is based on the 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In , directed by Tomas Alfredson, and the novel of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist...
, which was also well-received by critics.
Synopsis
Oskar is a 12-year-old boy who is being bullied at school. He lives with his mother, who is loving and with whom he initially seems to have a good connection. His father is an alcoholic who lives out in the countryside. Oskar seems intelligent, has morbid interests including crime and forensics and keeps a scrapbook filled with newspaper cuttings about murders. He befriends Eli, whom he thinks is a new girl who moved in next door. Eli lives with an older man Håkan, a former teacher who was fired and became a vagrant when he was discovered to be a paedophile. Eli is revealed to be a vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
and a boy who was castrated about 200 years earlier and turned into a vampire. Oskar and Eli develop a close relationship, and Eli helps Oskar fight back against his tormentors. Throughout the book their relationship gradually becomes closer, and they reveal more of themselves and in particular fragments of Eli's human life.
Håkan serves Eli, whom he loves, by procuring blood from the living, fighting against his conscience and choosing victims whom he can physically trap, but who are not too young. Eli gives him money for doing this, though Håkan makes it clear he would do it for nothing if Eli allowed them to be physically intimate. Eli keeps the money in several boxes, along with a variety of different puzzles. These, apart from a few items of clothing and food, are all that are within the apartment. After several failures to acquire enough blood for Eli, Håkan offers to go out one last time if they can spend the night together. With the caveat that he may only touch Eli, they agree, but it is stipulated that Håkan must get the blood first.
Håkan's attempt to get blood from the last victim fails. He intentionally disfigures himself with acid to avoid the police tracing Eli through him. When Eli finds Håkan in the hospital, he offers his own blood and is drunk dry while sitting on the window ledge, but a guard interrupts them and Eli fails to kill him. So that he will not end up becoming a vampire such as Eli, Håkan throws himself out of the window to the ground below. The fall kills him, but he is later resurrected as a vampire, though a mindless one that seeks only to find Eli. Håkan manages to trap and sexually assaults Eli in a basement, but Eli escapes, and Håkan is later beaten immobile and harmless.
Meanwhile, a man named Lacke suspects a child is responsible for the murder of his best friend, Jocke (whom Eli murdered for blood before snapping his neck). Later, he sees Eli as a small, shapeless creature who leaps from the trees at his sometime-girlfriend, Virginia. Eli attempts to drink her blood, but is interrupted by Lacke. Virginia succumbs to vampirism, but she does not realize her "infection" until she attempts to prolong her life by drinking her own blood, and finds that exposure to the sun causes boils on her skin. In the hospital, Virginia deliberately exposes herself to daylight and bursts into flames.
After Oskar fights back and injures his main tormentor, the boy's older brother hunts down and attempts to hurt Oskar as retaliation. Oskar further incurs their wrath when he sets fire to their desks, destroying a precious photo album of their father's. They then corner Oskar in the local swimming pool and attempt to drown him. However, Eli rescues Oskar and kills three of the other boys, and the two flee the city with the remaining money, puzzles and each other.
Characters
- Oskar, the male protagonist, a bullied twelve year-old
- Eli, a centuries old vampire
- Håkan, a pedophile who helps Eli by gathering blood
- Tommy, a rebellious teenager and a neighbour and friend of Oskar
- Lacke, a local alcoholic
- Virginia, a divorced woman who has a difficult relationship with Lacke
- Yvonne, Tommy's mother
- Staffan, a policeman and Yvonne's new boyfriend
- Conny, a bully in Oskar's class
- Jimmy, Conny's older, sadistic brother
- Morgan, Jocke, Larry and Gösta, Lacke's friends
Title
The title refers to the MorrisseyMorrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
song "Let the Right One Slip In
Tomorrow (Morrissey song)
"Tomorrow" is a single released by English singer Morrissey in September 1992. It reached number one on Billboard magazine's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart...
", and the element of vampire folklore which says that vampires cannot enter a house unless invited.
The American version is called Let Me In because the publishers believed that the original title was too long. They first suggested the title be changed to Let Her In, but Lindqvist suggested Let Me In instead given that 'Her' was inaccurate. A paperback with the original title was later released to promote the film.
Let the Right One In (2008)
In 2008, the Swedish film Let the Right One In was released, and it is based on the novel by the same name.Let Me In (2010)
An English language film based on both the Swedish film's screenplay and the novel Let the Right One In was released in October 2010. The film's setting was changed from Sweden to New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and the main characters' names were changed to Owen and Abby.