Let the Right One In
Magnet Releasing | Release Date: October 24, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
82
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
29
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Washington PostJohn Anderson
In the basest of terms, a horror flick. But it's also a spectacularly moving and elegant movie, and to dismiss it into genre-hood, to mentally stuff it into the horror pigeonhole, is to overlook a remarkable film. Read full review
100
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
This is one of the real finds of 2008. Read full review
100
EmpireKim Newman
At once a devastating, curiously uplifting inhuman drama and a superbly crafted genre exercise, Let The Right One In can stand toe-to-toe with Spirit Of The Beehive, Pan's Labyrinth or Orphee. See it. Read full review
91
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
It's one of the great horror films of recent years -- and a welcome antidote to the in-your-face sonic assaults that all too often pass for genre fare. Read full review
90
Film ThreatJeremy Knox
The best fairy tales always have so much darkness in them. That's why they resonate so deeply. This is a magnificent film. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Could be summarized as a vampire tween romance, but that cheap and tawdry sum-up does zero justice to the magnificent emotional resonance of this gemlike bloodstone of a film. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Stick your neck out for this Swedish horror show. It's a winner, full of mirth and malice, plus a young romance you'll never see on the Disney Channel. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The young actors are powerful in draining roles. We care for them more than they care for themselves. Alfredson's palette is so drained of warm colors that even fresh blood is black. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Funny, fear-inducing, with periods of voyeuristic gore and an undercurrent of anxiety and dread, Let the Right One In is up there with the bloodsucking classics. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The beauty of Let the Right One In resides in the way the horror remains grounded in a tragic kind of love. Read full review
88
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Most contemporary horror films derive shocks from mere torture. Let the Right One In locates most of its fright-power in the needs and confusions of people who are usually overlooked. Read full review
88
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
The most violent scene is dreamlike, and more direct killings are often seen at an angle or from a distance. The camera placement is thoughtful and effective, never titillating. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubMaria Schneider
It's a sweetly queasy film that suggests the spirit that sustains us, the demons we hide from the world, and the monsters that prey upon us in the dark might all be variations on the same beast. Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
It's a little long and dissipates some of its power in an unfocused subplot, but the skewed sensibility of the film is both innocent and feral and offers a smart and satisfying reworking to the familiar genre. An American remake is already in the works. Read full review
80
Village VoiceElena Oumano
A coolly balanced and utterly compelling examination of alienation and love. Read full review
80
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Let the Right One In unfolds with quiet, masterly assurance. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJustin Lowe
A moody adaptation of the Swedish best-seller about a fateful mortal-vampire romance, Let the Right One In is atypically literate and unexpectedly affecting suspense fare. Complex characters, ominous situations fraught with mortality and the recklessness of youthful ardor create a tense and subtly shaded narrative. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Alfredson makes the most of every detail, carefully crafting an atmosphere of haunting alienation. These two lost souls may come together under unusual circumstances, but their connection feels universally human. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
In this sinister but gorgeous and compelling film by director Tomas Alfredson, being human and acting human don't always go together. Read full review
80
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
There is a remarkable stillness to many of the film's most indelible images, particularly the exteriors, which are so carefully photographed, and without the usual tiresome camera jiggling, as to look almost frozen. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
An ingenious mixture of satire, dead-end suburban realism and gory vampire fantasy. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
It's a genuine genre vampire picture; and it's Swedish, winter-lit, Bergmanesque. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
A remarkably fine and genuinely frightening movie about a teenage vampire. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Despite having no previous film experience, Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson give evocative performances as Oskar and Eli, respectively. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Let the Right One In is a children's film, but you wouldn't want your child to see it. It's a horror film, but the gruesome splatter is the least of its scares. And it's a love story, but the prepubescent kind where sex is a distant idea and loneliness a shared reality. A wicked trick, a cinematic treat, this is some Halloween offering. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleReyhan Harmanci
Strikes a surprising array of notes: scary, sad and hopeful. The director, Tomas Alfredson, does a great job of presenting peril in the film. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Some will classify Let the Right One In as a horror movie, and I suppose that's technically accurate. To me, however, this is much more of a coming-of-age/friendship movie. Read full review
70
VarietyAlissa Simon
Calling to mind the work of Anne Rice and Stephen King, atmospheric adaptation of Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestseller is well directed by his countryman Tomas Alfredson ("Four Shades of Brown") and should click with cult and arthouse auds. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The Scandinavian moodiness of the first half gives way to a series of jolting set pieces in the second. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
If random arty blood thrills are your cup of fear, perhaps you'll enjoy Let the Right One In, a Swedish head-scratcher that has a few creepy images but very little holding them together. Read full review
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