Recently, I saw a movie called “Let the Right One In.” I will not beat around the bush: “Let the Right One In” is a vampire movie.

Now, hold on just one second before you lose any respect for me. This is not a silly, hour-and-a-half long hair product commercial based on a series of supernatural Mormon parables. Nor is it a film meant to dazzle with special effects, or to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with horror, at least not in the conventional sense. “Let the Right One In” is a smart, emotional, romantic horror film that focuses on the relationship between a child and a vampire.

I would like to take some time right now to address the issue that we as a planet seem to have with the supernatural, particularly with the undead. One can hardly turn on the television without seeing shows or films about vampires, zombies, or whatever. The same can be said for books. Vampire media is currently being produced so indiscriminately that it has become their own genre. This is evidenced by the mere existence of “Vampires Suck,” a film which puts a “Scary Movie”-type spin on the vampire medium.

This whole issue did not really bother me until “Twilight” came around. Bookstores, theaters, basic and premium cable were suddenly flooded with imitators hoping to capitalize on the success of Stephenie Meyer and her accomplices in Hollywood. The main problem here was that with every new product’s release, the collective quality of work decreased. The whole vampire romance formula is now so shamelessly stale that it takes real innovation to stand out.

This is where “Let the Right One In” really shines. By placing the romantic emphasis on a human child and a vampire who appears to be a child, the film forces you to reevaluate that which we see as socially acceptable. One such example is the unnamed older man that Eli, the vampire lives with. Being immortal, Eli is perpetually stuck at the age of 12. Oskar, the protagonist, is 12 years old, but mortal. The apparent plot implication is that the older man was once like Oskar, and that he himself fell in love with Eli when he was 12. Logically, Oskar will end up just as the old man, used to procure blood for Eli, and eventually tossed aside. This eluded me until after I had seen the film, and when it hit me, it added a whole new level of bleakness to what seemed to be a sweet (if violent) film about two children.

Oh yeah, and it’s in Swedish. Matt Reeves, the underwhelming director of “Cloverfield,” recently remade the film in English, changing the title to “Let Me In.” I haven’t seen this one yet, but I’ve heard it’s not quite as excellent as the original.

“Let the Right One In” extends itself beyond the tropes of the genre to truly deliver on an emotional level.

Photo via www.allmoviephoto.com