308: Let the Right One In (2008)

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Who made this and should they be on a list somewhere?

SPEAKER_05 0:08

The book is more furvy, apparently.

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Yeah, we should keep tabs on these people.

SPEAKER_06 0:17

Greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hackerslash. If you're joining us again, welcome back. Thank you again for another evening steeped in merriment and friendship. If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack, a total joke, a waste of time, or a slash.

SPEAKER_02 0:37

Totally killer. Pun intended.

SPEAKER_06 0:39

We believe horror is for everyone, and as such, we're ranking these movies with the perspective we've gained from our varying walks of life and the flavors of fear we fancy most. My name is Chris, I'm your friendly neighborhood slasher enthusiast. This week I'm joined by the Superfly Space Guy Mac.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

Put your finger on it.

SPEAKER_06 0:54

The classic horror connoisseur Sean.

SPEAKER_02 0:57

All you need to do is poke your finger.

SPEAKER_06 0:59

Paranormal Paramour Binks. Are you like Poor? And the Scream Queen Paris.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Be me for a little while.

SPEAKER_06 1:07

This week we're breaking down a film that dives into the turbulent waters of childhood loneliness and the unexpected connections that can arise in the most unlikely of places. The film centers on a young boy, often invisible in the eyes of his peers, battling the daily trials of being marginalized and bullied. In this dark, cold environment, he encounters someone whose enigmatic presence and peculiar ways set the stage for a story that blurs the line between innocence and darkness. As their worlds intertwine, the film weaves a tale of companionship with undercurrents of revenge, leading to a climax that stays with you long after the credits roll. What's particularly remarkable about this film, though, is its enduring impact and reception. It has not only captivated audiences with its unique blend of genre elements, but also garnered critical acclaim for its innovative approach to storytelling and its visually striking cinematography. In fact, Roger Ebert has called this the best modern vampire movie. Will that level of acclaim translate to a universal slash? Time will tell. Because this week we're talking about Let the Right One In. Who's seen this one before?

SPEAKER_04 2:10

I actually have seen this one before, but it's been probably too long because I actually forgot a lot of the finer details.

SPEAKER_02 2:17

See, I know that I've seen this one before for sure. For some reason, I feel like I always think of the American remake. Maybe it's because that's the last version of this story that I watched. I'm not sure, but I know I've seen this one before. I just blur the two.

SPEAKER_08 2:32

I actually got this film on DVD when the American remake came out from a friend of mine. I guess they were just trying to make it clear that I should watch the original before going to see this remake. And I've re-watched this movie so many times ever since. It's a favorite for sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

I too have seen this film before. I just think that I remember the first time I watched it. I think I was like almost graduated high school or like freshman year of college, and I like randomly woke up in the middle of the night, the TV was still on, because I used to sleep with the TV on, and this movie had just started, and I was like, whoa, what's this? And it was like 2 a.m. and I was like still half asleep. So this movie like really hit me at a very specific time with its ambient vibes. And then I also saw the Chloe Grace Moretz remake when Chris told me we were reviewing this film. I said, which one? And she said, not the Chloe one. And I said, Okay, thank God. Sorry, Chloe. Love you so much, but you you did it to Carrie, you did it to this. Just stop. Yikes.

SPEAKER_06 3:30

Maybe I'm just the odd one out here because I have never seen this one before. I had heard about it in the general vibe of wow, what a great vampire movie this is. But I've never known anything really specific about the plot. Honestly, I didn't even know that it was about kids. I had no idea that there were children involved. The only thing I knew were vampires and then winter or just some kind of cold environment. So going into this, I was expecting it to be a bit of a more artistic, same kind of energy of like 30 days of night, which could not have been more wrong.

SPEAKER_04 4:08

There's parts of them that are similar, but going into a rewatch after several years, I expected cold, like 30 days of night, darkness, and a story that simmers, you know, it takes its time.

SPEAKER_02 4:18

I think that was the biggest thing that I was expecting going into the film, knowing it's a foreign horror film, and vaguely remembering bits and pieces of this story is just really expecting a really wordy slow burn.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Very that. Going into this rewatch, I was like 50-50, I'm gonna fall asleep based on everything I remember about this movie. And listeners, I'll let you guess which of those happened.

SPEAKER_08 4:42

I didn't have many expectations because I've seen this movie so many times. I think if anything, what I was looking forward to is the feelings that I know it always gives me. It's been a while since I've re-watched it, don't get me wrong, but I can always anticipate that I'm going to feel these particular emotions when I'm watching this. It's a lot of like hitting the ground running. We jump right into the thick of certain things, the feeling of suspicion, of revenge, of a little bit of protection, you know, and advocacy for some of the main characters. Love them a little bit, but then you're also like, mm-hmm again, just a smidge of fuck them kids. It's just all of these different things that come about, especially with the year that we've had in the movies that we've been reviewing. So that's my biggest expectation and the feelings that I had, right? It just a bit of the nostalgia overall.

SPEAKER_06 5:36

I'm here to call bullshit on the smidge of fuck them kids. This movie is completely fuck them kids.

SPEAKER_04 5:41

For sure.

SPEAKER_06 5:42

What kids? Which ones? Just kids, period.

SPEAKER_04 5:45

Ah, okay. Okay, yep.

SPEAKER_06 5:47

You know what I'm saying? Paris, it's interesting that you said that you could have expected to fall asleep during a rewatch of this movie. What this movie did for me was it felt like imagine a heart monitor, and you just have like these little plateaus, and then all of a sudden there's like a little boop, and something really exciting is happening. I found this movie had a lot of those peaks and valleys, and the valleys felt long. It felt like a good time, and I wasn't not invested, but it just felt like I was waiting a lot. The things that did happen were exciting, and I did enjoy a lot of the character work. I really did enjoy the performances in this movie, but there are also a lot of moments where I was like, all right, can we keep going?

SPEAKER_02 6:29

I think one of the most unique things about this film, and maybe it's playing off of what you're talking about, but it didn't really feel like I was like watching a horror film. It it felt like I was watching a horror novel, like I was watching the literature play out. It was a different vibe.

SPEAKER_06 6:46

100% it makes sense because the dynamic of like what this felt for me was not a horror movie. It felt like it had sprinklings of horror, and the sprinklings that it had fucking phenomenal. Don't get me wrong. But it a lot of it felt like a different genre. And I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but I am saying that's what made it feel longer than I think the movie actually is.

SPEAKER_08 7:09

I want to say something to Sean's point about it being like if you're watching a novel, this movie is based on a book. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's where the unique part about this story is instead of making it so much like the book, which is very into the like horror-leaning aspect and the vampiric aspect of everything, right? It leans more into the romance, which is why it may feel like you're not necessarily watching a full-blown horror because the intentions were to make it more of the connections between the two main characters, the romance really like leaning the polar opposite direction.

SPEAKER_07 7:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 7:48

So I can see where, like, maybe if you were anticipating a full-blown horror, the typical vampire movie that you get, you might find those peaks in deep valleys.

SPEAKER_06 7:59

But it's so interesting that you guys weren't so hooked, I guess. It's not to say that it wasn't engaging, it just felt long.

SPEAKER_02 8:08

Yeah, I just want to point out that I I didn't say anything bad.

SPEAKER_06 8:11

No, no.

SPEAKER_02 8:12

I didn't even say that it didn't feel like horror. I said it didn't really feel like I was watching a horror film. It felt like I was watching horror literature. It's a different vibe. And I know that there's a lot of movies out there that are adapted from novels, and they don't feel like this movie. I don't know how to describe it. The way this film plays out, it just feels like I'm reading the novel. There's like a stillness to the first act and maybe even into the second act where you feel like nothing is moving, it's very slow, and then the film begins to move, it slowly begins to change. It's done really well, and it's very cleverly done. So it's just a different feeling that I got watching this film than I have from other films derived from books. That's all. Would you say like different to like Dracula or like Bram Stoker's Dracula, like that kind of well, yeah, because nobody has actually gotten that fucking movie 100% accurate. You're right. Touche. So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:04

It's interesting, Chris. You mentioned that it was still engaging. I literally wrote in my notes that the characters, the performances, and just like the humanity of it all makes it so engaging. It's really just an effective drama. I think I I've commented in the past that I I like sci-fi movies where sci-fi is the setting. It's not this feature that you have to like spike in there. I think that's what they have going on here while you're watching this. This is just a really good drama. And it happens to be set in a horror universe. I think to the point where if there wasn't a vampire in this film, I would still be completely enthralled because of all that good character work.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

I think I have to agree with Sean here and really double down on the fact that watching this movie feels like I'm watching a book sit on a shelf and collect dust. And to everyone that was taking bets, I did in fact fall asleep this watch. And finished it again this morning. This movie is sleepy. It's a very sleepy, whispery type of movie that is long, and occasionally you get some moments of horror. But yeah, very much a slow, mumbly type of go.

SPEAKER_06 10:09

That's the sound of vindication.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 10:12

The peaks and valleys.

SPEAKER_06 10:13

That's all it is. And listen, it's not to say that it's a discredit to the movie, it's just a different type of experience. But let me tell you, that's not even what I was most surprised about. I was most surprised about how intense the fucking sound design is in this movie because there is so much slurping. I can't remember the last time that I felt like that word was accurate to describe a sound in a horror movie, even though it could fit. Like we've seen a lot of vampires this year. There's a lot of slurping, there's a lot of blood sucking. But there are moments where you hear what happens to people, and it like even without headphones, even with as bad as my ears are, I felt that shit.

SPEAKER_04 10:56

I love that you, of all people, are surprised by sound design because that means they did something there.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

That's true. I wasn't even thinking about sound design. I think what surprised me the most about this film was actually the storytelling, because as slow as everything was in the film, it was truly compelling.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

I think what surprised me this go-round is it's been a few years since I've last watched this story unfold. And I think now that I'm older, I relate to it differently. And in ways it curved me out a little. I was kind of like, it's a little pervy. Who made this? And should they be on a list somewhere?

SPEAKER_05 11:34

The book is more pervy, apparently.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Yeah, we should keep tabs on these people.

SPEAKER_06 11:40

I haven't read the book. This is the first time I'm watching any version of this intellectual property, but apparently this is far less pervy than the original source material.

SPEAKER_02 11:50

Vampires are pervy. I don't know what like you're surprised by this. But when they're kids, it gets weird. Children should not be vampires. That's a rule even in the vampire chronicles with Anne Rice. You just can't be making vampire children, it's just not safe. It's just common sense.

SPEAKER_06 12:07

I think the weirdness of that is actually why Bings, you mentioned how this movie plays more on the romance angle of it. I'm not saying I don't care about the kids. I'm not saying I don't care about the movie, but I am saying I don't give a fuck about childhood romance, okay? I don't care, I don't want it. Like, give me twilight for that bullshit. Like when you are of a little bit more developed mind. I don't want to fucking see kids having crushes on each other trying to go steady. I really don't want it.

SPEAKER_04 12:36

Dang. Sam. I think it's a good time to mention my disappointment because I've seen this, I remember big details, not tiny little details. And I'm gonna bring this up later, once again, during the spoiler section. But I gotta say that a big disappointment is having a 12-year-old shirtless on screen, like for literally half the movie. First of all, it's freezing outside, so why is that happening so much? Second of all, we don't need that. I'm sorry. It doesn't need to happen.

SPEAKER_08 13:01

Unless, like, is that how kids were in Sweden? Like it's hot.

SPEAKER_02 13:06

They put the heater on like more than half the year in Sweden. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_08 13:10

You gotta True.

SPEAKER_04 13:12

Okay, great. But like, do we need it in the film? Is all I'm saying.

SPEAKER_08 13:17

I don't know. Okay, I don't know. I'm not gonna defend either which way. I know that the director's intentions were not only to capture Sweden in 1982, but also just to capture Sweden and like how the Swedish people are in a Swedish film. So I'm just saying that could be how Swedish kids were in their homes, just like lollygagging around. Because I'll tell you one thing in the streets of Miami, there's plenty of young boys running around without shirts because it's hot as hell outside.

SPEAKER_06 13:49

So it's true. There is a moment where I think that escalates a little bit that I definitely was a little disappointed to see in this movie. But that's about it. I mean, mostly this movie was non-disappointing for me.

SPEAKER_04 14:02

I'll agree.

SPEAKER_08 14:03

If there was one thing to say in terms of disappointments for me, I ended up watching this film via my DVD, and I hadn't realized that I had it automatically set to dub.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Oh no.

SPEAKER_08 14:17

Which I'm like, fine, I'll watch it dubbed. It's been a long time since I've seen it dubbed. Okay. Wow. Don't do it.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

It's probably terrible.

SPEAKER_08 14:25

Oh, it is.

SPEAKER_02 14:26

Anything dubbed is terrible.

SPEAKER_08 14:28

Yeah, but no, but this is rough. And here's the thing though. So when this movie came out, there was a lot of backlash on the accuracy of the captions. And so they were saying that the captions are really poor and the dubbing was actually more accurate. I think it was like the studios refused to reprint or like recall those DVDs, so they redid the DVDs with more accurate captions. But I have like what the original DVD of like when it was imported here in America. So I'm like, well, this is what I got. I've watched it in captions. I've also seen the streaming, but I don't know, maybe I got a little too lazy on this latest rewatch and I just left it dubbed, and that was my mistake. So I'm telling all of you listeners, don't do it.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

Well, hopefully, streaming it now is the good captions.

SPEAKER_08 15:15

Way more accurate, I would imagine. Yeah, yeah. No, without a doubt, it's updated. I'm just saying, if if you just so happen to somehow have this on DVD, just read the captions. At this point, if it's not accurate, it's not accurate and figure it out, or just do it streaming like a normal person and don't be me.

SPEAKER_01 15:32

So then I guess my biggest disappointment would be that Binx watched this dubbed.

SPEAKER_08 15:36

It is a disappointment. It's quite massive.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

It's a real bummer, Binks. I I thought that story was gonna end with you starting it from the back and saying, Oh, actually, can't do the dub.

SPEAKER_08 15:45

No, I persevered through.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

But to hear that you followed through the entire film.

SPEAKER_08 15:49

No, I did. I did. I sure did. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

So fuck the original actors and everything that they intended.

SPEAKER_08 15:56

You're acting like I haven't seen this movie with the original actors.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Those performances. Don't listen to me.

SPEAKER_08 16:03

Fuck those particular kids.

SPEAKER_04 16:06

Chris, you mentioned earlier the novel. And there are some details from the novel that one, I'm glad are left out of the film, but other details, I think how they added them in would have added more tension and a lot more discomfort, especially some of the story points that were in there. And it's not to say that this film doesn't have tension, I just I don't find it a scary film.

SPEAKER_02 16:26

I think if you're looking for jump scares filled with tons of kills and cheap thrills, this is probably not your movie. However, if you're looking for a film that builds off of subtle dark horror undertones with some real substance that you can sink your teeth into, no pun intended, then this is probably your film because it's not the scariest thing you'll ever see. But I think there's this gothic horror, if like I don't know, horror-esque ambiance to the storytelling of it all that I think is really subtle, but I think if you are really immersing yourself in this film, it will peek through.

SPEAKER_08 17:08

I'd agree. I'd say that there's a lot of darkness to it, a lot of shadows, a lot of mystery. I go back to my earlier point, which is I don't think the intention was ever to be more of a scary vampire movie. It was way more to be a romance. It reminds me a little bit of more recently gothic films, maybe like Crimson Peak, a little bit, like that kind of element to it where it's more of like the romance of these main characters way more than anything else. And the ambiance is what's supposed to remind you that this is a horror film, aside from yes, okay, the vampire part two.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

Yeah, this movie is not scary, maybe vaguely unsettling, maybe tense at times, but you're not gonna be scared. It's not scary.

SPEAKER_06 17:56

I think the fact that this movie stars children and is from the perspective of kids makes it completely non-frightening to me. I think that that that's the one thing that really removes the tension here, right? I think usually you get a movie of this subgenre and you can expect some moments to be really tense, really creepy. I think it's the fact that it's so centered around these children that I have completely lost any potential to be scared of this movie. Sean, I can see what you're saying about like the gothic undertones in this movie, and I think that works for sure, but I think this is a really safe one to watch with someone who doesn't want to be scared by things, but can stand to be a little grossed out by things. I think that could be a good situation. I think the other thing to consider though is how different this feels from most other vampire movies. As I was watching this, and this is like the fucking curse of hindsight, right? I'm not in any way saying that this movie uh has anything to do with Twilight, but Twilight is very reminiscent of this movie, I think. This movie is Twilight with kids, but not for kids. And Twilight was published in 2005, but the original novel for this film was published in 2004. Right. Which, I mean, honestly, what a fucking time for vampires.

SPEAKER_02 19:18

It's super interesting. And I know we've mentioned this Twilight thing. It's basically the Swedish Twilight, if you ask me. I mean, basically, it's the more mature, darker version of Twilight. Tell me when I'm telling lies, but I I think that the way it tells its story, the way it's filmed with the cinematography of it all, to the way it explores or pulls like away from a lot of the more common tropes to what you were saying, Chris. Like in this specific type of horror, I think that's what makes it original, right? It doesn't go down these same like usual tropes of this specific type of horror. And I think that's what makes it original.

SPEAKER_06 19:57

Yeah, it's Twilight, except not Twilight, it's the life and death version of Twilight that Stephanie Meyer wrote.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

It's a very less sparkly twilight.

SPEAKER_08 20:06

I can't believe that we've infiltrated to this degree where like we've got Sean on our side to agree, like this is incredible work we've been doing. We're planting seeds, we're seeing them come to fruition. It's great. All I will say, look, there is a scene in particular that is almost line for line. Like if you're a Twilight stan, you can complete the words to that scene. And you're like, wait a minute, what movie am I watching right now? I can see the connection. There's another film that most recently came out called Bones and All, that I can also see that connection. There's a lot of films where, again, we're exploring the connections of youth and just discovering who they are, their self-identity, while also, you know, developing these friendships or relationships with one another. In these movies in particular, like Bones and All. I mean, I don't know so much Twilight per se, but kind of like isolated from everyone, you know, you don't even know where you belong, that type thing, which I guess, okay, right, fine. Now that I say that, maybe Twilight. Those elements, I think, really just when I see that in modern films, I always think of this particular movie. It's just a fine line there. So that could be why it's so prominent and why people always come back to this movie, especially one that's foreign. No one's really talking about that when it comes to the Chloe one. Sorry. I agree with you, Paris. Yikes.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

We love Chloe on this pod. Correct. You're right. Just not this specific thing. Also correct.

SPEAKER_04 21:32

There's definite bits and pieces that I think are gathered from vampire lore, vampire novels, and other movies, and they're just scattered here and there, but I think it's the combination of the story, the tone, the setting, and the characters that makes this experience absolutely unique. I have not watched the Twilight movies, so I cannot draw comparisons between the two of them, although their novels released close and their movies did come out the same year. But what I'm seeing here is different from. From what I know about other vampire movies.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

I also didn't get a ton of Twilight Vibes Mac, to be honest. And I'm a bit of a Twilight girly myself. I mean, obviously, I see like the really obvious stuff, but generally I felt like it felt pretty different from that. When I first saw this movie in a 2 a.m. stupor, I thought it was one of the most original things I'd ever seen. Re-watching it over the years, that sort of faded, just because I think I have more reference points for things that inspired this film. But I think it does do a very specific thing that isn't necessarily something everyone else is jumping at the chance to do. A childhood, quiet romance vampire, horror movie set in Sweden. It's the best of those, I'd say.

SPEAKER_06 22:43

I tell you what though, for all the things that it does differently, you could expect that based on what you see in this movie, I think my mind went a few different ways on how it could end. But I am actually really satisfied by the direction that they ended up taking. We've seen so much Dracula this year, we've seen so much Renfield action this year, we see when things end well for a vampire, when they don't end well for a vampire, and we've seen what can come of their companions. And so walking into a movie like this, where the movie is more about connection and companionship more than it is about the vampirism itself, I don't think they could have done it any better.

SPEAKER_04 23:25

Yeah, I mean I think it's very satisfying, but it's at the same time painfully question inducing because you're so invested in the characters that I don't know if it's that you don't want the story to end, but you're like, what could happen next? You know, what what could be in this world that we just spent two hours getting really invested into?

SPEAKER_02 23:44

Yeah, I think this ending really has a lot of substance. I think you may feel one way or another about it, but disliking it, I I really can't fathom that, to be honest with you. I think this ending was hauntingly whimsical. I think it had me thinking for a long time. I don't think it was painfully thinking about it, but I do think that I was pondering it for quite some time and just really enthralled in it all. I thought it was a a a really good ending.

SPEAKER_07 24:09

Yeah, it's it's super intentional.

SPEAKER_08 24:11

You can tell that it's you're supposed to be left wondering, okay, is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? Am I feeling happy or am I sad? Now you're second-guessing other characters, you're still processing how this all came to be. It's it's really good, and it's definitely one that I think has stayed with me throughout the years in terms of that kind of conclusion. I think what happens we see often in certain films, but you just don't expect it necessarily for this film, especially when it comes to like you were saying, Chris, these kind of vampire films and Draculas of it all always stay the same way. So you don't necessarily expect to apply this kind of ending to this film.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

I'm not gonna lie, while all of you were talking about your feelings about this ending, I was struggling to remember the ending. And I was even looking at my notes.

SPEAKER_08 25:02

Because you fell asleep.

SPEAKER_01 25:03

I finished it. I finished it today. And literally just hours ago, really. So how why have I forgotten it so quickly? Perhaps because it's forgettable. Perhaps because it's actually predictable that you were alluding to their banks, but you literally saying that we've seen this happen before reminded me of what happens at the end, and I was like, oh yeah, that.

SPEAKER_07 25:20

Because it yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:21

I did have a personal realization along the end of this film, and I wrote that in my notes in place of the ending. So the ending did at least that.

SPEAKER_06 25:32

You had a moment of reflection?

SPEAKER_01 25:34

I did. A discovery, perhaps.

SPEAKER_06 25:36

Alright, well, thoughts on the ending aside, let's see how all this is gonna end up shaking out in our ratings. Now, before we actually score this movie, Sean, how would you describe the gore score?

SPEAKER_02 25:45

Yeah, the gore in this movie I think was extremely tasteful. I think it gave you just enough. We get very little in the first half of the film, and as the film progresses, we get to see a little bit more and a little bit more until we get to the end where we get more than you were probably expecting, but still not an overdose, right? So I think overall the gore was great, but not enough to keep it out of this like medium, medium low territory.

SPEAKER_08 26:14

And what about the animal report? So no animals were harmed, but I do want to give a shout out to these cats because at one point these cats took one for the team and they potentially saved lives. I'm just saying.

SPEAKER_06 26:25

Well, let's go ahead and get into our ratings then. Let the right one in from 2008. Was it a hack or a slash?

SPEAKER_08 26:31

Obviously, this movie has a soft spot in my heart, and I am a sucker for the exploration of innocence, this darkness in humans, even at such a young age, and of course the romance, obviously. I think it's at its core a pretty simple film. And I thought it was well paced. I was engaged throughout the film, even after having seen it so many times. I think it's just a good story without getting too into the weeds about the vampire lore and how did this come to be and all this other stuff that we can get lost in the sauce for, and all these other vampire films that we often get. It's a sweet story, it's sometimes heartbreaking and unsettling for sure. And if you know me, I need to feel those range of emotions so that it can be memorable. And this one has been always memorable for me. So it's a slash.

SPEAKER_04 27:24

Yeah, let the right one in as a work of art. The cold, unforgiving setting mirrors the very nature of the film's monster, if you will, but monster isn't the right word because the depth of humanity we get from a vampire truly outshines several of the humans in the film. The pacing is slow and arduous, like walking miles in frozen snow, but the scenery along the way is totally worth it. The vampiric violence is fast and animalistic, but the human violence is chronic and torturous. The monster isn't the monster in this film, and I love it for that. The cinematography is phenomenal, the performances are grounded and real, and the story is dark and cold, yet also full of heart and humanity. Let the right one in is a total slash.

SPEAKER_01 28:05

I'll go next. I specifically hopped on this episode because I remember this film fondly. I was like, oh, let the right one in without Chloe Grace Moret. Sign me up. Classic. Love it. And like Max said, I do feel like in some ways this film is a work of art. I think though the first time I saw this, I was like 17. Now I am much further from childhood. I am older than 17 now, believe it or not. And the movie got weird for me. It was weird, it was a little pervy. It felt like the male gaze was being blasted at children, and I was like, stop, stop, Sweden. Why? Did some research based on a book that was also pervy. This movie is many things. It's above all else, I would say, an evanescence music video. So there's that. It's also a weirdly sub-trans narrative in a way that isn't really clear or doing or saying anything, but also just confusing. Almost needlessly so, I would say. I either like go there or don't, but this weird whatever we got was meh for me. I think visually, a lot to talk about here. Beautiful to watch, but ultimately very sleepy. Very long, very Swedish. And I'll say it still gets a slash, but just by the skin of its little fanged teeth.

SPEAKER_02 29:28

I'm gonna start by saying I haven't read the book, but I would say that just by watching this film, it could easily be up there with Bram Stoker's Dracula or Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. I think just by watching this film and how it's played out, I think I can put it right there. This film for me is thought-provoking, it's compelling, it's intriguing. I think there is a lot here to enjoy. And it's a slow burn, but I feel like it's worth it. So my advice is settle in, grab some tea, hot cocoa, a nice glass of scotch or wine, whatever you fancy, and get ready to watch a great piece of cinema, if you ask me. This is arguably one of the better vampire movies out there, something that doesn't follow all the usual tropes and goes against the grain a bit, but delivers on well, it's delivery, I suppose. And just like all of the great horror tales out there, I think this film succeeds through suggestion and playing on the imagination, and for that it has to be a slash for me.

SPEAKER_06 30:27

Yeah, this movie is a really interesting mix. I mentioned earlier that it has long valleys followed by really high peaks and then more long valleys. And I could do without a lot of things in this movie, don't get me wrong, but that's not to say that those things don't have their own merit. This is objectively just a good movie without the horror elements. I just want to throw this out there, it'd be at best a respectable drama. And it it's one that kind of reminds me of movies that one of my ex-girlfriends used to make me watch, which is like a slow burn period piece. This is one that I think aesthetically, looking at the quality of its execution, its cinematography, looking at the quality of its performances, this would have been one of those slow burn drama period pieces that I would watch once and respect, but not actually feel myself enjoying. But this does have some great fucking horror elements in it. And those peaks that I mentioned earlier, they're peaking really, really high. And it does enough to make that slow burn worthwhile. So it's a slash. And with that, let the right one in from 2008, Headsner Universal Slash. Now you can find this movie streaming online. Go ahead and check the link in our show notes to see where you can find it right now. Then join us in the second half so we can let that one in together, huh? We'll see you in a bit.

SPEAKER_03 32:20

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SPEAKER_06 33:36

Welcome back, folks. You're now entering the spoiler zone for Let the Right One In from 2008, which has earned a Universal Slash. Now we have a lot to unpack here, but before we get into the specifics of our ratings, let's go through those kills.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

Alright, well, although the progression of this film is slow, it certainly doesn't hesitate to start giving you some kills. We have a total of eight kills in this movie, and while it may not be the highest of kill counts, they are certainly worth talking about. So let's bite into them. What were your favorite kills?

SPEAKER_06 34:07

I just want to get this out of the way. My absolute favorite kill was the long suffering of Virginia who gets mauled by cats, pulls a hereditary in a set of blaze. Fucking amazing.

SPEAKER_02 34:18

That was intense. That was a lot.

SPEAKER_08 34:21

I'm telling you, those cats took one for the team. They knew something was fucked up, and they were like, let's get this girl before she goes and annihilates everybody and becomes some crazy ass vampire.

SPEAKER_01 34:32

I just feel bad for her. That was a rough 24 hours for that person. Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_06 34:38

She suffered a lot. And it was honestly a miserable experience for her. But the spontaneous combustion, as soon as he opens and pulls back the curtains, uh, it was just so sudden, so jarring, but also perfectly makes sense. It just felt good while also feeling so bad.

SPEAKER_01 34:58

Yeah, she really said, take me out. If this is what this is, get me out of here.

SPEAKER_06 35:04

It was giving heartbreak feels good in a place like this.

SPEAKER_04 35:07

I'm gonna jump back a little bit and I'm gonna mention Locke's kill because it was so violent and rageful, it was legit like a wild animal being backed into a corner. And I I loved it. It was just really fast-paced. We've got, I mean, literally like a locked room. So imagine trapping a wild animal in a room and then thinking you're gonna come out on top. Like that puma is gonna take you out. And that's exactly what happens here. It's just like quick, painful, and done.

SPEAKER_02 35:34

Yeah. Obviously, he wasn't expecting anything because he was in there and we knew it wasn't gonna go good. We knew that.

SPEAKER_04 35:41

He thought he was gonna get revenge. He thought a little pocket knife was gonna do the job.

SPEAKER_02 35:45

Yeah, he was also a drunk, I feel like.

SPEAKER_04 35:47

He definitely was.

SPEAKER_08 35:49

A drunk and dealing with a little child at the very least, that figured, okay, take him out. But well, he fucked around and found out, that's for sure. I do appreciate that it's in all of these kills, right? In particular, that one though, you don't necessarily see it head on, you just hear it and you just see the commotion, and just you're the whole movie is really from Oscar's perspective. But that in particular, just watching his reaction to everything, and then you just got the neighbor above, like, what the hell's going on down there? Shut the fuck up. Typical apartment problems. Little do they know.

SPEAKER_02 36:21

The bloody hand for me.

SPEAKER_08 36:22

Also, that not fun. My favorite kill though is going to be, I guess, quote unquote papa. You know, I say that because that's not really your dad.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

That's not. Oh, we know that.

SPEAKER_08 36:35

We know that, and we can get into that later. But you presume at the very beginning, maybe perhaps that would be their father, right? When he's doing all of these things, killing these people, whatever, and he just gets a little lazy at that point in that room, you're right, like he doesn't even try to shut this guy up, or like this kid up, doesn't even try to still scramble everything. He just sits there as the kid is waking up and just says, Well, I guess I'm gonna burn my face off so to protect my kid. All that happens, which by the way, you only burned half of your face, so I'm pretty sure they could still identify you off the other half, but whatever. Yeah, I've I mean, it reminded me of like Two Faced from like Batman, and I was like, eh, I can still tell who the fuck you are.

SPEAKER_01 37:23

Still know who you are. Very Harvey Dent.

SPEAKER_08 37:26

Very Harvey Dent, right. So I'm like, did he really have to like full on get over the ledge of the window?

SPEAKER_06 37:33

Buddy, you really just Listen, that was a man who looked at that kid waking up, felt the pressure of his friends closing in on him, and thought, I could have been retired by now. I could have just been reading the paper, sitting in my lazy boy, enjoying life. And then he thought, you know what? I'm fucking done with this existence.

SPEAKER_08 37:52

Except for the fact that he was giving very much servant to this 12-year-old. And that's Oh, it's a familiar, a familiar, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:01

Familiar, yeah. It feels like he was groomed by Ellie from Oscar's age to be the supplier of the food. That's the whole thing.

SPEAKER_08 38:12

That's the interpretation of that ending, right? It's like, well, there we go. Oscar's gonna grow up, burn half of his face with acid, hunch over a window ledge, and then just the cycle continues. Out with the old, in with the new, and in with the new, and she's just gonna be like, hop skip on over, and you're done.

SPEAKER_04 38:32

Ellie's with that new new. It gets worse though, because the little bit I've read in the novel, he meets Ellie as an adult, as a pedophile, and is in love with Illy.

SPEAKER_01 38:43

Okay, wait, Mac, I'm so glad you said that because I remembered, I literally wrote in my notes, I was like, why do I remember the old man being a pedophile when at no point in this movie does that happen? Maybe a version that I watched previously had slightly different subtitles or whatever, but that man was a pervert, as well as a murderer, of course, but a pervert first and foremost, radiated from his pores. Favorite kills, though, loved the guy that got killed under the tunnel, that random dude. Okay, yeah. That shot was so beautiful. One thing that this movie does really well is really wide static shots where almost nothing in the frame is moving. You just see the silhouette of this random, poor, innocent man, or whoever, probably not innocent, and then you see like the tiny little Ellie in the corner and those two shadows just battling it out. Not much of a battle, to be quite honest, because he did go down pretty easily. But just like seeing that from one still camera shot from start to finish was just like, ugh, I love when they do that.

SPEAKER_08 39:46

And that she just was not subtle whatsoever. And what do you expect? Granted, this is a 12-year-old that's really going on like 200 at this point, but still, you don't want to see an assassin vampire either coming out of a 12-year-old body. Ellie was like, I need my food right now and I'm gonna get it.

SPEAKER_06 40:07

Hangry. You're not you when you're hungry. Paris, I'm so glad you brought up that moment because honestly, the composition of these shots throughout the entire movie was absolutely the best part of looking at the whole damn thing. There's so much that we see in terms of a what one static shot can do, but then also B, looking at depth and composition, right? But even aside from that shot paris that you were referring to under the tunnel, we also have the bully massacre and how you see all these kids get wrecked without even seeing them get wrecked.

SPEAKER_02 40:44

Oh, it's so good.

SPEAKER_06 40:45

All we have is a hand holding down his head, and then all of a sudden, there's feet, all of a sudden there's a decapitated head, all of a sudden that arm that was holding him down is suddenly not there. But also, you mean tell me that Ellie came in there wrecking these kids, and that boy was still like, nah, but I'm gonna keep holding him down.

SPEAKER_02 41:05

I know that's actually that's a good point. The timing of everything.

SPEAKER_06 41:09

It's a little silly thing, but either way, it made for a gorgeous shot.

SPEAKER_02 41:14

It was great.

SPEAKER_08 41:15

I'll argue that technically we don't know how fast Ellie is. Technically. We don't know if they can run so quickly that all of that happened in moments.

SPEAKER_06 41:30

You better hold on tight, spider monkey.

SPEAKER_02 41:32

Yeah, but I think it's the timing of the body being like dragged around the length of the pool, the decapitation, and then the arm that was holding the head falling into the water. I mean, you could be right. Could have severed the arm, ran across the pool, decapitated the head all before the arm hit the water. It's possible, but we don't know. I see both sides.

SPEAKER_08 41:54

The timing of everything. I will say I watched the behind the scenes of how they filmed that particular shot, and it's of course, it's it is just like them timing the dropping of these prosthetics, and then the actress that plays Ellie has her hands on his shoulder, just waiting for the right time to be the hand that ends up pulling him up. It's really cute. She's just like watching all these like things dropping in the pool. Interesting. Yeah, it's a it was a good behind-the-scenes moment to watch.

SPEAKER_04 42:22

Chris, you mentioned composition, though, I believe, and that brings me to my favorite visual, which is one particular shot. And that is the shot of Hokan sitting in the shower room while the boys break in to free their tied up friend. The frame is split by the wall between the two rooms before switching to focus on him pouring acid on his face. It's just such a stellar shot that like it gives you this feeling of action on the right side as the kids break through the door, while simultaneously giving you a feeling of sinking as Hokan slides in like into the ground, just like accepting his fate, accepting his downfall. Yeah. It's beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 42:59

It was a good shot. Yeah, it was really beautiful. The thing that stands out to me visually, there's just multiple shots throughout the movie where they focus on Ellie's face, and Ellie's face changes randomly throughout the movie for a split second. Like Ellie's eyes get strange, right? Ellie's eyes get large, abnormal, and then it goes back. Ellie looks old, almost strangely old, and then goes back to being young. Like there's just these moments that you get of Ellie's face that you're just like, whoa, what's going on? It's super strange, and then back to normal. And I think that obviously intentional, but I think that was really well done and just enough to give you this really unsettling feeling when you feel a little bit comfortable with watching Ellie as a character.

SPEAKER_08 43:52

Yeah, I had the same thing written down too, because that was just unsettling and wild. And you don't necessarily see like these growth. Gray, large dilated eyes in a vampire, especially on a child. There's these quick moments, in particular, this one scene where she is licking the blood off the floor and she pulls her head up, and she's old for a second there. And I'm like, wait a minute, what just happened? It's so slight, so quick, always intentional, of course. But I love that they have it there because you just don't know, and it's constantly reminding you that yeah, she's not a girl, she's not even a child, she's a vampire or whatever, a creature, right? A monster, but not. I love it because there's one moment in particular, just get like a little more granular with it. There's another scene where she has the blood on her face and she's like hovering above him, and that's such a beautiful shot because there's a little bit of tenderness in that, despite also having all this blood. There's also a moment where she ranges from tenderness to like making like wanting him to squeal, right? And and then saying, That's the first thing that I heard you say. All this back and forth with just this blood on her face. Man, it's haunting a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 45:08

Yeah, absolutely. Had the same favorite visual element written down. It's the facework, it's the CGI, specifically in regards to the character of Ellie. I posted this in the chat just now, but I literally took a photo of the old version of Ellie on all fours after drinking that blood, like you were just saying, Binx, and then the young version in the next frame. Because when I saw it, I was like, wait, what? And I rewound it and I was like, wait, let me take a picture of the before and after because am I losing my mind?

SPEAKER_02 45:36

Right. At first, you're like second guessing yourself.

SPEAKER_01 45:39

Yeah, because they they do these visual effects with like such a delicate hand as opposed to like really overdoing it, and then you're left with a result that's really got you tripping, and like I think that's super effective in this way. It was also really interesting because I remember very specifically, it was the bad romance video by Lady Gaga where she utilizes like the bug-eyed filter effect, and that was really the first time that sort of filter had been seen in pop culture, to my knowledge. But clearly it was utilized in this film first, same exact thing. And then obviously it turned into the Snapchat filters and TikTok filters that we all know today. But I think that type of technology was really utilized well in here to create some stunning visuals.

SPEAKER_04 46:21

Because I think you mentioned in your favorite visuals, Oscar talking about whacking Connie in the head with the big stick, right? And that I think is my favorite scene. There's just so much to it that is wonderful. So, one, he's deciding to stand up for himself and hit Connie in the head with a big stick. First of all, he could kill him, so be really careful. But this whole scene is masterful. So we've got that action unfolding side by side with the little kids finding Yoka's body. Connie collapses in immediate pain and shock, of course, and his screams are then silenced by soundtrack, as Mr. Avila is shown realizing that the the young boys have discovered a corpse. The scene being like split in two and playing out with two horrors at once, I just pure artistry. Loved it.

SPEAKER_08 47:06

And all of the adults not giving a single fuck, really, is the beauty of it too. They're just like standing there. Or rather, one is like patting the ear, that's fucked up, obviously. The other's just like staring at a body. What are these adults doing? Get it together.

SPEAKER_01 47:22

But also, like, wasn't it funny that scene where he got smacked in the head? It felt like a Wes Anderson like flop comedy like stunt. The way it felt like he barely tapped him and then he collapses to the ground. I was like, okay, Connie, settle down. I thought that moment was like a little silly.

SPEAKER_06 47:38

You know what, Paris? You mentioned the comedy in that moment, and Mac, you mentioned the artistry of that moment. Let's talk about the artistry of the subtle humor weaved throughout this entire fucking movie. But first and foremost, in what was I thought, I think my favorite scene, and it's the first time we get to see our pervy familiar doing the dirty work. And by that I mean tapping this man for blood and collecting everything, right? We see him assembling this kit in the apartment, but then when he encounters this stranger out in the woods, he then just fucking strings him up, lets the blood flow, and then we have the real MVP of the entire movie. We have that beautiful dog Ricky sitting there, not doing shit, just not being where he needed to be. And we have Ricky's owners shouting for him. And this man is out here like a little bit of Abbott and Costello, feels like he's just trying to gather his tools real quick and runs off, leaves everything actually important behind. For some reason, that that moment in that movie had me fucking dying laughing.

SPEAKER_01 48:48

It's really bold to just figure out a place to do the bleeding out. You know what I mean? To not take them back to a location where you have all the things set up, but to sort of improvise a situation to collect the blood. Because he did it out there in the woods and he did it in the locker room. I'm like, this feels loose, and I feel like you've done this for some years now. Like, I want a tighter, I expect a tighter setup.

SPEAKER_06 49:10

Well, he's just getting too cocky, he's getting too comfortable. He has done this for too long. Or just tire. He is exasperated.

SPEAKER_02 49:18

He just messed up a lot. Like Fuck it, we'll do it here. Or couldn't catch a break, like with the dog and then getting caught in the whatever locker room or whatever the hell it was.

SPEAKER_06 49:27

Like, but then moments later, he's sitting on this public transit and he has a bloody poncho casually sitting next to him before he thinks, Oh, maybe I should tuck this away. And his subconscious he wanted to be caught.

SPEAKER_01 49:41

He wanted to get caught. Yeah, he probably did. They always do.

SPEAKER_04 49:44

He's desperate. He is severely trying to please Ellie. And I mean, that's there's a danger at home that if you mess up, you could be next, right? Or at least not in good graces. And so, like, these moves are all out of desperation and they're haphazard, and obviously he's gonna get caught eventually. Sure. Like he he's gotta know that if he keeps messing up like that. That's true.

SPEAKER_08 50:08

But that's the thing, like, there's no real sense of danger to him, though, if at the end of the day he was more than willing to just sacrifice himself, right? I I think it's definitely more the lines of the danger is not him being next, it's Ellie's disapproval.

SPEAKER_01 50:23

Yeah, Ellie was really mean to him.

SPEAKER_08 50:25

Yeah, Ellie could give three fucks about this guy, which we love it.

SPEAKER_01 50:30

Go off. But bully your local pedophiles.

SPEAKER_07 50:34

For sure.

SPEAKER_02 50:35

My favorite scene in this movie is where Ellie is trying to come over to Oscar's house, and there's that whole dialogue about being invited in. I think that was a great sequence of events, and Oscar kind of taunting Ellie of what would happen if I didn't let you in. And I thought it was cute in a way, and then Ellie just walks in and you're like, Oh, okay, so what's gonna happen here? And then you start to see all this blood like coming out of every orifice you can think of on Ellie's body, and it was really intense, and you're like, What the fuck? It was an interesting scene, but I really liked it.

SPEAKER_06 51:15

It was a really interesting scene because it asks the question that I should have been asking this whole fucking time what happens if they just get in that bitch, you know what I mean? It's not just courtesy, it's just not pleasantries and a good etiquette. Literally, you will fucking bleed out. That is wild.

SPEAKER_02 51:33

But I love that it's not like this I can't step into the house. Like I physically can't get in there. There's this invisible bullshit barrier. And it's you can go wherever the fuck you want, but you're gonna pay the price if you do.

SPEAKER_06 51:48

I love it because it is the ultimate symbol of consent.

SPEAKER_01 51:52

And ironically, all of the blood seeping out of Ellie kind of gave Chloe, Grace, Moretz, and Carrie. Think about that. Okay, okay. Okay, but my favorite scene, it's the pool scene. I'm not gonna pretend it's not. Everyone here is pretending it's not their favorite scene because they want to come up with something else to talk about, which is fair and valid, but I'm gonna say it, it's my favorite scene. But also for a really stupid reason. Because whenever in a movie a character has to hold their breath, I too hold my breath and see if I can do it as long as the character, because then hypothetically I would survive this circumstance, despite, you know, movie editing and all of that. It's a game I like to play. And believe it or not, this scene, you had to hold your breath if you wanted to do this. If you're playing along at home for a minute and 30 seconds, I did it. It was a long time, but it also made me appreciate the scene that much more because from Oscar's perspective, you're not breathing. You're just actually you're not even seeing what's happening. You're probably just vaguely hearing some splish splash and no idea. You're just holding on to your breath for dear life. And I too felt that pressure and tension in a way that I really enjoyed.

SPEAKER_04 53:06

So I'm upset by the fact that we make it through this entire film and we understand why Connie is a bully, because Connie is being bullied at home and at school, apparently. But Connie pays the price for it. There's no like breaking the chain, learning, starting over, getting rid of that in the family. It's like, no, you're gonna die too.

SPEAKER_02 53:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 53:26

Like you you messed up, and it's a little bit upsetting because I think for as character-driven as this movie is, we just leave that sitting there. We don't even touch it. It's not like he's gonna learn to accept and to understand and to not bully or anything like that. It's just like a wrong place, wrong time, dude. You shouldn't have been messing around.

SPEAKER_02 53:42

You pay the price. Isn't that every bully though? Every bully is pretty much probably the result of some bullshit that's happened to them.

SPEAKER_01 53:51

That's why I'm a bully. Because I was bullied. But also, Mac, are we asking for like a Connie redemption arc? Is that what you're getting at? You would have liked to see like some growth from Connie.

SPEAKER_04 54:00

I would have liked for Connie to realize his mistakes and to realize what change is necessary. I don't need to see the change. Okay. I just need Connie to sit back and perhaps watch the older brother get taken out and then realize, like, oh crap.

SPEAKER_01 54:16

And then he gets killed. Uh, like a slower, more painful death. Could have been more agonizing. I get it. I'm with you.

SPEAKER_08 54:23

That's a thousand percent.

SPEAKER_06 54:26

Connie may have had this potential for a redemption arc, but I really didn't give a fuck about Connie. I did find some intrigue in the person who wielded what I found to be the wiggiest wig of the year, which is Andreas. The one who just kept crying, the one friend who got spared, the one friend who was wearing the brown jacket and was very uncomfortable when smacking Oscar with a stick or what have you. And honestly, Andreas looked like a lesbian. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 54:58

Do you think that was a wig?

SPEAKER_06 54:59

I'm just saying the hair looked like a wig.

SPEAKER_01 55:02

Kringle, I can't say I noticed that as being a wig. I do believe you. I think if I can find a picture of this really niche character from a very obscure foreign film, I might agree. But Oscar's wig was worth bullying. I'm like, that is not a good haircut for somebody who's already being bullied. Spare the child. This is abuse on the parents' part at this point. Because what the hell was that? And I feel like that character Andreas had the same similar, like blonde, fra frazzled mob. Is that right?

SPEAKER_04 55:34

It was interesting that they did show the followers of the bully like reacting differently. Like, no, I don't want to like whip his face with the switch. Where did they even get that whip? I don't even, you know, they're bullies. They found it in the bully shop. But like I feel like in most movies they would just show them as being like, Yeah, let's do this, it's fun. And it was interesting that they showed them like not really being into it and like them f being bullied into being bullies.

SPEAKER_02 55:59

Yeah, they were being forced to do it. It was a strange scene, all of that.

SPEAKER_08 56:04

We brought up skirted around, somewhat alluded to a particular scene in this film where we have Oscar and Ellie I want to say canoodling. I don't know if that's the right word. But before we get into the thick of that scene, I just want to bring up the dialogue really quick. Because the fact that we've got two 12-year-olds going back and forth about whether they should put a label on things. We've got Oscar trying to lock it down, trying to say, like, can we go steady? And then Ellie comes back with the why do we need labels? Why can't we just do things the way that we are? I almost got goosebumps because I was like, oh, so this is 2008, and this is happening between two 12-year-olds, and yet somehow this is my life currently, and everybody else that's single right now, and I just want to scream.

SPEAKER_02 56:58

But are you Oscar or Ellie?

SPEAKER_08 57:00

No, I'm unfortunately Oscar, but I just feel like You're Oscar asking to go steady. Yeah, but I feel like all these guys are Ellie, and then we just got the rules reversed here. And I just Honestly, it's it's the situation ship for me. It's the situation ship. It's the situation ship that he's locked in now, and buddy, you're in there forever. There's no getting out of that situation ship. That's it. Good luck.

SPEAKER_06 57:26

He got friend zoned with an immortal.

SPEAKER_02 57:29

Okay, but you brought this up though. So what about Ellie and Oscar together? What do you think about those two characters? We talked about the scene in the bed, cool. But what do you think about their chemistry together? Do they work well? Do they not?

SPEAKER_06 57:41

Listen, I don't think they actually work well.

SPEAKER_01 57:44

At all.

SPEAKER_06 57:45

Exactly. Ellie is immortal. I think Ellie is seeing someone that you know that there's an interest in, but like from a more objective, I'm fascinated by someone maybe who is not scared of me. But I don't see anything romantic there. And honestly, I just want to throw back to the first time Ellie sounded like Edward Cullen for me, just so you know I can't be your friend. I was immediately thrown back to that field trip, and they're in the greenhouse, and Edward says he can't be friends. And honestly, it's just that kind of like tension back and forth. Uh, I I think worked better than them actually being together in this movie. The awkward hug? It was terrible. I fucking hated it.

SPEAKER_01 58:32

The bloody kisses? No. I literally wrote down in my notes, I just don't think I care for children's stories. Like two kids falling in love, save it. This means nothing. Chris, you're right, they had no chemistry whatsoever, but I feel like that was the point. It was like, hey, we're both awkward people that couldn't relate to a paper bag. Maybe we do this together. Sure, whatever. Thank you. Wasn't a huge fan of that element whatsoever. I could have completely done without the romance aspect. And also, can we talk about why was it a vaguely trans narrative? Why was this a castrated young boy who looked like a girl and then got a boyfriend who didn't care that they weren't necessarily a girl? What was that? We do get that shot. Yeah, you you fully see the scars from a story we're not gonna tell, which I maybe I prefer it that way. But also at one point, and this is probably just me projecting, I think, but Ellie is fully wearing a sweater that is a chunky knit and it is a blue, pink, and white stripe pattern. And I'm like, trans flag. I literally Googled when the trans flag was created. It was about 10 years before this movie came out. Don't think it was a coincidence, but also why? What are we doing and why? To what end? You know what I mean? Doesn't feel like representation. Feels just kind of It feels like spectacle. Ooh, spectacle. That's a perfect word.

SPEAKER_06 59:56

Spectacle.

SPEAKER_01 59:57

It does remind me of when we reviewed Sleepaway Camp, though. A little bit, yeah, because if you try to force someone to be trans, they will lose their mind. It's not healthy for anyone.

SPEAKER_08 1:00:07

I don't necessarily know how to feel about the two of them, of whether I prefer their ambiguity of their romance or not. I think, yeah, certainly when it gets to a point where they're talking about putting labels on things and then the kissing and all that, it's like, okay, well, this might be a little too much because now this is stuff that I'm expecting out of maybe a 16-year-old, like something to that effect. And my own gripe with that conversation sounding very similar to my day-to-day, not me personally, but like my friends that are in the dating world right now, right? I will say though, I do enjoy just child stories and even then those like cute little romances, those buddy romances. Clearly, I watched Brigitte Terra the Bithia too much as a kid, and that's just my thing, and all this other Disney films and decom movies that were just all about that stuff, so guilty, whatever. But I guess I noticed a little bit of chemistry, but just I can agree that maybe it should have stayed there because then when it got a little too serious, it became very adult, and that's where it's like, oh soured.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:17

Yeah, I think it really should have stayed at companionship. I I think each of them was going at solo, lone wolf style, didn't really feel a connection to anyone. And I think when they met a companion, that was the perfect place for the two of them to be, was like new best buds.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:34

100%. It's this reality that you can meet someone who you have a kind of connection with, and it does not have to fucking be romantic. Your soulmate can just be a friend, and that's okay. Listen, you can't have this movie making these kids feel as adult as they do when they start talking about the relationship situation of this bullshit, and then on the other hand, have what I think is actually the worst part of the movie: Oscar with a perpetually snotty fucking nose.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:06

Ew, a lot.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:08

Literally a child with a snotty fucking nose. This kid is still it's so gross.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:15

He was so awkward.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:17

I can't be bothered. I can't be bothered to look at it again. I have my thoughts on this movie. It is a really, really good movie, but that's a juxtaposition that no one fucking needed.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:27

Probably from going shirtless.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:29

Oh, yeah. It probably has a fever, a cold.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:32

Obviously, worst part easily could be the weird, creepy vibes of this movie in that regard that we've been talking about. But I also think some of the CGI in this film is absolutely terrible. The cat scene comes to mind where we just have a dozen CGI cats climbing all over a woman. And I said, sure, but definitely not well done. And then there's another sequence where I'm like, you know, when like a new technology comes out and they come out with just like stock demos of it? It felt like CGI had just come out with some new 3D models, and that's how we got the scene where there's like a little puzzle egg in Ellie's home, and then Oscar pokes it and it collapses into the puzzle pieces. That felt like the most generic stock 3D rendering I would have ever found on like a free sourced website, and that easily could be cut out and save us at least 60 seconds. True. Go back and watch that scene. It's very stupid looking and very fake. It didn't need to happen.

SPEAKER_08 1:03:36

It's probably how this went down was probably that that studio was like, Yeah, we'll sponsor $1,000 or $2,000 if you go ahead and just do this one part for us. That's what that was giving.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:48

That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_08 1:03:49

I a hundred percent have CGI as the worst part, also, because yes, that and the it was the cats. Look, I gave them credit, but man oh man, they were very CGI. And look, I get it, it's 2008, whatever. And sure, it could be argued that we've had maybe even worse CGI in 2023. So that's fine, but boy, it's still pretty rough to look at. Still pretty rough.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:15

It just stood out too much. Yeah, I I I think the CGI with the cats, very poor. It was 2008. Jurassic Park came out what year? So I think you can do better, okay? Also, you don't even need CGI. A single cat, you train it to do the hissing thing, you you get a good shot of it. That's all you need for that to be effective is a single cat hissing and and being scared. But I think I'm gonna go back to something you just mentioned, Paris, and that is the pubic shot that we got, and was completely unnecessary. I think the absolute worst part of this movie.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:49

I don't know. I think the worst part of this movie for me is the fact that we get this clash poster in Oscar's room or wherever, and we don't even get a single fucking clash song in the whole movie.

unknown 1:04:59

What?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:00

Terrible. Absolutely terrible. The rights are expensive, absolutely terrible. That being said, though, the soundtrack, I think, and the score was pretty good. I'm not gonna hate on that. I thought the sound of Ellie biting into human flesh they used from just biting into sausage. I thought that was cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:17

I wish I didn't know that. Sean.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:19

Well, now you know. Now you know what biting into sausage sounds like.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:23

I hate that. Listen, the sound was intense. It was intense for one watch alone. I was a bit curious when you talked about the score of the movie. And man, I I can't remember it. Maybe I should give it another go. But you saying that now, that it's just a human mouth biting into sausage, and that is what the sound of Ellie biting into human flesh is. I think I'm just I'm good. I'm good. This is a good movie. I am so thrilled that I watched it. I will not be revisiting this for a very long time, mainly until I can forget that fucking fact.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:59

Well, I I I I could rewatch this, not super soon, but I do look forward to whenever I get around to it because I do think it is a wonderful film. It's it's got its pitfalls, but I think overall it's it's really a piece of art.

SPEAKER_08 1:06:12

I've watched this movie multiple times, so I clearly will not stop anytime soon. I think sure there's gonna be a big gap of time until my next rewatch, but I own the movie. I'm sure I'll definitely come across the time where I'll want to see it again. But if anything, I think the next time that I see it, first of all, I'm definitely watching it with the captions, and I don't care at this point anymore if it's inaccurate or not. That's without a doubt. Secondly, I'm gonna a hundred percent re-listen to this episode that we're recording right now, just so that I can laugh my ass off with all of the things that we've said tonight as I'm watching this movie, because there have been some things that I can never uh clearly I can never unsee. Starting with a wig and many other things.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:59

I'm telling you, this would have been another really good one to do a fucking watch-along for because the commentary is outrageous.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:06

For sure. I don't know. Do you think this is like one of those films that horror fans really like love, or do you think it's more of a film that people that aren't into horror love? Like what where do you think it lands on that spectrum? Or is it maybe it's both?

SPEAKER_08 1:07:20

I think it's both because I'll tell you right now, Mike Flanagan, famed director, lots of horror stuff, obviously. This is one of his favorite films. If Mike Flanagan loves it.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:32

It's critically acclaimed.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:33

Roger Ebert. There you go. Every single person who I talk to frequently and loves horror, when I mentioned that we were doing this episode, they're like, oh my gosh, the original one, it's so fucking good. It's great, I love it. And I didn't find a single person say a single bad thing about it.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:52

So it's giving horror fans love this shit.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:56

Yeah, I just see it's like one of those that just blurs between the two, and a lot of people can really enjoy this type of film because it's not too horror, it's not too non-horror. I think it's a really good blend. I think I'll be letting the right one in again for sure. I'll watch it again. I think it's a really well-done film, and I will bask in all its cinematic glory. So I'll watch it again for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:19

I have rewatched this movie several times. I think this is probably the last time I ever need to see this again. I feel like I've run out of appreciation for this film. It's definitely one of those movies I feel like you have to at least see once. It's like a skinner rink where it's like, yeah, it does something very specific very well. Watch it one time just so you have it as a reference point, but I don't think I need to revisit this one again. But I am actually, ironically enough, vaguely interested in watching the Chloe version again.

SPEAKER_06 1:08:48

I actually want to see it. Me too.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:50

Might go ahead and do that in the next couple weeks, actually, just to really decide how I feel about it.

SPEAKER_08 1:08:56

It's been a long time since I've seen that version, okay?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:00

Same Bings.

SPEAKER_08 1:09:01

I think it needs to be done.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:02

Well, it remains to be seen how the remake fares among us, but for now, there you have it, folks. Let the right one in from 2008, the original adaptation of the novel, as under Universal Slash. Now we've certainly had a robust discussion here, but it doesn't end here by any means. We want to know what you think.

SPEAKER_08 1:09:20

Would you let in a suspicious little girl into your home? Let us know. You can join in on the conversation by hanging out with us for free in our Discord. Click the link in our show notes to sign up.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:29

If you've enjoyed listening to this episode, let the right one in and consider becoming one of our patrons. Visit patreon.com slash hacker slash to enjoy more of the show with early access, extended episodes, bonus content, and live shows.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:41

We'll see you next time, folks. And remember, a person who kills children is certainly capable of taking the subway two stations or walking a mile.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:49

I do it because I have to.