Philip Seymour Hoffman in Let the Right One In Remake?
by Britt Hayes
Let the Right One In is one of the most beautiful horror films ever made. Upon viewing it for the first time, it was instantly added to my list of favorite films, and consequently, my favorite horror films. The Swedish vampire film by Tomas Alfredson is based on the novel and script by John Ajvide Lindqvist, and follows the story of Oskar, a child who is outcast at school and fantasizes of taking murderous revenge on his bullies. A little girl named Eli and her “father” move into the apartment complex where Oskar and his mother live, and soon reveals herself to Oskar to be a vampire. The film is dark, beautiful, violent, and utterly breathtaking. What really sells the film is the acting from the two children: Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar, and Lina Leandersson as Eli. It’s so rare to find child actors who can truly act, and these two deal with some serious emotional weight in the film. Sadly, Let the Right One In was not considered for an Oscar because Sweden chose not to use it as their submission to the Academy. For shame, Sweden. For shame.
Soon after the release of Let the Right One In, Matt Reeves (director of Cloverfield) struck a deal to write and direct an American remake of the film; however, Reeves will be adapting from the novel, not from the Swedish film, and just like the novel, his film will be titled Let Me In. I’ve been iffy on this information from day one. Since Let the Right One In is just such an almost perfect piece of cinema, it’s hard to imagine anyone fucking with it at all. It’s wonderful the way it is. I’m also staunchly opposed to the idea of Americans taking foreign films and remaking them to be more palatable for our culture. Are we as Americans too exclusive to watch a film from another country? Is it so difficult to read subtitles? Anyone who is too lazy to read subtitles is an idiot, as far as I’m concerned.
And that’s just it: the only way to view Let the Right One In properly is with subtitles. The actors who do the voice-over work don’t quite capture the emotion of the characters in the film, especially the children.
A major concern is that this American version will be dumbed down. Sure, Reeves is using the same time period – the 80s – and instead of Sweden, his film will take place in Colorado. This location choice is one of the few positives I see in this project. Some place sort of cold and bleak, and Alaska would be too obvious and overstated. But the most important issue with this adaptation is that some of the more difficult material will be overlooked or cast aside. There are very important elements of Alfredson’s film that, in America, in this day and age, won’t fly. If you’ve seen the film, you know that I’m not only referring to some of the blunt violence, but the romance between the two children. I can think of two scenes in particular that may get the axe, if Matt Reeves even attempts to include them at all. One scene in particular deals with the partial nudity of a child; however, because Eli is not actually a child, and is a supernatural being, this scene isn’t distasteful in the least. It’s actually very important to the film.
The latest news to break on Let Me In is the rumor that Philip Seymour Hoffman has been cast, most likely as Eli’s caretaker. The New York Times has also listed Kodi Smit McPhee of The Road as Owen (Oskar) and Chloe Grace Moretz of Kick Ass and (500) Days of Summer as Abby (Eli). This information is not yet official, so this could all still be rumor. But if these casting rumors turn out to be true, tack this on to the pros column. I think a key element to adapting this story is a talented cast of actors, especially young ones, that can handle this sort of weight. I’m not 100% on McPhee until I see The Road, or Moretz, yet either; however, the fact that Moretz’s character in Kick Ass is a little girl who kills people brings me some hope. It looks like filming is set to go under way soon with a possible Fall 2010 release date. We’ll try to keep you updated on developments as they occur.
Editor’s Update: 9/23, 9:14PM EST – Just moments ago Bloody Disgusting confirmed that Philip Seymour Hoffman will NOT be cast in Let Me In. This rumor turned out to be just that… pure rumor.
