Let Me In 2010

Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: The tragedy in Jenkins' pathetic protector focuses the film's themes of desperation and the myopia of puppy love when you're young enough (or undead enough) to feel immortal Read more

Kathleen Murphy, MSN Movies: [Director] Reeves had the smarts to identify and appropriate everything that made the original film so moving and visually memorable. Even better, he invigorates this faithful reproduction with remarkably effective contributions of his own. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: It is at once artful and unpretentious, more interested in intimacy and implication than in easy scares or slick effects. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: The new Let Me In does more than merely preserve the original's mood; it actually improves on it. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: The poetic Swedish vampire picture (with arterial spray) Let the Right One In has been hauntingly well transplanted to the high desert of Los Alamos, New Mexico, and renamed Let Me In. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: This is more than a respectful remake; Let Me In is quietly stylish and thoroughly chilling in its own right. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: If you've never seen the original, you may not sense that something's missing. And the casting is in some ways an improvement. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: The Americanized version is a nice parlor trick, and will satisfy those who believe fidelity is the principal virtue of a good adaptation, but what's the point? Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: This is a really good movie, good enough that whether it needed to be made is beside the point. If you've seen the original, you'll be happy with the results. If you haven't, then just sit back and enjoy. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Rest assured, much of what made the first film so special remains intact. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: It's an honorable attempt, but there's still no genuine need for this film to exist. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: The language has been changed to English, of course, which is the only real reason this movie exists; the story development, desolate tone, and key set pieces are mostly copied from the original movie. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: The original was a very good thriller. The new one is simply a good one. Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: It's still a striking piece of character-driven horror, and it still ranks (despite the effects) among the more understated fright fests to hit the mainstream in recent memory. Read more

Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News: Matt Reeves takes a step toward making everyone's favorite bloodsuckers scary again. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: It's called Let Me In. That demanding title says something about how the gentle poetry of the original gets lost a bit in Reeves' translation. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: What works so well here is the juxtaposition of youthful innocence and downright puppy love with monstrosity and murder. Mean kids are scary. Kids who drink blood are scarier. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Reeves hasn't just remade the Swedish cult vampire film Let the Right One In into a more fluid and visceral movie. He's made it more dangerous. Read more

Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: This unsettling, effective American remake really gets under the skin as one of the year's most powerful thrillers. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: If I hadn't seen the original, I might have gone ga-ga over Reeves' version. But even with the shock of novelty gone, the film still draws you into its chilly, demonic heart. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: Let Me In is one of the few horror films that will trouble you long after the credits roll. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: The result, though no less creepy than the Swedish film, mislays its lyricism and otherworldliness. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: If you like dank, disturbing little horror movies, invite Let Me In into your moviegoing schedule. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Reeves so deeply understands the nature of childhood terror that Let Me In burns with a white-hot clarity. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: The scariest, creepiest and most elegantly filmed horror movie I've seen in years -- it positively drives a stake through the competition. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: It's a heartbreaker of a coming-of-age tale, even if there's a string of exsanguinated corpses to be accounted for. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Let Me In represents one of the best and most brutal vampire movies to come along in a while... Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Reeves understands what made the first film so eerie and effective, and here the same things work again. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: I thought for sure that any Hollywood remake of Tomas Alfredson's artful Swedish vampire film, Let the Right One In, would be a crass desecration. Well, color me blushing. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: Reeves' film sticks fairly close to the original's plot and characters -- and even sometimes its shots -- but he ingeniously alters the context in order to capture a similar mood. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Instead of exploring uncanny realms of psychological terror usually reserved for Poe or Lovecraft, [Reeves] goes all Freddy Krueger. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: With its mix of true-blood romance and full-moon madness, Let Me In should hasten the twilight of the twerpy pretenders. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: A smart horror film that exploits a deep-seated fear in America: subtitle-phobia. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: It's actually strong enough to make the case that not all remakes bite. Read more

Mary F. Pols, TIME Magazine: Let Me In is not as fantastic as Let the Right One In, which you should rent immediately. But it is undeniably powerful and made with obvious admiration and respect for the source material. Read more

David Jenkins, Time Out: Reeves's direction lunges more resolutely for the mainstream jugular, but that's no bad thing. Read more

Scott Bowles, USA Today: Despite being about vampires, Let Me In can feel chillingly real. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: While all that is artful about Let Me In comes straight from the original, the Hollywood version commands respect for not dumbing things down. Read more

Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice: There's a human tragedy somewhere here -- but aggrandized puppy-love romance and stylish revenge fantasy is all that lingers. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Let Me In wants to make your flesh crawl, and it probably will. But it's unlikely to ever get under anyone's skin, the way Let the Right One In did. Read more