I’ve been twelve for a long time…

This week, in the first of two Halloween-themed podcasts, we’re looking at the splendidly creepy Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In. Although as Ian points out, it’s not really a horror film, more a sort of disturbing tale of isolation and companionship set against a backdrop of bleak housing estates, but with vampires in it (this is a good thing, by the way).

One thing that clearly sets it apart from most horror films is that it looks absolutely beautiful. The ‘cinema tography’ (listen to the podcast) is stunning throughout, featuring a mixture of eerie, snow-laden landscapes, stark lines and sudden splashes of colour, all of which perfectly complement the story. The film does a masterful job of conveying the sensation of cold, not only through the constant presence of night and snow but also through the blue palette that runs throughout and even through the sound effects. In fact, the sound design stands out almost as much as the ‘cinema tography’ – this excellent article (WARNING: contains spoilers) does a fine job of summing up the care and attention that’s been put into getting the feel of the soundscape exactly right.

So suffice to say, we both absolutely loved the film – thanks again to Iain Twiddy for the recommendation. Stay tuned for a Halloween treat next week: a traditional Hollywood double bill of the Universal classics Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. We’ll pop the podcast up on Halloween itself to get you in the mood for the festivities.

And last but by no means least, our Secret Sponsor for this week is @ArseCrayon. Embrace the weirdness.

If our review has piqued your interest in the film, you can buy the Let The Right One In DVD from Amazon by clicking here (and we get a little bit of cash if you do – thanks in advance)

Anyway, without further ado, let us present our feature presentation:

Click here to download and listen on your MP3 player of choice:

101 Films Podcast 040 – Let The Right One In

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We’d love to hear your own film recommendations – please get in touch at 101filmsyoushouldhaveseen@gmail.com or leave a comment on the blog. Feel free to say nice things about us on iTunes!

Director: Tomas Alfredson Year of release: 2008 Studio/Distributor: EFTI Country: Sweden