Let Me In (2010) - New to Netflix Streaming

My Netflix recommendation for this week is 2010's horror movie Let Me In which I enjoyed very much at the time of it's release. In the throes of enduring the Twilight movies, I dubbed Let Me In as "the real awkward teen falls for a vampire story". It's been added to Netflix streaming this week; so let me tell you all about it.

Set in 1983, Let Me In tells the woeful story of Owen (Kodi Smit-Mcphee) who is not exactly living the dream of adolescense. In addition to being thin, awkward and bullied, his fractured home life is anything but a refuge. Into his life comes new neighbors who will change everything. An older man and young girl move next door to Owen and he can easily eavesdrop on them from his bedroom. Owen soon makes friends with the girl, Abby (Chloe Grace Moretz) and instantly senses a soul mate. At first she is presented as timid and possibly neglected. However the story moves pretty quickly and doesn't try to hide that Abby is actually a vampire, much older than she appears and as much a vicious killer as a perpetual adolescent.

The atmosphere in Let Me In is stark and never lets you rest from a sense of foreboding which is exactly as it should be for this type of movie. I commend the director for keeping the blood and gore at a level that satisfies without turning off the viewer. He replaces some of the visuals for sound. Just know, when Abby feeds her need, you will have no doubt what is happening even though it may be shot in the shadows or off camera. The acting is good all around with most of the screen time taken by Smit-Mcphee and Moretz who excellently balance tnderness with the darker and more violent parts of the story. Richard Jenkins who plays Abby's guardian is a chameleon actor who can excel in the silliest of comedies and the tautest of dramas. I even enjoyed Cara Bouno (who I bet we all recognize now from Stranger Things) who plays Owen's mother, although she is shot intentionally out of focus with a glass of wine in hand or nearby. I think it's a nod to how this story is not supposed to be about the adults.

In closing, if you have not seen Let Me In, take the chance to enjoy this dark, delicious treat while it's on Netflix.