Let the Right One In and the Exploitation of Swedish Suburbia

Thomas Alfredson’s Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In (2008), adapted from John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel of the same name, is a film that diverts itself from other Swedish horror films, and non-international horror, through many factors that one can deem imaginative, tender, and even exploitative. Let the Right One In follows two adolescent outsiders Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and the vampire Eli (Lina Leandersson) who form a buddying companionship based in their peripheral existence. The plot of the film deviates itself from not only the American stereotype of the vampire, especially at a time when Twilight (2008) was dominating the American box offices, but also the typical Swedish vampire film at the time, which were few and far in-between and held revenge plots (Wright 57). Instead, Let the Right One In creates a romance of sorts with horror elements that evoke a fear of the mundane. Throughout Let the Right One In the audience observes these characters in the grey and white Swedish winter of Swedish suburbia, allowing for the scenery to be exploited through the mysterious murders taking place in this town which is only elevated by Eli’s unique vampire nature.

Early in the first act of the film, the audience observes the first murder that places this suburb in disarray. Here, Håkan (Per Ragnar) approaches a pedestrian on a walking trail, sedates him, hangs him from a tree, and drains the blood from his body. This scene is quick, shocking, and still due to the camerawork and mise-en-scène. First, the pair is pictured in a still shot through the trees at dusk. The still nature and placement of the camera creates a voyeuristic appeal, forcing the audience member to partake in this murder. As Håkan sedates the victim, the sun is just beginning to set allowing for a grey tone one can attribute to the snow, but once the victim is hung from the tree, the darkness sets in. The use of woods just off a walking trail allows for the idea that this can happen to anyone, creating the exploitation of location and scenery. Rochelle Wright comments on this in her article “Vampire in the Stockholm Suburbs: Let the Right One In and Genre Hybridity” when she states, “Let the Right One In exploits the long, dark Swedish winter to striking visual effect, creating a mise-en-scène dominated by black (dark sky, buildings and tree trunks), white (the snow), and various tones of grey” (57). The exploitation of the Swedish winter is perfectly executed within this scene due to the change from dusk to evening, allowing for the snow to be the only source of light during this murder. In turn, the stillness of this suburb and Swedish winter is interrupted by a hysteria following the murder. Alfredson does this on purpose to evoke a distrust in a seemingly normal town and in the stereotypical Swedish winter, promoting audience fear in the scenes when Oskar walks alone at night. The full exploitation of suburbia and Swedish winter can be attributed to the fact that this is a foreign film. In Hollywood, cold winters are often showcased in a traditional or romantic light, but Alfredson flips this on its head for both American and Swedish audiences allowing for a slow-paced horror film to enter a new territory one can attribute partially to location, which is only elevated once Eli devours Jocke (Mikael Rahm).

Eli’s murder of Jocke is quick and brutal showcasing her urgency and hunger as she climbs his body at a rapid pace in the Swedish night. The location and circumstances surrounding Jocke’s death add to the exploitative nature of the film. Prior to this death, he is pictured in an exterior nighttime shot, drunkenly hugging his friend goodbye and celebrating their evening together. As he walks under a bridge, he spots Eli and attempts to aid her before she kills him. After Jocke’s death, Eli lays on top of him, her white shirt covered in blood as the red-stained snow surrounds her. In this moment, Let the Right One In successfully manipulates the pure snow through Jocke’s mutilated body. Wright touches on this scene when she exclaims, “Initially she kills only when desperately thirsty, after Håkan fails to bring her the blood she subsists on. Afterward, as she leans forward over the limp body of Jocke, her posture conveys pain, regret” (60). Through placing this scene in the evening and surrounding it in the snow, with dark lighting and a grey bridge as the primary location, Alfredson takes advantage of both the casual situation, location, and circumstances leading to Eli’s attack. Rarely do audiences observe a large man attacked to death as he walks home alone at night, especially in a place like Sweden where the homicide rate is incredibly low, therefore flipping the normal narrative of this location on its head. In turn, he also flips the traditional vampire narrative upside-down through the showcase of Eli’s pain and regret after killing an innocent. The murder of Jocke serves as a clear deviation from the typical vampire-horror through the showcase of both remorse from the killer and creation of eeriness in what would rather be a safe situation. Although Jocke’s murder evokes horror and for the viewer, a sense of pity is released once Oskar views Eli in her unique vampire nature.

Towards the beginning of the third act of Let the Right One In, Eli reveals herself to Oskar for the first time. Eli arrives at Oskar’s door, and he refuses to invite her inside the apartment. She even goes as far as to state, “You have to let me in.” Due to her unique vampire nature, Eli must always be given permission to enter another individual’s home but with Oskar’s refusal, Eli lets herself in regardless. After entering, she begins to bleed from her shoulder, head, and ears as she expresses obvious pain and discomfort. The blood oozes from her body without any wounds solidifying her creature status to him. At first, Oskar is horrified and confused by the site because of its other-worldly nature. Barbara Creed mentions this phenomenon in “Horror and The Monstrous Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection” when she defines the characterizations of the abject. Creed states, “Firstly, the horror film abound in images of abjection, foremost of which is the corpse, whole and mutilated, followed by an array of bodily wastes such as blood, vomit, saliva, sweat, tears, and purifying flesh” (253). Of course, Let the Right One In provides examples of the images of abjection in horror film through many examples of the corpse and blood, which begins when Håkan murders the pedestrian, but this scene presents Oskar’s first experience with such abject images in person, aside from his fascination with serial killers. Here, Oskar experiences his friend appealing to such abject images, which is unexpected and terrifying as Eli no longer fits the image of the girl Oskar has a crush on and instead is viewed as a monster. In some way, she has the ability to pervert and exploit Oskar’s suburban apartment, which she does to some extent. Through her infiltration of the apartment and the reveal of her monstrous capabilities, the home is no longer the same therefore leaving it exploited. Thankfully, his monster viewpoint of Eli is short lived and turns into pity once he understands the significance of his refusal to invite her in. The scene ends with Oskar hugging Eli as he yells, “You can come in!” This terrifying turned loving interaction between Oskar and Eli allows for a deeper connection to the pair as her vampire nature and abjectness is revealed to her only friend, while also offering a switch in the narrative where Oskar and Eli begin to use her vampire nature to their advantage.

Eli’s killing of Oskar’s bullies occurs away from the Swedish winter, and instead at swim practice. Despite its location, the appeal to the lonesome and dark is still notable because there is no one else in the room. Due to her vampire nature being fully realized by Oskar, Eli allows to feel comfortable enough around him to avenge those who taunt him. The bullies within Let the Right One In contribute to Oskar otherness because of their extent of their extreme bullying. John Calhoun comments on this bullying in “Childhood’s End: Let the Right One In and Other Deaths of Innocence.” Here, Calhoun explains, “Oskar, who is small and somewhat brainy, is also an easy target, but the predators in his case are male classmates with a particularly nasty ringleader (28).” This piece of text shares how Eli is not the predator towards Oskar, which would be the case in a stereotypical film, but the predators are instead teenage boys who beat and taunt Oskar because of his odd nature and small frame. Through Eli’s killing of these boys, she not only protects Oskar but also gives her own sense of self-agency due to the confidence she had in killing with Oskar’s knowledge. Eli’s fears of discovery and loneliness do not persist as they once did within the Swedish winter but are now celebrated by her friend. In order to continue this celebration and partnership, the two decide to run away together and escape the cold horrors of Swedish suburbia as the final scene depicts the two of them on a train together headed towards an unknown destination.

Let the Right One In is a film unlike any in Hollywood or within its genre. The clear exploitation of both the mise-en-scène and Swedish suburbia, paired with the manipulation of stereotypical characterizations, allows for a complete audience removal from their expectations. In order to interpret this film as intended, one must place themselves within Swedish culture at the time through an understanding of the differences in suburbia, the weather, and vampire films in each region. Therefore, Let the Right One In is an excellent showcase of an International Film because of its dark-toned presentation and exploitation of suburbia allowing for the film to not only transcend genre, but region as well.

Works Cited

Calhoun, John. “Childhood’s End: Let the Right One In and Other Deaths of Innocence.” Cinéaste, vol. 35, no. 1, 2009, pp. 27–31. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41690850. Accessed 27 April 2024.

Creed, Barbara. “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection.” Screen, vol. 27, no 1, 1 Jan. 1986, pp. 251-265, https://doi.org/10.1093/screen/27.1.44.

Wright, Rochelle. “Vampire in the Stockholm Suburbs: Let the Right One In and Genre Hybridity.” Journal of Scandinavian Cinema, vol. 1, no. 1, 15 Oct. 2010, pp. 55-70, https://doi.org/10.1386/jsca.1.1.55_1.