The Let Me In Cast on Making This Version Their Own
Posted 08.07.10 by reelz
At last month's San Diego Comic-Con, the cast of Let Me In — a US remake of 2008 Swedish vampire movie Let the Right One In — conducted a panel discussion on how this new version of the story differs to the foreign original.
Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road), Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass), Richard Jenkins (Dear John), and director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) all weighed in with their thoughts on the movie, which like the original is an adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestselling novel.
When director Reeves was asked if he had any difficulty in making this film his own, he was quick to emphasize his own spin on things.
"The original was done in this very beautiful, somewhat detached manner with these incredible masters that play out. It’s brilliant the way it’s shot, but I’m really drawn to point of view filmmaking. It will be interesting to see what people think. I’m sure some people are going to say, “Oh, my god, they changed too much,” and some people are going to say, “Oh, they didn’t change enough."
Smit-McPhee, who plays the role of Owen, talked about how he identifies with the lonely, outcast young boy who befriends Moretz's vampire Abby.
I've been lonely sometimes and didn't have a lot of people to talk to. I've been trapped in an apartment all day. I'm just trying to find some friends here that I can connect to. I've had a routine of just doing nothing all day. You think, "It's Hollywood, it will be fun," but there's really not a lot to do. You just get bored and feel like you're wasting away your time. That's a lot of what Owen is feeling, and he does a lot of things to pass his time.
Thirteen-year-old Moretz, who thinks the original movie was "stunning" and "very well made," talked a little about Let Me In's special effects, and how most of what you'll see was achieved with prosthetics.
Along with all the kills that the vampire does, it was the same thing. Most of them were real, and not effects. The scene in the tunnel, I know he's going to add more crazy knocking back and forth, but other than that, it was all real prosthetics and stuff.
Jenkins, the man behind The Father, explained why this remake is happening in the first place, and how the relationship between Owen and Abby is at the heart of the story.
Something in that movie and in that book spoke to Matt [Reeves], and it had to do with the relationship of these two young kids, and especially Owen. If I was 12 or 15 and I saw this movie, I would say, "It's about me. They're talking to me." And, I think that was something that he found so intriguing, in making this film. The original movie is absolutely brilliant. There's no question about it. Because of its brilliance, I said, "Do you know the risk you're taking?" He said, "I understand, but it's something I really need to do."
How do you think Let Me In will fare when it's inevitably compared to Let the Right One In? Do you think it'll ever be able to recapture the creepy tone present in the original? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.