But, I do have to respectfully disagree with you in that “The Descent” is not in the same league as far as cinematic beauty. I found that film to be poetic and poignant; it just happened to have faceless alien-like creatures that were really gross inhabit the final 30 minutes. Emotionally that film resonated with me.

“The Descent” blindsided me because I knew nothing about it, where “Let the Right One In” succeeded in not faltering as a product of its own hype (admittedly placed upon the film by me) and not playing everything by the book. “The Descent” was a wet dream for horror fans with a plethora of allusions and a heartbreaking story underlying the entire thing.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to turn this into a discussion on “The Descent”. I think we both agree that “Let the Right One In”, if forced to assign arbitrary numbers to year-end film lists, falls somewhere in the top 11-20 range.

Up next “The Edge of Heaven”, another review of yours I’ve been holding off on…

Admittedly, the coda in the swimming pool is fairly predictable, but I concur that the manner in which it is conveyed is still very, very effective. Almost witty, in a way.

I guess what most impressed me about the film was its nimble use of genre in the service of a broad array of themes: vengeance, violence, power, romance, sex, escape, and on and on. In most horror films, anxieties are given form and then attacked by the protagonist. Here, Eli serves as both a proxy for anxieties (particularly re: adolescent masculinity) and, in a twist, also an ally in the fight against those anxieties. It’s quite an ingenious, densely layered film, and I’m hard pressed to think of a recent example in the genre so impressive. (Neil Marshall’s “The Descent” was scarier, but not even in the same league as far as cinematic beauty, thematic richness, and emotional resonance.) I think it’s telling that Alfredson has never directed a horror film before. “Let the Right One In” suggests a film-maker who doesn’t yet know what genre orthodoxies normally forbid.

I took the film to be a lot more fun than maybe a Swedish film has any right to be (sidebar did you see The Simpson’s where Bart does his Moe’s Tavern calls to different countries and he gets Sweden, only for their reply to be uber Bergmanesque….anyway the Swedish are serious!), not to say that I don’t think there are some bigger themes lurking here, I was just glad that it was a well executed, entertaining genre picture; even though, as you mention, Alfredson isn’t seduced by the conventional horror genre tropes, and raises the bar a bit.

I saw the ending coming a mile away and still enjoyed how it played out — especially since Alfredson is wise to leave most of the violence or attacking of people off screen — the investment I had in Oskar, and his need to be rescued, far outweighed the obviousness of how the final moments play out. Alfredson trumps up the scene with an uncanny amount of suspense.

All that to say….I wasn’t dissapointed with the film (as I thought I might be with how badly I wanted to see it ever since I saw the trailer), because I was glad to see a beautifully constructed (dare I say Art-House) horror picture.

Great Review.