Don’t get me wrong – in the proper sense of the word, I’m a moderate ‘fan’ of Twilight. It’s just lately… well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve found it really hard to go in a department store and not come across a bombardment of Twilight merchandise. Catalogues don’t help either, and I swear I recently saw at least five girls wearing ‘Team Edward’ T-shirts within a 7 hour period (having said that, I do work in women’s retail). The juggernaut is absolutely staggering, and with the trend sparking the newest blockbuster franchise, vampires are suddenly the hottest thing around, no thanks to one Mr. Cullen. So can other films within the genre capitalise on this success? Should they have to? Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) is truer to the genre with its horror content but displays many small similarities to the Edward and Bella saga. So is this film the antidote to Twilight or something that can be enjoyed by all?

With ticket sales passing $US300million worldwide, Twilight is arguably commercial cinema at its best. The epic love of Bella Swan and her vampiric boyfriend Edward Cullen is adored by teenage girls worldwide – but what bites at me is just how much it’s being exploited. The books were fast building cult status before the film began production, I myself discovering the world of Forks before cast announcements (truthfully, like many fans, initially I was happy with the choice of Edward’s Robert Pattinson but not so much Bella’s Kristen Stewart). Having said that, the choice not to go with huge names resonates well with me because that suggests they wanted less of a blockbuster feel, names not shadowing the story. Unfortunately, that didn’t end up happening because of the unprecedented hype from so-called ‘fans’ that jumped on the bandwagon and marketers who smartly realised how much of a killing they could make from it all. I mean, Pattinson’s been dubbed ‘R-Patz’ – what is that?! – and he makes the news for how bad he smells. Is he really that hot off-screen for girls to care? Do they want to know about his hygiene?

This all has a point; it’s such a contrast to Let the Right One In, the Swedish tale of Oskar and his new next-door neighbour Eli. Making its mark on numerous international festivals, the critical acclaim is growing and is earning the film serious cred throughout its wider release. The unexpected love story is between twelve years olds, but the initial premise is similar to Twilight’s. Oskar is basically a Bella, a strange kid – but he gets badly bullied and is approached by Eli/Edward, not the other way round. Eli’s vampiric tendencies are much the same; she’s affected by sunlight, needs blood to survive and is hesitant about starting relationships with humans. But what strikes about this film is that the growing love, although in a more childish form, is important within the horror of Eli’s condition. If this still sounds like Edward, then the lack of subtlety in Eli’s demeanour should be a pleasant surprise to you – the love is all innocent here, but her killings are not.

I’m sad that I’m getting so annoyed about Twilight because I don’t hate it. I just don’t like what it’s becoming – but Let the Right One In is the exact opposite within the similarities and I can’t help but think that this is more of how I imagined my reception to Twilight would be. Let the Right One In’s release comes at a wise time for those still refusing to fall under the Cullen spell (I’m sure it’s been quite hard for you…). While we know Twilight has sparked a franchise, admittedly it’s also breathed life into forgotten book series and reinvigorated the vampire film genre (though it’s always been interesting, see Nosferatu for proof). However, Let the Right One In provides a more chilling encounter to the token love story as a thriller/horror that takes you along for an interesting ride. For Twilight fans, if you’re still reading this even remotely intrigued, you should be – it’s a brilliant film that rarely plays on the blockbuster conventions and keeps you hooked with an intense creeping pace. For others, if there’s anything you should sink your teeth into, it’s this. I could possibly get a death threat or two by writing this, but the Twilight saga seems to be losing that cult status that made it so great, and at least cinematically, Edward Cullen, as perfect as he may be, is ultimately a fad – but vampires of the more horrific kind are here to stay. I guess there’s proof in that, with Matt Reeves (director of Cloverfield) rumoured to be helming a Hollywood version of Let the Right One In slated for a 2010 release. I could say what I think of that idea but my views on Hollywood remaking foreign films are for another time…

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