Let the Right One In (2008)

Also known as Låt den rätte komma in.
Vampires have to eat. For all the romantic lilt and sway that this fact has received over the long decades of cinema, the simple fact is that a vampire's imperative is to drain a person of their blood. Perhaps better than any other film on the subject, Let the Right One In understands that this is grim business. Yet it isn't about the gore and spectacle, but rather about the extreme silence and loneliness from being a slave to the night. It's about alienation, and stillness. While it is a film in which people do die in bad ways it is not a horror film but rather a slow-burn drama with thriller elements, building a quietly mounting tension as each somber element falls into place. This really is a remarkable movie, delivered with a starkness and chill to match its snowy Swedish setting. Once you ease in to its atypical sense of momentum, this is an exceptionally engrossing ride.

9 out of 10.

Note: If you have access to Netflix Instant Streaming, it is recommended that you watch it there. Production and release of the film resulted in two different sets of subtitles for the film, and while both are certainly adequete, the more accurate translation is only available on Instant Streaming, or on discs which specificially list "Theatrical Subtitles" which are difficult to find. Again: you can't go wrong either way, but you can do better.