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Talking to The Los Angeles Times, director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) revealed a few more details about the upcoming American remake of the highly acclaimed Swedish horror film Let the Right One in.

He notes that the second draft of the script has been completed. The project will be set in early ‘80s Colorado, though locations will be scouted to match the original’s snowy environment.

The English film is officially being called Let Me In, a closer translation of Lindqvist’s original novel.

The original centered on a bullied young boy who finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful girl who turns out to be a vampire.

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Under normal circumstances, I hate vampire movies like fire.  Mostly because about nine out of ten vampire movies are all basically about the same thing, a bunch of mincing, prancing bloodsuckers who get by on acting superior to human beings just because they feed in much the same fashion as leeched, mosquitoes, and various other forms of insects.  Yes, sure, in many cases vampires can jump around and fly and change shape and run fast (and in rarer, less savory cases sparkle in sunlight) but they can’t go out in full sunlight and they have a serious problem with churches.

So when I heard all the fuss about relatively unknown title Let The Right One In, a vampire horror flick from Sweden, I knew there was reason to be interested.

First, a basic plot rundown:  there’s a Swedish twelve year old named Oskar, who gets picked on a lot at school, and is for some reason referred to as “piggy” despite the fact that he’d likely fly off in a stiff wind.  Anyway, while out in his apartment building’s courtyard one night, he runs into a twelve year old girl who lives in the building named Eli, and he finds himself somewhat attracted to the girl.  She’s a pale, somewhat serious sort who loves puzzles and throws up when trying a piece of candy.  With her recent arrival in the building comes a series of baffling murders in which the victims are all drained of blood.  You can pretty much figure out where this is going.

Now, this one’s interesting for a couple reasons.  One, the Scandinavians have been getting involved in the horror market like no tomorrow recently, offering up scads of material in conjunction with Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures as well as a few more independent releases.  Generally, they’ve all been solid, well put-together affairs–Danish horror likes to blend in a bit of humor, the Norwegians can do a great snowbound horror, even the Finns have been known to throw a chunk or two in.  And now, I discover that they’ve done a surprisingly simple job of building a lightly tense environment with some interesting twists.  I haven’t seen the concept of kiddie vampires done like this, or so well, since Salem’s Lot. Any comparison to Stephen King is gratefully welcome, and must be well-deserved to make.  I don’t make them lightly, folks.  Even better is that the movie actually manages to get scarier the farther in it goes.  Some of the best stuff will happen after the movie is about an hour in.

I’ll admit that there are some rather creepy parts–I kept looking for Chris Hanson to come in at some point when the two twelve year olds were naked in bed together (no, it really DOES happen, and yes, it’s as creepy as you imagine), but it’s over quickly enough so the squick factor on that is pretty minimal.

Even the ending will prove to be a bang-up little ride, as it presents five solid minutes of sheer jaw-dropping mayhem.

Basically, if you’re any kind of vampire fan, or if you’re like me and think that vampire movies must inevitably suck, then you’re definitely going to want to grab a copy of Let The Right One In, because it’s certainly the right one to let in.

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Expressing his dislike for American remakes of foreign films, director of Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In Tomas Alfredson said that he is not happy that his film is being remade by Hollywood.

"Remakes should be made of movies that aren’t very good, that gives you the chance to fix whatever has gone wrong,” he said. “I’m very proud of my movie and think it’s great, but the Americans might be of another opinion. The saddest thing for me would be to see that beautiful story made into something mainstream."

He adds, saying that “if you’d spent years on painting a picture, you’d hate to hear buzz about a copy even before your version…Why can’t you just read the subtitles,” raising a rather valid issue.

What is it with Americans and their inability to read subtitles? All the American remakes I’ve seen so far pale in comparison to their foreign counterparts.

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Guillermo del Toro isn’t the only one getting some vampire action today (or tonight, depending on where you live), as Cloverfield director Matt Reeves has signed on to write and direct the Hollywood remake of the acclaimed Swedish horror film Let the Right One in for Overture Films and Hammer Films.

The original was based on a novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, following a bullied boy whose desire for revenge crosses paths with his growing love for a female neighbor who happens to be a vampire.

The film won the best narrative feature award at the Tribeca Film Festival and is scheduled for a limited theatrical run in the US starting October 24. The sanitized and completely ruined American remake is likely to hit the big-screen late next year.

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