fan-[girl]-atic

Let the Right One In: Book vs Film November 20, 2009

*spoilers imminent

Book:  Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In) by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Movie: Let the Right One In (2008), by Tomas Alfredson (Director), John Ajvide Lindqvist (Screenplay)

With 56 wins & 16 movie nominations under its belt, Let the Right One In, a Swedish horror-fiction novel and film, has become an international success.

The story takes place in Sweden, 1982.  The story mainly revolves around a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, and his new vampire friend Eli.  There are several sub stories happening throughout the movie/book which deals with dark issues and forbidden romance.  The book and the movie are almost one in the same.  There are lines from the book that translate to the movie without ever skipping a beat.  Although the movie hits on all major points, there are of course differences in the book.

OSKAR (Kare Hedebrant)

• Oskar’s bullies refer to him as “piggy.”  In the book, Oskar is a husky kid, hence the nickname “piggy.”  For screen purposes, I am assuming Hedebrant was casted because he was creepy good at playing Oskar and had the right face for the role.

ELI (Lina Leandersson)

• The movie beats to a dark rhythm, so there is hardly any room to make Eli more appealing.  In the book, Eli is and acts like a 12-year-old child.  There is a scene in the book where she blatantly makes fun of the guy in the candy booth and plays childish games with Oskar.
• Since the movie didnt go in-depth with Hakan’s character, Eli’s caretaker, you did not see Eli’s willingness to do what she needed to do in order to survive. (Basically, her willingness to use her body to appease Hakan to kill for her.)
• Theres a shot in the movie where Eli is sleeping in a bathtub bed, let me be the first to tell you, she sleeps somewhere a lot more horrific than that cozy little setup she has going on.
• She has wings.
• Eli is a hardcore fighter and can take hard hits.
• In the movie, Eli shows Oskar the consequences of what happens when you dont invite a vampire in.  Right after that scene, Oskar is sitting on a couch and Eli is telling him, “be me, for a little while.”  The frames get all crazy and all of a sudden, he’s just sitting there.  What should have happened there is Oskar gets flooded with the memories of Eli’s vampire change from her point of view.
• Warning: Kissing Eli can also induce even more visions of her past, with or without your consent.
• The movie doesn’t delve into Eli’s sexuality.  It throws you off because she says she’s not a girl, but it’s never explained.  The book goes into how she got to be where she is and why she’s been stripped of any gender.
• Eli stands for Elijah.

HAKAN (Per Ragnar)

• Pedophile to the grossest degree.  They showed little cheek strokes, but in the book he is completely disgusting.
• There is this internal war waging when he kills for her.  Since they dont develop him in the movie, you just assume he does it and he doesnt think twice about it.
• As Hakan is prepping his kill in the bathroom in the movie, the book tells a completely different story. The acid-to-face happened, but the whole scene was brushed over in order to get him out of the story as soon as possible.
• Hakan doesnt just die after Eli feeds from him.  If you noticed, Eli had to break Jocke’s neck in order for him not to rise up as a vampire.  Virginia on the other hand was fed off of but was never disposed of properly.  Lets just say Eli was negligent in taking Hakan out all the way.
• In the book, he plays a MAJOR role in the ending.  He turns into something like a zombie though.  Regardless, hes still as sick in the head as a zombie as he is as alive.
• Hakan likes boy-Eli.

There are more differences, but the movie hit all of the main points and tied them nicely together.  The book is really something else.  Although, the end scene when Eli becomes Oskar’s angel of death is so much cooler to watch than too read.