Let Me In is a 2010 romantic horror film written and directed by Matt Reeves and starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moretz, Elias Koteas, and Richard Jenkins. It is a remake of the 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In.
Plot[]
In March 1983, in Los Alamos, New Mexico, a disfigured man is taken to the hospital. An unnamed police detective tries to question him about a recent murder. While the detective answers a call outside the room, the disfigured man jumps out of the window, leaving behind a note that reads: "I'M SORRY ABBY".
Two weeks earlier, Owen, an unhappy and lonely 12-year-old boy who is neglected by his divorcing parents, sees a barefoot little girl named Abby and an older man moving in next door. At school, a teenage bully named Kenny and two of his friends constantly terrorize Owen, who lies to his mother about it but tells Abby the truth. Abby encourages him to retaliate, and pledges to protect him. Owen and Abby become close friends and start communicating by Morse code through the walls of their apartments. Abby's companion Thomas abducts a local teenager and drains the boy's blood into a jug, only to accidentally spill all of its contents. Starving, Abby attacks a neighbor and drinks his blood, killing him and forcing Thomas to dispose of the body.
On a later night, Thomas hides in the back of another car, but is discovered. In the ensuing struggle, the car falls into a ditch and flips over. Trapped, Thomas pours concentrated sulfuric acid on his face, rendering himself unrecognizable and hospitalizing himself. Abby learns what happened and visits Thomas in the hospital, who lets her drink his blood before falling to his death. That night, Owen is awakened by Abby, who insists he verbally invite her in. She spends the night in his bed and agrees to be his girlfriend. The next day, Owen's class goes ice skating on a river. Cornered by the bullies, Owen smashes the side of Kenny’s head with a metal pole, splitting his left ear. At the same moment, the students discover the neighbor's body encased in the ice.
Later, Owen tries to make a blood pact with Abby. Seeing blood, Abby reveals her vampire form and flees, feeding on another neighbor. The next night, Abby admits to Owen that she is a vampire and that Thomas was not her father. Owen discovers an aged photo of her with Thomas as a young boy. Scared, Owen wants to leave, but he is stopped by Abby who will not answer his demands on letting him out. Owen finally leaves after asking Abby what she will do to him.
Owen sneaks out to spend the night at Abby's apartment. In the morning, the detective forces his way into Abby's apartment and finds her asleep, only to be distracted by Owen. Abby wakes and attacks the detective, killing him. Horrified at her actions, Abby decides to leave town and kisses a heartbroken Owen goodbye. During swim class, Kenny, Jimmy, and their friends ambush Owen and begin to drown him, only to be dismembered by Abby, who returned to rescue Owen.
The next day, Owen leaves town on a train, concealing Abby in a large trunk.
Cast[]
- Kodi Smit-McPhee as Owen, a 12-year-old bullied schoolboy, later Abby's boyfriend
- Chloë Grace Moretz as Abby, a vampire who poses as Thomas' daughter, later Owen's girlfriend
- Elias Koteas as a detective investigating the murders caused by Abby
- Koteas also provides the voice of Owen's father
- Cara Buono as Owen's mother
- Sasha Barrese as Virginia, one of Abby's victims
- Richard Jenkins as Thomas, Abby's adult companion
- Dylan Minnette as Kenny, a bully who torments Owen
- Ritchie Coster as Mr. Zorić
- Jimmy Jax Pinchak as Mark, one of Kenny's friends
- Nicolai Dorian as Donald, one of Kenny's friends
- Colin Moretz as Cashier
- Dylan Kenin as Larry, Virginia's boyfriend
- Brett DelBuono as Jimmy, the older brother of Kenny
- Chris Browning as Jack, one of Abby's victims