Let The Right One In

The title is worth some consideration. On one level it refers to the concept of inviting a vampire into your home. However the title also touches on the intertextual element of the film - the growing affection between Eli and Oskar and their isolation from the 'wrong ones'. It could also refer to the sleepy community which does not realise it has let a monster into its midst.

Eli's challenge to the audience is considerable. We have cultural views about little girls. Eli is a monster who is also a little girl and this evokes sympathy and horror at the same time. Her representation is the last place we would expect evil to reside. Oskar ultimately accepts Eli. This is unlike previous Dracula movies such as Hammer Horror where there is a form of negotiation between the Vampire and the community. In LTROI there is more than negotiation, there is warmth and full acceptance of the abject. In a way for the narrative to be fully resolved the monsterous Eli has to be accepted by the audience as the 'right one.' This challenges our own cultural views about good and evil