Let The Right One In

Twelve-year-old Oskar is lonely, bullied and badly in need of a friend when he meets Eli, a beautiful but strange girl who appears to be his own age and who has just moved into his apartment block. All is not quite what it seems, however, as bodies begin to pile up and the police become more and more interested in Oskar’s new friend, and her peculiar history.

Why we’re looking forward to this: John Ajvide Lindqvist’s 2004 novel Let The Right One In was one of the most original takes on the vampire mythos for many a year, and while the original 2008 Swedish take on it remains the better of the two adaptations in our humble opinion, the 2010 English language remake Let Me In stood its ground and delivered a slightly different though no less valid interpretation of the source material.

That said, both versions by necessity ignored much of the book’s wider narratives and extended cast of characters so the news that the A&E Network has secured the rights to develop the book for the small screen is a tantalising prospect, as given ten episodes to breathe, the potential for creating a rich, and bloody tapestry from Lindqvist’s book is considerable.

Few details of the actual direction the show will take have been released, but it has been confirmed that Jeff Davis, show runner for Teen Wolf which has been around for four successful seasons so far, and writer/actor Brandon Boyce whose credits include the much underrated Stephen King adaption Apt Pupil, are on board and that the show looks like it will be set in Vermont, inviting speculation that the series will adopt the snowy climes of the novel.

Shows like Bates Motel and Hannibal have proven that it’s possible to take a film’s premise and treat it with respect and intelligence to create an equally valid TV property, so we’re quietly optimistic that Let The Right One In‘s combination of love, friendship and horror can follow suit and find an audience.

Let The Right One In is currently in development.

RICHARD COSGROVE