John Ajvide Lindqvist’s vampire novel Let the Right One In (or Låt den rätte komma in) has inspired a Swedish film of the same name, an American film called Let Me In, and a short-lived Showtime series called Let the Right One In, while his short story Gräns served as the basis of the 2018 fantasy film Border. The latest adaptation of his work is the Norwegian film Handling the Undead, based on the novel Hanteringen av odöda. The film will be screening at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival as part of the World Cinematic Dramatic Competition, and has also secured a North American and UK distribution deal with Neon. Now that we know the film is heading to Sundance, a trailer for Handling the Undead has made its way online, and you can check it out in the embed above.
Handling the Undead marks the feature directorial debut of Thea Hvistendahl, working from a screenplay written by Lindqvist himself. (He also handled the screenplay adaptation of Let the Right One In himself.) This one begins during an especially hot summer day in Oslo, when a strange electric field and collective migraine spread across the city, TVs, lightbulbs and electronics go haywire, and suddenly, it’s all over. Except for one thing: the incident has awoken the newly deceased. The story focuses on three families, each struggling with a tragic loss. Mahler and his daughter Anna mourn the too early passing of his grandson. Tora says her final goodbye to her wife at the funeral home and a family of four faces a life without a wife and mother.
The cast includes The Worst Person in the World stars Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie, as well as Bjørn Sundquist, Bente Børsum, and Bahars Pars.
Handling the Undead is produced by Kristin Emblem and Guri Neby for Einar Film, and co-produced by Zentropa Sweden. The project is supported by the Norwegian Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute, Film i Väst, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, and Oslo Film Fond.
When the project was first announced, Lindqvist provided the following statement: “From the elaborate directorial concept that Thea sent me, I think her vision was more or less perfect. Mentally, conceptually and visually. The mere fact that she devoted a densely written page to the behavior, expressions and movement patterns of the undead indicates a huge commitment to getting everything right. She intends to make a zombie film unlike anything seen before. Serious, heartbreaking and very Nordic.“
Hvistendahl said she planned for Handling the Undead to be “an emotional but realistic take on the zombie genre”: “At its core, the film is about grief and how to deal with the void that arises when you lose someone you love, with the undead being a physical representation of this theme. But it’s also about how we struggle to care and show love for each other.“
The Swedish film Let the Right One In is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I’m looking forward to seeing how Handling the Undead has turned out.
What did you think of the Handling the Undead trailer? Let us know by leaving a comment below.