Welcome back, horror friends! I hope you had a good time with our last Necessary Evil, which posed an original horror TV series. Today’s column was inspired by the recent string of sequels to films that were hits, but have been a little forgotten overtime (see Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane as the most recent examples). Cloverfield came out in 2008 and so did another horror classic that probably hasn’t sprung to anyone’s mind recently. I’m speaking of the Swedish film, Let the Right One In. Now, before you start calling me a cheap jerk for wanting to make a sequel to such a beautiful film, please hear me out! I loved Let the Right One In and want to treat its sequel with just as much integrity and craft as the original. Let’s see if I succeed!
IDEA: A Let the Right One In sequel titled Keep the Right One In.
OUTLINE: The story picks up six years after the original. Oskar is now 18 and maturing rapidly. Eli is still her 12-year-old self. The two have successfully survived on their own ever since escaping on a train at the end of the first film. They have gotten by with the help of all the money Eli had saved as well as the kindness of strangers that would lend a hand to two seemingly homeless children. Oskar even developed a plan for obtaining blood for Eli. In whatever town they were residing, the two would scope out the lowest of lifeforms. Said assholes would then become their targets. They would hunt only at night so that Eli could use her powerful vampire skills to take down her prey.
With Oskar now looking more like a young adult, he is able to rent an apartment for Eli and himself. The landlord is an older women who thinks Eli is his younger sister. Oskar doesn’t mind the comment and is just happy the two now have a place of their own, however the landlord’s words do bother Eli. Although Oskar’s physical appearance has changed, her feelings for him have not.
One day, Oskar meets a new girl, Anna, in the apartment complex who is the same age as him. She is funny, outgoing, and drawn to Oskar’s inherent shyness. This all happens during the day when Eli is sleeping in her box. Oskar is soon confused about his feelings for Eli and his new feelings for the “normal” Anna. Eli notices this right away when they are out in the night hunting. Oskar confesses his new feelings about Anna and that he is worried about getting older and Eli staying the same age. Eli becomes upset and runs off. She is too fast and Oskar can’t keep up.
Oskar returns to the apartment complex and seeks comfort from Anna. The door to her apartment is slightly open. He enters to find Anna’s parents in a pool of blood on the floor. Broken glass and furniture are everywhere. Eli has her arms wrapped around a frightened Anna and is about to bite her. It is a very tense scene. Anna gets hold of a large piece of glass and stabs Eli in the face. The two fall to the floor. Anna prepares to stab her again, but is suddenly cracked on the skull with a broken table leg by Oskar. She lies motionless as blood gushes from her head. Oskar helps Eli up as police sirens are heard. They must go into hiding again… together.
WHY IT COULD WORK: Let the Right One In is an absolute horror classic. I believe it could have been nominated for an Oscar. It is widely beloved by nearly everyone in the horror community. Hence, the fan base is there. As long as the sequel is handled with the same care to tell a worthy story, the results could be amazing!
CHARACTERS: First off, I want this to be a sequel to the original 2008 Swedish film, not the 2010 remake (which is still great). Hence, the actors playing Oskar and Eli need to remain true to their origins. If Sweden needs to make this sequel, then so be it! I know we can’t get Lina Leandersson to play Eli again, but I’m sure a suitable replacement can be found. Kåre Hedebrant, who played Oskar, is still around and could still make for a believable 18 year-old. We also need someone cute to play Anna as well as her parents and the old lady landlord.
CONCLUSION: I understand the importance of Let the Right One In for our beloved genre. I wouldn’t want a sequel to happen unless it was done to perfection. We owe that to the original. Keep everything in line with the first one down to the most minute Swedish detail. I really think it would be pretty fascinating to explore how Eli and Oskar’s relationship would progress as a large of amount of time goes by. Hopefully, you feel the same!
Okay, now’s your chance to let me have it if you think Let the Right One In is sacred property and should never be disturbed for a sequel. Or, if you’re curious like me about how Oskar and Eli have been getting by the past couple of years, let me know. Is there anything else you’d like to see in a sequel? Let the bullets fly below! And if you have any ideas that you think should be made into horror reality, let me know at mikecatalano@joblo.com.