Let Me In

Matt Reeves' Let Me In may be a pointless exercise, but as pointless exercises go, it's not a bad effort. This English-language remake of the cult Swedish horror Let the Right One In generally sticks to the template of Tomas Alfredson's original, to the point where it occasionally feels like a shot-for-shot retread, but Reeves makes a few judicious alterations that prove effective. He focuses more on the emotions of his central relationship, with Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee both delivering sensitive, nuanced performances as vampire Abby and lonely Owen. He also ditches the cat sequence from the first film and ups the ante with a thrilling car crash, but some of his directorial touches – like the constant 80s pop references or the shoddy CGI depiction of Abby's attacks – fall flat. You win some, you lose some, but on balance this is an enjoyably sinister and superbly acted picture. Let Me In might lack the novelty of its predecessor, but it still possesses some bite. [Philip Concannon]