Let the Right One In

"Eli is 12 years old. She's been 12 for over 200 years, and she just moved in next door."

2008 1h 55m SV

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 3,374

HorrorDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Oskar, a sensitive, bullied 12-year-old boy, meets his new neighbor, the mysterious and moody Eli, they strike up a friendship. Initially reserved with each other, Oskar and Eli slowly form a close bond, but it soon becomes apparent that she is no ordinary young girl.

“Eli is 12 years old. She's been 12 for over 200 years, and she just moved in next door.”

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Cast

Kåre Hedebrant
Oskar
Lina Leandersson
Eli
Per Ragnar
Håkan
Henrik Dahl
Erik
Karin Bergquist
Yvonne
Peter Carlberg
Lacke
Ika Nord
Virginia
Mikael Rahm
Jocke

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tomas Alfredson
Writers: John Ajvide Lindqvist
Languages: Spanish, Swedish
Countries: Germany, Sweden

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, Swedish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Germany, Sweden.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tomas Alfredson, shot by Hoyte van Hoytema. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Johan Söderqvist. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tomas Alfredson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson and Per Ragnar carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tomas Alfredson directs. Hoyte van Hoytema behind the camera. Johan Söderqvist scores. Tomas Alfredson cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Germany, Sweden. Dialogue in Spanish, Swedish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 18 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, Swedish.
4International production across 2 countries: Germany, Sweden.
5Directed by Tomas Alfredson, shot by Hoyte van Hoytema. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Johan Söderqvist. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Tomas Alfredson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson and Per Ragnar carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Eli is 12 years old. She's been 12 for over 200 years, and she just moved in next door.".
10IMDB entry: tt1139797 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 11 themes, including "based on novel or book", "vampire", "sweden", "bullying".

The technical file

Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema
Original score: Johan Söderqvist
Editing: Tomas Alfredson
Production design: Eva Norén
Costume design: Maria Strid
Makeup / hair: Love Bergström
VFX supervisor: Kaj Steveman
Sound: Christoffer Demby
Stunt coordinator: Kimmo Rajala
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,000,000
Box office: $10,785,801
Return: 270% of budget
Original language: SV
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Let the Right One In (2008)

Awards

Dragon Award Best Nordic Film
Guldbagge Award for Best Screenplay
Guldbagge Award for Best Director
Guldbagge Award for Best Cinematography

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Tomas Alfredson

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Rob2015-08-10
OUTSTANDING
CinemaSerf2025-09-06
★ 7/10
A child of divorced parents, “Oskar” (Kåre Hedebrant) is frequently the victim of a trio of school bullies and at night, in the snow-covered park near his Stockholm home, he dreams of finally fighting back. One such night, he encounters the curious girl-next-door and over a period of evenings the pair start to become friends. She is “Eli” (Lina Leandersson) and she is quite a mysterious young girl. She is twelve, like him, but has no idea when her birthday is and she is also particularly adept at solving the Rubik’s cube (I usually had to dismantle mine and rebuild it!). All the while, their community is being rocked by the discovery of some exsanguined bodies, and so might “Oskar” be able to put two and two together and is he in even more danger from his new friend that from his school-day antagonists? We know all along who is doing what to whom, so a mystery this isn’t. What is is, though, is a characterful story of young love as both have their demons to address. There’s a little bit of ketchup now and again, but this isn’t really a gore fest either. Indeed, for much of the film the dirty work is being done by her equally enigmatic guardian “Håkan” (Per Ragnar) leaving the story to focus more some of the less tangible clues she drip feeds her new friend. She “isn’t a girl” can mean so many things? She’s just twelve but for how long has she been “just twelve”? Perhaps she sees in “Oskar” a new guardian? From his part, “Oskar” must begin to decide for himself whether the revenge he seeks on his tormentors is the right course of action, or whether he ought to move on with his life and build upon the positivity of his innocent, and reciprocated, attraction to “Eli”. Both of these actors deliver really quite engagingly throughout; their dialogue is measured and authentically childlike and even through the plot deals with some fairly gruesome topics, those never derail the amiability of the film and there’s even a little comedy woven into the proceedings too. The chilly landscape, the dark evenings, the nearby woods and the consistent pacing of the tale create a warmth untypical of this genre and it’s a surprisingly sensitive and addictive watch. If you’re looking for Peter Cushing or Brad Pitt, then maybe not - otherwise, this is a good watch.
patient12026-02-15
★ 9/10
This is a beautiful story of a young girl who happens to be a blood sticking vampire, and as we see her story progress, you can't help but feel for the young Miss. I enjoyed this probably more than most as I'm a fan of all things Horror and Sci-fi. The atmosphere and setting make this film quite a thrill for the senses.