I'm currently reading Let The Right One In by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist. Most will be familiar with the story from the critically acclaimed 2008 film adaptation, directed by Tomas Anderson. For those who are not, Let The Right One In tells the story of bullied 12 year old Oskar, and his relationship with the "girl next door", Eli, who happens to be an ancient child vampire.
Lindqvist successfully juxtaposes a strange but beautiful love story with the most awful facets of human nature - murder, paedophilia, bullying, alcoholism and prostitution - as well as giving a fresh perspective on vampire folklore.
Although many of the book's more controversial themes were toned down or removed for the film (the paedophillic backstory of Håkan is not mentioned at all - Anderson felt he could not satisfactorily deal with this theme without detracting from the relationship between Oskar and Eli), it is truly an exquisite piece of foreign cinema, featuring incredible performances by child actors Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson. Both book and film are undoubtedly the best examples from the wave of vamp-centric fiction that has risen in the last few years.
An American remake, entitled "Let Me In", will hit cinemas in October this year, just over two years after the original film was released. Director Mark Reeves addressed the criticism that this move understandably received, insisting that his choice was based on a deep personal connection to the film, and not for monetary reasons. I can only hope that this wonderful work will not be tainted by Hollywood, but if one considers the precedent set by countless American horror remakes, it's pretty doubtful.
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