LET THE WRONG ONE IN - Irish Film Festival

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Date Reviewed: 25/08/2022

Too often these days people are afraid of being guilty of just enjoying a movie because it is fun. People look for a hidden message or a lesson to learn from the film and ignore the fact that some films are just made to enjoy! Let The Wrong One In is one of these films. If you look deeply there is a message about friendship against the odds, but that it secondary to the enjoyment of just having a good laugh.

Made in the style of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Shaun of the Dead, it is full of blood spurting from bodies and the use of anything available to stake the offending vampire. The gore is in-your-face and comically done. There’ a bit of an Evil Dead comparison when the blood sprays across the screen in a brutal but funny scene where and I’m sure there’s some influence from this horror classic.

Let The Wrong One In tells the story of Matt, a teenager who suddenly discovers his older brother, Deco, has become a vampire. He then must decide whether to help his brother or the very opposite and kill him for his own good. This might seem like an obvious decision but when Deco can’t control his vampire urges, Matt’s life is at stake too, but after all, Deco is his brother.

Part of the genius of this film is the casting. Karl Rice is perfect as the hapless hero who must decide whether to try to kill his older brother or find a way of ‘curing’ him. The scenes in which he uses fake fingernails as vampire teeth to try an infiltrate the vampire’s lair are hysterical.

Eoin Duffy as Matt’s older brother Deco, the vampire is brilliant! Gormless, he stumbles through the film, in the best possible way, trying to live a ‘normal’ life but needing blood to fulfil his hunger pains. The scene where his brother removes his vampire fangs to ‘cure’ him only to find they regrow is wonderful!

Anthony Head of Buddy the Vampire Slayer, Little Britain and Merlin seems an odd choice for Henry, a vampire slayer of sorts, but it works! He underplays beautifully with his quiet presence. Wearing glasses and looking something like a university professor he quietly steals every scene he is in.

Let The Wrong One In is silly (in the true sense), but surprisingly clever. Director Conor McMahon’s latest film tells a joyously entertaining tale of family and forgiveness with extra bite and is sure to be enjoyed by any lover of the vampire movie genre and who knows, could even become a cult classic!

Reviewed by Barry Hill