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One vampire movie from 2008 was the antithesis toTwilightthat we needed and has, somehow, aged better than the franchise featuring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, even though both came out the same year.Twilightis notorious for the backlash audiences had to it during its debut back in the early 2000s that has leaked into its reputation today.
However, even with the arrival ofTwilight’sTV remakeas a chance at redemption, the problems within the films have properly earned the franchise its less-than-kind status.
Many audiences have cited Stewart’s blank acting as Bella Swan, the plot holes, and the lacking worldbuilding as some of the major problems with the franchise, the list varying with each ofThe Twilight Sagamovies.
One consistent complaint, though, is that the films were not as advertised: a horror movie love story.
As a result,Twilightwas looked down upon while other films, which used the same premise but added the promised horror elements, were favored.
A major example of this was one some may not have heard of but tookTwilight’sidea in fascinating directions:Let The Right One In.
Let The Right One In Was A 2000s Vampire Movie That Couldn’t Be More Different To Twilight
Let The Right One In Plays With Horror Elements Twilight Did Not
The 2000s vampire movieLet The Right One Incould not be more different fromTwilightdespite the fact that both utilize horror and romance tropes in their stories.Let The Right OneInfollows twelve-year-old Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), who moves to a new town in Sweden and is promptly bullied by his classmates.Oskar befriends Eli (Lina Leandersson), a reclusive girl who lives in the same apartment complex and is a vampire, though that does not scare Oskar.
Though it shares the concept of a human falling for a vampire withTwilight,the film diverges in major ways.
If the extended cuts of Twilight’s Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Part 2 were to happen, there are only 2 key things they must fix to improve the movies.
Let The Right One Inleans further into the horror by showcasing the more terrifying aspects of vampirism as well as follows through with Eli’s descent into her darker side.Twilight’smost powerful vampiresdo have their moments, butEli’s acceptance of violence from herself and Oskar add to the horror even as their love story plays out positively, making the film all the more unsettling and pulling off the premiseTwilightpromised effectively.That punch in of persistent, creeping horror is whyLet The Right One Inis able to stand the test of time, even almost twenty years later.
Let The Right One In Holds Up As A Genuinely Scary Horror In 2025
The Gore And Message Make The Horror Work
Let The Right Onein uses its message and visuals to create a scary horror movie that still meets the standards of 2025’s audience, unlikeTwilight.Let The Right One Inuses mild gore and violence in ways older vampire movies did, adding a sense of otherworldliness to Eli even in her most brutal momentsand an air of mystery that the audience can see past, but the other characters cannot.
That being said, it is the film leaning into a classic romance trope that makes it so haunting even today.
That happiness between them becomes the pinnacle of the horror, somethingTwilightcould not replicate as it leaned too far away from its own darker possibilities.
Eli and Oskar are able to be one of thebest horror movie friendshipsand romance stories because their age underlines their affection for each other.That strong foundation of love between them makes the horror more poignant as the classic ‘love conquers all’ trope lets two innocents who have given into their darker sides succeedat every turn.
That happiness between them becomes the pinnacle of the horror, somethingTwilightcould not replicate as it leaned too far away from its own darker possibilities.
Based on Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling novels, the Twilight film franchise unfolds the intense and tumultuous romance between Bella Swan, a quiet high school student, and Edward Cullen, a centuries-old vampire.
Set against Forks, Washington’s moody, rain-soaked backdrop, their forbidden love story evolves amidst a world filled with otherworldly dangers and supernatural beings.
As their saga progresses, they confront malicious vampires, protective werewolves, and the mysterious laws of the vampire world
Based on Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling novels, the Twilight film franchise unfolds the intense and tumultuous romance between Bella Swan, a quiet high school student, and Edward Cullen, a centuries-old vampire. Set against Forks, Washington’s moody, rain-soaked backdrop, their forbidden love story evolves amidst a world filled with otherworldly dangers and supernatural beings. As their saga progresses, they confront malicious vampires, protective werewolves, and the mysterious laws of the vampire world
