Directed by Conor McMahon
Written by Conor McMahon
Starring Karl Rice, Eoin Duffy, Anthony Head
When the deadbeat Deco (Eoin Duffy) tries to worm his way back into his brother’s (Karl Rice) life after a night out, something seems a bit off. The dislike of daylight and the pale pallor aren’t that unusual, but turning down the garlic chips and the long fangs are a bit odd. It’s stranger still when a doctor (Buffy’s Anthony Head) shows up with a solution to Deco’s condition, one that involves a stake.
There’s a certain charm to Let The Wrong One In’s iconoclastic attack on the genre stereotypes. It riffs on classic Hammer and Universal tropes, then sets them against the everyday streets of Dublin. These vampires are not the doomed romantic punks of Anne Rice or Nancy A Collins, or the sparkly emos of Stephanie Meyer, they’re chavs on a night out – looking for a drink, and maybe a snog.
Let The Wrong One In is at its best when it’s crudely deconstructing these myths and bringing them slap dab into the realities of modern day Ireland. Add to this a marvellous sense of over the top gore (lifted straight from 80s video nasties), as well as the evil vampires being on an eternal Hen’s night (an interesting take on Bram Stoker’s Lucy), and you’ve got yourself an enjoyable horror comedy romp.
Unfortunately the ambition often outstrips the means, both in terms of budget and ability. For the special effects this isn’t too much of an issue, meaning that there’s predominantly a reliance on practical effects to achieve the desired results, leaning into the old school horror, and adding a layer of camp comedy to the mix. It does however become an issue when director Conor McMahon (Stitches) strives to be another Shaun of the Dead or Braindead, but just fails to capture Wright’s impeccable editorial timing, or Jackson’s quirky charm.
Still, if your name invokes one of the best vampire films of the modern era, and your imagery is littered with call backs to the classics of the genre, then you’ve got to be up to the task, and Let The Wrong One In falls short. What it is, though, is a rough gem that could use a pint or two to help with the polish. In truth, I’d take that over any amount of Morbing.
Let The Wrong One In is showing as part of the Irish Film Festival 2022. Screening at Palace Raine Square from 15-18th of September. Check the website for details and screening times.
