Let the right one in

• 1. Let the Right One In
  Evaluation of sound used in the popular 2008 film.
  By Lucy Rogers
  

2. The Film
A fragile, anxious boy, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates but never strikes back. The lonely boys wish for a friend seems to comes true when he meets Eli, also 12, who moves in next door to him. But Elis arrival coincides with a series of gruesome deaths and attacks. Though Oskar realizes that she's a vampire, his friendship with her is stronger than his fear... Swedish filmmaker Tomas Alfredson weaves friendship, rejection and loyalty into a disturbing, darkly atmospheric, yet unexpectedly tender tableau of adolescence. The feature is based on the best-selling novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, which the U.K. press qualified as "reminiscent of Stephen King at his best."
Let The Right One In was a international bestseller as a book, The title of the film (as well as the novel upon which it was based) refers to the Morrissey song "Let the Right One Slip In". In addition, it also refers to the fact that, according to vampire myths, vampires must be invited in before they can enter someone's home (this is shown in the film when Eli asks Oskar to invite her into his apartment).
3. The opening minutes
At the opening of the beginning of the film, there is a deathly silence, indicating to the audience immediately that something isnt right, and that silence will actually be a key element in the sound used in Let The Right One In. Interrupting this sound is a eerie humming, and the noise amplifies but the boy that is humming (Oskar) is the only noise the audience can actually hear, apart from the foot prints being made on the snow as he is walking. I noticed this noise quite a lot through out the whole film, simply because of where its set. The foot prints in the snow work really well throughout the film as it gives an indication to the audience whether or not someone else was in the scene, adding a more mysterious horror element and made tension, as you could normally hear them before actually seeing them.
4. Still of Kre Hedebrant (Oskar), the gym bullying scene
5. The First Murder
During the first murder the lack of noise is continuous through out, as you can mainly just hear the breathing, and the rope, enabling the audience to focus on what was going on, and to feel the victims terror. It was also effective because when Elis father figure cuts the throat of the victim, its all you can hear with the blood pouring out. This is to disturb and disgust us, which worked.
I noticed that barely any music was played through out the film, no songs with actual lyrics, there seemed a almost silence throughout the film, like something wasnt being said. I think this could relate to at the start Oskar is cutting out murder articles from a newspaper and sticks it in to a scrap book, that holds other articles, and images from murder cases. From a young age, as Oskar is only 12 for him to be doing this and to be taking an interest in this would be quite worrying.
When he is school in the toilet, there is a mysterious whisper calling his name, we dont see where it is coming from or why its there, the scene just carries on. The noise is amplified at the end of his name. Through out the only music I could hear was gentle piano playing, used to fill up silences such as when he was travelling from one of his parents house to another parent.
6. Still of Lina Leandersson (Eli) after one of the murder scenes
7. The Second Murder
On the second murder, Eli is tricking a victim into coming close to her so that she can kill him for his blood, when she pleads for help the noise echoes in the tunnel, and because you cant see her the noise is all the viewers have to focus on and to achieve a sense of what is going on. Then when you see her attack the stranger, her sound is amplified so that again the element of gore is achieved by letting the audience hear her slobbering and eating, making the audience really repulsed. But then because it has been amplified, the sound of her crying is louder, and this is because it is trying to tell the audience how bad she feels and how disgusted she is at herself.
The muffled shouts from her Dad through the wall worked well because it made us wonder from Oskars perspective, making the audience wonder more about the storyline and Elis character, and because of the muffled voices it draws the audience in and makes them feel like theyre sitting next to Oskar listening at the wall too. The next morning, the birds tweeting away is almost ironic, as its quite happy. Again the high pitched piano music starts playing, its positive happy music, its unnerving to hear it after what had happened the night before, but it then sounds more negative and changes into a more minor chord.
8. Eli & Oskar
When Eli is at the hospital, eerie music starts playing, and this is clear that something bad is about to happen and gore is shown. This follows the codes and conventions set from horror films, as it is a really popular effect. It wouldve worked though if the music actually wasnt there, orBut after this, when Eli & Oskar are in the room together, and are talking about them going steady when they hold hands the slow piano music starts to play again, representing a more positive outlook on things, and shows a hope for change for both Eli and Oskar.
When Oskar is alone, he puts on some music, its quite odd as it is in Swedish, and we cant understand it, and because it is on a old record player. It sounds pretty disturbing and slightly distorted, which is typical horror type effects. The music just randomly stops when Eli and Oskar start talking, I didnt actually realise it had stopped until a few seconds after. I found it odd, how it didnt just go quieter, but it just stopped, as if what they were saying was really important.
9. The Trailer
The minimal sound used creates a maximum effect in the film, I mean this in the way that it enhances the chill of the whole film, and creates much more suspense. Also, the less sound effect the film appears to have, the more effective the film is in the way that the audience appreciate the main focus being on the characters and the story line. Here is the trailer for Let the Right One In, and the minimal sound lasts up to45 seconds and the whole trailer is only 1 minute and 42 seconds long, this shows the extent as to how long the directors could drag out the minimal sound for and how it really does work, the build up of tension is to the highest that it could possibly be when there is a transition onto the next scene.
10. THE TRAILER.
To play it, hover your mouse over the video and a play option should appear underneath it.