Let the Right One In is a 2008 Swedish
romantic horror film directed by
Tomas Alfredson, based on the 2004
novel of the same title by
John Ajvide Lindqvist, who also wrote the screenplay. The film tells the story of a bullied 12-year-old boy who develops a friendship with a
vampire child in
Blackeberg, a suburb of
Stockholm, in the early 1980s. Alfredson, unconcerned with the
horror and
vampire conventions, decided to tone down many elements of the novel and focus primarily on the relationship between the two main characters. Selecting the lead actors involved a year-long process with open castings held all over Sweden. In the end, the 11-year-olds
Kåre Hedebrant and
Lina Leandersson were chosen for the leading roles. They were subsequently commended by both Alfredson and film reviewers for their performances.