We, The Infected

I've borrowed my LTROI DVD to a colleague from work; asked if she liked it she said that her husband pre-screened the movie and decided it's unsuitable for her because of its gruesomeness. Around that time I was trying to get as many people as I could to see this movie. Recently I've decided to borrow the DVD to our trainee. She took a day off, and when she got back I asked her about her impressions. The answer I got was that she only managed to get as far as to the scene when Hakan drained his first victim of blood; then she stopped watching for fear it might get worse.

Perhaps it's the thing with the females in my country (I live in Poland) are - well - gentler than elsewhere. Or perhaps it's something else. No amount of persuasion could get them to re-consider their choice. On my part I'm simply embarrassed when I think that LTROI could have made anyone scared.

The one Polish girl I know is rather the brash type, she must be pretty atypical.

Someone that watched the film on my recommendation liked it, and when I told him about Eli formerly being Elias, he said 'The boy [the one called Oskar ] is very modern, and I'm too young to watch such films' - he's over twice my age. He still likes it, though.

In the UK the film was rated 15, so clearly the board of censors wasn't too bothered about what was shown.

Regarding violence in horror films in general, I can't help thinking that this is always going to appeal more to men than women. Personally I don't like graphic violence and refused to watch "No country for old men" because of ofthe strangulation scene at the start, so I can understand that putting someone off. Having said that I wasn't that bothered about what was shown in LTROI, so credit to TA for that.

But then, the scene you mentioned IS rather extreme.

I find it amusing, the thought of pre screening something before giving my wife approval to view it. I think if I did that, I wouldn't be able to sit down for a week!!

Seriously though, LTROI is tame compared to what passes for horror films these days, and I don't consider it to be a true horror film as such, even though it has horrific elements. I think I am desensitized to graphic violence through living through the UK Video Nasties farce.

Well, the shot of Håkan's last breath is pretty graphic - particularly because it is a closeup.

gareth1971 wrote:I find it amusing, the thought of pre screening something before giving my wife approval to view it. I think if I did that, I wouldn't be able to sit down for a week!!

Ha, I agree. Having to pre-screen something for someone else sounds a bit silly
But, hey, what should I know?

When I showed this to my sister, she said she was creeped out by Eli, and as I've said before, had a nightmare about her after that. She's adjusted to her now though.

Through what I've read on comments on YT, it seems as though most of the audience that's watched LTROI, wasn't scared or creeped out or anything.
When I watched it, yeah, I was bit shocked of a few of the scenes, but it makes the movie just that more awesome.

I don't think people in the US, as far as I'm concerned, would have a problem with with the horror dimensions in this.
There's SAW and The Hills Have Eyes. I'd like to see the females in your country of Poland watch SAW They'd flip out.

My daughters watched this with me. Ages? 4 and 6.

They are more creeped out by Oskar being whipped and the lake scene. They hid behind couch cushions genuinely feared for Oskar's life. They sat wide-eyed as they watched Eli nom Jocke, Ginia and Lacke. Håkan's mutilated face didn't even faze them. They stared at it even when his breath came out from that huge gaping hole.

When Oskar was held underwater, my eldest daughter had tears rolling out of her eyes.

As one reviewer did say, the true moments of horror are the bullying of Oskar.

genie47 wrote:As one reviewer did say, the true moments of horror are the bullying of Oskar.

All the more so because as Tomas pointed out only Eli {i]has[/i] to engage in violent acts to survive. Everyone else in the film chooses to engage in horrible acts. Tomas underscores this for us by shooting Eli's violence at a distance, while the violence Håkan and especially the bullies are up close.

I agree that the real horror in Let The Right One In comes form the humans - not the vampire.

genie47 wrote:My daughters watched this with me. Ages? 4 and 6.

Genie, you are officially the coolest Dad ever!