Thanks! I came here via Google, seeking fan discussion about both movies.A new user. Welcome Franklin!
I love both movies, BTW. I see them as two different takes on the same story, each with its own theme, and each with different characters that fulfill similar functions in their respective versions. But I see the three principal characters as different from their counterparts.
For example, there's really a strong homosexual subtext in LTROI (no, not Oskar's dad, who's a drunkard), which I find makes that movie version of the novel quite interesting. It's more of a Renfield-enchanted-by-Dracula deal (and there have been academic writings about Renfield being sexually repressed and attracted to Dracula -- admittedly, I fancy myself an armchair "academic" of sorts of old school vampire mythology).
In LMI, Reeves (and I wonder how intentional this was on his part) swapped out the homosexual subtext and made Abby basically a vampire version of Lolita, and Thomas into the old Humbert (the old man perve who lusts after 12-year-old Lolita) and Owen represents the young Humbert (who first fell in love with a girl when he was 12). When watched in this context, the parallels are striking between LMI and the novel Lolita.
Let me present this question: Is the original novel canon to the first movie? Are the various drafts of the screenplay to the LTROI movie canon as well? And, likewise, are the two known drafts of the LMI screenplay canon to the final cut of the movie?Do you consider the Dark Horse comics as canon? Considering that Matt had no input into them, and John himself despised the very idea...
I look at it this way: nothing is "canon" unless it is shot live-action with actors. Everything else should be considered secondary.
That said, I consider and propose this because it makes things easier: the first movie is more closely tied to the novel, so the novel can be used as reference to provide deeper insight into that movie's characters and plot -- as long as a certain thing does not conflict with the final cut of that movie.
I don't consider the novel as "reliable" enough in providing us with much deeper insight into Abby and Thomas (or for that matter Owen) in LMI. LMI is best thought of as a "spin-off" or retelling of the novel.
So with LMI, I would propose the most reliable literary sources to reference would be the final draft of the screenplay and the prequel comic. And so far nothing much in the screenplay or comic conflicts with what we see in the final cut of LMI -- both sources provide more insight into the characters, especially of Abby and Thomas.
No, I do not consider the comic "canon," per se (or the final screenplay draft). But they are the most reliable and closest sources we get into what's going on with Abby and Thomas, and the performances of the actors (Moretz and Jenkins) only re-enforces it. And I don't think it matters that neither Reeves or Lindqvist are involved with the comic -- Hammer officially sanctions it, and from what I've read the artist and writer have had to make changes to the story and characters to satisfy what Hammer's people handling the LMI license have established roughly what they envision of Abby (and Thomas). Who knows what that process is like or who is involved (it's rumored that Moretz' brother has to look over all the artwork and give the stamp of approval for the way his sister's image is depicted), but it's established pretty clear now in this comic that Abby and Thomas are a "couple".
Again, I don't consider Owen + Abby the same as Oskar + Eli. Although similar, they are two pairs of different characters with different personal motivations and fates.But I do agree that Abby and The Father had an intimate and romantic relationship. Perhaps not physical intimacy - I don't think the film gives any guidance on that one way or the other. I'd like to think they were not, otherwise it just removes Owen and Abby's relationship even further from the pure love relationship between Oskar and Eli.
I think the question we're all dancing around is, to put it bluntly, do Abby and Thomas "do it"? There's no definite answer to that in the movie or in the screenplay or comic. But I gotta say that they most likely did when he was young. I myself would like to believe he stopped sexing her ages ago, partly out of shame -- so, in this regard, the guy isn't like Hakan, who (very likely) is a pederast.
As others have pointed out, in the scene when Abby enters Thomas' room and orders him to "move," he is looking at (what will later be revealed to be) the photobooth photo strip of himself and Abby. This particular prop is not mentioned in the final screenplay (Thomas is reading something in this scene). So it may have been improvised by Jenkins and Reeves on set. But it works well in that, in hindsight, it suggests he is thinking back to when he first met her, and when he was a boy -- he misses himself as a boy. And now Abby enters his room, ordering him to leave, so she can communicate with a boy, who will soon replace him in her life. That really bites for Thomas. Interestingly, this sentimental prop shows up in the prequel comic -- Abby is depicted looking at it, and the feeling I got from it is that she too misses the Thomas she first met and probably fell in love with.
It really seems that throughout LMI Abby is grooming Owen, though she is reluctant to do so at first. After she asks him if he likes her, she starts to gradually brush his hand with hers, eventually leading up to her suddenly kissing him one night. After she mercy-kills Thomas, she flies over to Owen's bedroom, strips naked, and gets in bed with him. (Um, and rhetorically asking, *why* does she do this, instead of jumping into the shower first at her place to wash off Thomas' blood?) Vamp-girl knows what she is doing.
Regarding the limited-series comic (which will only be 4 issues), reportedly it is selling well enough that Hammer and Dark Horse are considering doing more of them. I'd like to see it as a monthly, on-going series that is set prior to Abby meeting Thomas. (They should save the story of how the two first met for a direct-to-DVD/Blu-ray movie, which would probably star a new actress as Abby.)
Anyway, great discussions on this forum. And to anyone who loved LMI as its own story, apart from LTROI (movie and novel), I highly recommend checking out the final draft screenplay (Reeves is a good writer), and the prequel comic.
Even so, I am with you all the way that the only real "canon" regarding what was put on the screen in Let Me In is what was put on the screen in Let Me In. Even excellent and regretfully deleted "be me a little" scene is not canon. The only canon is what was between the credits.
