If you could change ONE thing...

[Alaska]

Interesting thing about the name change is that it really was unnecessary. Oskar (Oscar) is not that unusual in the US and Eli's name was a bit unusual anyway, but even changing it to Ellie would have been quite acceptable.

Exactly. Oscar with a C is a perfectly normal English name, and Eli could have been changed to Ellie or even Elly, if they like the look of an 'y' so much.
The name Abby makes no sense at all, because one: it doesn't sound like a name from another age, and two: it's not short for any boys name. I know they made Abby a girl, but I would have liked it if they had kept with the old names.

Hard to pick one thing. But the story itself is more important then the names or the music. (Even though I agree with a post below the soundtrack was too pushy)
So if I could change one thing it would be not to include the photo from Abby and her caretaker.
It just changes the whole point of the story that is Let the Right One In. I know some people say Abby isn't manipulating, but still, it takes away the specialness of their relationship. The core of the story seems changed, more like it is about a cycle around a vampire instead of a special relationship between two lonely children.
So I would do that.

[DavidZahir]

Gotta say--I assumed Abby short for Abigail, which is a pretty old name. Quite common two hundred years ago. Eli on the other hand sounds like Ellie, short for Eleanor or maybe Elena. Never seemed like something from another age.

[Bioroid]

I've played around with the idea that if you REALLY want to go the "Abby is a former boy" route (something I've always liked to try to read into the film), Abby could be a form of Abner, Abel, Absalom, or Abraham (stretching it on that one). All names from the Bible, which were quite common around Abby's time period.

Less common were names like Abelard or Abbott, and ironically Abby in the form of "Abbey" is a boy's name, funnily enough.

[S_Oceanus]

I thought there was too much unnecessary suspence music in there.

[Alaska]

Gotta say--I assumed Abby short for Abigail, which is a pretty old name. Quite common two hundred years ago. Eli on the other hand sounds like Ellie, short for Eleanor or maybe Elena. Never seemed like something from another age.

I've thought about Abraham. Abigail didn't come to my mind, that's a good one.

Well Eli doesn't come from Eleanor or Elena, it comes from Elias. Which is also an old name. I hadn't assiociated the names Eleanor or Elena with Eli at all, but Eleanor also is a very old name. I'm pretty sure you know Eleanor Marx, the female socialist from the eighteenth century. Not something from another age? I think so. The name Elena has also been around for ages. But it doesn't matter how old those female names are, Eli was a boy and he was called Elias.

[DavidZahir]

In LMI the whole question of Abby's gender was dropped (as it was mostly in LTROI) out of belief (stated by Reeves) that it would overwhelm the story. Cannot say as I blame him on that one. My point was simply that Abby is based on an old, old name. Abby is clearly not Eli/Elias--not least because Chloe Grace Moretz was/is very clearly a girl. I suppose one could make the argument that Abby just seems like a girl, but was a very girly little boy--but that is a matter for another (and pre-existing) thread.

[Alaska]

Hmm I don't think it overwhelms the story personally, Eli's true gender in Let the Right One In didn't bother me in the least. But I realise some people do, and especially since it was made for a large release in America where not everyone might be that openminded yet. So I can forgive the fact they dropped the gender issue. The gender isn't the most important, it's about the relationship between two beings. (Still I think transgenderism should be accepted more and they shouldn't avoid it in films, but that's just my opinion and I'm getting really off-topic now )

[cmfireflies]

I changed my mind about the thing I want to change. I would have included the "do you want to be like me scene" That would make Abby much more sympathetic because a manipulative vampire would never ask that question.

[drakkar]

I think I would have removed much of the ambiguity about Abby, and made LMI more coherent (?) in the direction of a pure horror movie. Not an evil, manipulating Abby, but an Abby that did what she had to do seen from a 12 y old's perspective. Selfish and manipulative - yes, about what you could expect from a 12 years old. To me, the cinematography in LMI isn't suited to carry too much subtleties and ambiguity, it comes across as too direct.
Then, after doing that, it might have been necessary to reconsider the score.

[gymmy64]

I'll have to agree with those who want the deleted "Be me a little" back in the film. I understand the reasons it was removed, but perhaps there could have been a way to insert some version of it in the final cut.

Abby is clearly not Eli/Elias--not least because Chloe Grace Moretz was/is very clearly a girl.

Agreed. If they were trying to go that route, then using Chloë worked against it...she is clearly a young girl just starting to turn into a young woman in the film. I remember seeing her in San Diego the summer of 2009 and thinking, they'd better hurry up and start filming Let Me In before it's too late.