{"id":2101746,"date":"2025-10-19T12:28:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T12:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2101746"},"modified":"2025-10-19T12:28:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T12:28:13","slug":"stephen-king-loves-a-2010-vampire-movie-that-flew-under-everyones-radar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/stephen-king-loves-a-2010-vampire-movie-that-flew-under-everyones-radar\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen King Loves A 2010 Vampire Movie That Flew Under Everyone&#8217;s Radar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When he&#8217;s not writing our next horror obsession, Stephen King loves taking in pop culture made by others. In 2010, while he was a regular columnist for Entertainment Weekly \u2014 a stint that lasted from 2003 to 2011 \u2014 he declared his love for 10 films in particular, including everything from &#8220;Jackass 3D&#8221; to &#8220;The Social Network.&#8221; But number one on that list may be a bit of a surprise, especially for those who missed the fact that this horror movie came out at all: &#8220;Let Me In.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The movie, which is based\u00a0on John Ajvide Lindqvist&#8217;s 2004 novel and remakes its 2008 Swedish adaptation, &#8220;Let the Right One In&#8221; (itself No. 2 on our list of\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.looper.com\/1907455\/best-vampire-movies-ranked\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:best vampire movies ever;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">best vampire movies ever<\/a> made),\u00a0centers on a bullied 12-year-old boy, Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and his friend and eventual paramour, a vampire named Abby (Chloe Grace Moretz). King found it both beautiful and frightening, writing, &#8220;Moving and bloodthirsty, tender and horrifying, sweet and gruesome. These beautifully drawn contrasts \u2014 plus the bleak snowscape of Los Alamos, New Mexico \u2014 make &#8216;Let Me In&#8217; the best remake &#8230; of the year, and the best horror film of the decade.&#8221; Here is everything you need to know about what &#8220;Let Me In&#8221; is about, and if King has personally written anything quite like it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read more: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.looper.com\/36840\/shocking-movie-endings\/?zsource=yahoo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The Most Shocking Movie Endings;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">The Most Shocking Movie Endings<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">What is Let Me In about?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Abby stares through her reflection in Let Me In &#8211; Overture Films\/Relativity Media<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Let Me In&#8221; opens with a tense scene that lacks context. A man who&#8217;s been grossly disfigured by acid is taken to the hospital. Once he&#8217;s left alone, he jumps out of the window to his death. Then the movie flashes back to two weeks earlier.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It&#8217;s 1983 in the dead of winter when Owen meets Abby. She looks like she&#8217;s about his age, and she&#8217;s moving into the apartment next door. During that first interaction, she tells him they can&#8217;t be friends. The pair quickly become close anyway, regardless of her warning. Meanwhile, Abby&#8217;s &#8220;father,&#8221; Thomas (Richard Jenkins), kills a boy by draining his blood. Instead of bringing any of the precious fluid home to Abby \u2014 Thomas is not, himself, a vampire \u2014 he accidentally spills it. Hunger forces Abby to drink a neighbor&#8217;s blood instead. Thomas later tries again to get blood for Abby, but when he&#8217;s about to be captured, he pours acid over himself to at least make him unrecognizable. It&#8217;s an act that keeps Abby safe. At the hospital, Thomas lets the girl drink of him before plummeting to his death \u2014 that harrowing opening scene now has an explanation. Owen eventually discovers for himself that Abby is a vampire, and his new friend proves her loyalty to him by dismembering his bullies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While &#8220;Let Me In&#8221; and its Swedish original share a lot of common traits, there&#8217;s some divergences. That&#8217;s especially true of the setting, which is Los Alamos in &#8220;Let Me In&#8221; and Stockholm in the Swedish version. The characters&#8217; names naturally follow, changing from Oskar and Eli in &#8220;Let The Right One In&#8221; to the American-sounding Owen and Abby in the remake. The two films otherwise remain similar, although &#8220;Let Me In&#8221; lays in an undertone of unmissable Americana, including references to Ronald Reagan.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">Has Stephen King written anything in the vampire genre?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Barlow showing his fangs in the 1979 adaptation of Salem's Lot\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/_1FqyE8GzjvcXVqAYqcoJg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUzOTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/looper_828\/df311a91a1b846b0b38790f3419b0898\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Barlow showing his fangs in the 1979 adaptation of Salem&#8217;s Lot &#8211; Warner Bros.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Yes, Stephen King has written multiple novels and short stories in the vampire genre. His most notable work is his second novel, 1975&#8217;s &#8220;Salem&#8217;s Lot,&#8221; which is No. 10 on our list of\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.looper.com\/1843061\/best-stephen-king-books-ranked\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:best Stephen King books;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">best Stephen King books<\/a>. In it, Kurt Barlow, an ancient vampire, settles down in Jerusalem&#8217;s Lot, Maine, and manages to turn just about everyone in town before the horror is over. The book has been adapted for film and television three times. The best version is still the &#8217;79 miniseries, even though it&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/movies\/articles\/troubled-stephen-king-movie-taking-175743376.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:the troubled 2024 version that's topping HBO Max's streaming charts;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">the troubled 2024 version that&#8217;s topping HBO Max&#8217;s streaming charts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">King also expanded on his vision of vampires in short stories, notably those continuing the &#8220;Salem&#8217;s Lot&#8221; saga. That includes a sequel story, &#8220;One for the Road,&#8221; and the prequel &#8220;Jerusalem&#8217;s Lot.&#8221; He also introduced vampires (partially via the Lot&#8217;s troubled priest, Father Callahan)\u00a0to his Dark Tower epic during &#8220;Wolves of the Calla,&#8221; &#8220;Song of Susannah,&#8221; and &#8220;The Dark Tower&#8221; itself. King eventually establishes that, in his fictional world, there are different kinds of vamps. They are classified as Type Ones, which are hundreds of years old, Type Twos, which are recently turned humans, and Type Threes, which are infected but not dangerous.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Despite his love for these fanged horrors, King probably could never have written the novel for &#8220;Let the Right One In&#8221; or scripted its adaptations. The plot is too quiet and contemplative for his more active, rural American style, but that&#8217;s no insult. This kind of authorial diversity shows off the narrative flexibility of the vampire. While many readers think of these creatures as fueled by some ancient, relentless evil, they can also be young, innocent, and even genuinely romantic. It&#8217;s that complicated potential that makes vampires especially intriguing among movie monsters. &#8220;Let Me In&#8221; proves that in spades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If you enjoyed this article, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/subscribe.looper.com\/newsletter-syndicated\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:sign up to our free newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">sign up to our free newsletter<\/a> for the biggest movie and TV news delivered straight to your inbox. You can also <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=looper.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:add us as a preferred search source;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">add us as a preferred search source<\/a> on Google.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.looper.com\/1996201\/stephen-king-loved-horror-vampire-movie-let-me-in-review\/?zsource=yahoo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:original article on Looper;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">original article on Looper<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When he&#8217;s not writing our next horror obsession, Stephen King loves taking in pop culture made by others. In 2010, while he was a regular columnist for Entertainment Weekly \u2014 a stint that lasted from 2003 to 2011 \u2014 he declared his love for 10 films in particular, including everything from &#8220;Jackass 3D&#8221; to &#8220;The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2101747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[397381,341431,321792,397380,52282,377160],"class_list":["post-2101746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-abby","tag-chloe-grace-moretz","tag-horror-movie","tag-john-ajvide-lindqvist","tag-stephen-king","tag-vampire-movies"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Stephen-King-Loves-A-2010-Vampire-Movie-That-Flew-Under.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2101746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2101746"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2101746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2101748,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2101746\/revisions\/2101748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2101747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2101746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2101746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2101746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}