Matt Reeves, 15 (116min)
In the fantastically frightening Cloverfield, Reeves pointed a small, shaky camera at a very big monster that was trashing New York. In this film, his emphasis is reversed — the monster is very small and the production is absolutely pristine, with gorgeous, icy cinematography, a haunting, elegiac score (by Michael Giacchino) and ominous, rumbling sound design.
A remake of the acclaimed 2008 Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, now transposed to wintery New Mexico, it’s the story of a young boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee of The Road) who befriends his new neighbour, a mysterious 12-year-old girl (Chloë Moretz of Kick-Ass infamy), who is hiding a bloody secret. The two leads are terrific and are given sturdy support from the adult actors Elias Koteas and Richard Jenkins. Reeves has a firm handle on the material: the key set pieces are breathtaking, including a car crash (detailed in the extras) that echoes Jenkins’s early demise in Six Feet Under. It could have done with more frights, but it’s better than the original.
(DVD/Blu-Ray; out Mon)