Kind of ironic that there is a trailer for the Royal Court's new play Let The Right One In when it most likely owes its existence to the 2008 Swedish film adaption of the John Ajvide Lindqvist novel. (And it is actually quite a good trailer, for once, see for yourself below.)

I loved the film to the point where I refused to see the 2010 English language remake (renamed Let Me In) as I couldn't see how it could be bettered or the chill atmosphere of the Swedish landscape recreated. So I'm both curious and nervous about how it is being produced on the stage.

Let the Right One In is a vampire love story that is a real departure from the usual teenage, hormone-laden versions that have proliferated TV and cinema screens in recent years primarily because the protagonists are children. The actors that played the leads, Eli and Oskar, in the film gave beautifully understated performances and had a quiet and innocent reflection about them which made the occasional scenes of bloody violence all the more affecting.

They were 12/13 years old when they made the film and I worry about whether the inevitably older stage actors will be able to capture that innocence. If they do, it could be cracking. 

No doubt there are devices unique to theatre that can be employed to recreate the atmosphere of a gothic thriller and that is certainly something I'm equally curious about. Hopefully I'll get the chance to find out whether they have pulled it off on Monday, day seat tickets permitting.