Is 'Let Me In' the 'best American horror film in the last 20 years'?

I finally got to watch “Let Me In” the other night, and this is one horror movie that definitely lives up to the hype.

Shortly after the film’s Oct. 1, 2010 release, world famous horror writer Stephen King said that “Let Me In” is the “best American horror film in the last 20 years,” and, after watching it, it is hard to disagree with the “King of Horror.”

Directed by Matt Reeves, “Let Me In” takes place in 1983 and is set in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The main character is a bird-chested, 12-year-old boy, who lives with his mom in a shabby apartment and is bullied by older boys at school. The fortunes of the main character, Owen, take a turn though when he befriends a strange, little girl who has moved into an apartment down the hall. Before all is said and done, Owen learns that there’s something very different about this girl and her father. The question is, will he live long enough for it to even matter?

For those of you who have not seen this movie, I would encourage you not to read anymore about the movie’s plot because it might ruin the entire experience for you. Do like I did, that is, purposely avoid reading up on the movie, so that you’ll go into it expecting just about anything. You won’t be disappointed.

“Let Me In” is actually based on a Swedish movie, “Let the Right One In,” which came out in 2008. That movie was based on a Swedish novel of the same name, written by John Ajvide Lindqvist and published in 2004. It was translated into English in 2007, and editions of the book were released by publishers in the U.S., England and Australia.

Elias Koteas is probably the best-known actor in the English version of the movie. He plays a police detective investigating a series of strange crimes in Los Alamos. Kodi Smit-McPhee plays Owen, and Chloe Grace Moretz plays the little girl who has moved in down the hall, Abby. Actor Richard Jenkins plays the role of Thomas, who appears to be Abby’s “father.”

Even though this movie has only been out for about six months, it has already received a handful of awards. It won the Best Independent Film Award during this year’s National Board of Review of Motion Picture Awards. It also won the Best Horror Movie Award during this year’s Golden Tomato Awards. The movie has also been nominated for a score of other awards.

Despite its critical acclaim and Stephen King’s stamp of approval, “Let Me In” made a modest showing at the box office. Shot on a budget of around $20 million, the movie posted gross revenues of just over $24 million.

In the end, I thought this movie was awesome, and I highly recommend it to anyone out there that enjoys a good horror movie. Not to build this thing up too much, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

How many of you have seen this movie? How many of you have read the book? What did you think about them? Let us know in the comments section below.