In Los Alamos, New Mexico, the twelve year-old Owen is a lonely and outcast boy bullied in school by Kenny and two other classmates; at home, Owen dreams of avenging himself against the trio of bullies. He befriends his twelve-year-old next door neighbor, Abby, who only appears during the night in the playground of their building. Meanwhile, Abby's father is a wanted serial-killer who drains the blood of his victims to supply Abby, who is actually an ancient vampire. Abby advises Owen to fight Kenny; however, soon he discovers that she is a vampire, and he feels fear and love for the girl. Meanwhile a police officer is investigating the murder cases, believing that it is a satanic cult. Written by
Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Owen's mother's face is seen once, very briefly, throughout the entire film. See more »
Goofs
(at around 1h 40 mins) This movie takes place in 1983, yet the taxi cab that Abby gets into near the end of the movie appears to be a 1986 model. The car has a high-mount brake light, which didn't appear on cars in the U.S. until the 1986 model year. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Paramedic #1:
One-three-one to dispatch, come in.
Radio Dispatcher:
[after delay]
One-three-one, this is dispatch, go ahead.
Paramedic #1:
This is one-three-one. We have a male, mid 50s, with burns over nine to nine and a half percent of his body. Prior to our arrival on scene, the patient apparently doused his head, neck and face with some sort of highly concentrated acid. patient's airway is severely compromised due to fume inhalation. Vital signs unstable. Please advise, patient is a federal suspect. We're coming in with a ...
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Crazy Credits
The movie's end credits are in the form of black text on a white background, which is the opposite of most movie credits, which are usually white text on a black background. See more »
Given the background to this film, I must start by saying I have neither read the book it is based on, nor seen the 2008 Swedish original. After watching this masterpiece, I intend to do both.
This is a truly sensational film. When you can't really pin a film down to a specific genre, you know you're onto something special. Calling this film a "vampire movie" doesn't really do it justice, given the preconceived notions most film goers bring to the genre. It is part horror, part dark family drama, part love story, with all 3 categories succeeding admirably.
In my estimation, the director has come on in leaps and bounds since "Cloverfield", a movie with a clever idea that was hampered by a poor cast and so-so execution. Here the director sets a mood of oppression and isolation from the very earliest frames and never lets up. The locations are used superbly, as are lighting and sound to create the gloomy world poor Owen is stranded in.
The film undeniably belongs to Chloe Grace Moretz as the young vampire Abby. This girl is an absolute powerhouse of an actress, turning in a dark, subtle and convincing performance that belies her tender age of 12. If she does not make the shortlist for next year's Oscars, the Academy needs its collective head examined. She embodies the potent mixture of lovable innocence and animalistic darkness within Abby with such ease, you will be genuinely astounded.
My fellow Aussie, Kodi Smit-McPhee, is also excellent, making you really feel for the put-upon Owen and share in his joy at finding a spark of happiness with the mysterious Abby. The entire film falls apart if this pair fail to convince, so it is a testimony to their respective talents (particularly Moretz') that you invest so heavily in their relationship.
Don't let the press about this film being a remake put you off. I must say I'm very disappointed to see this hasn't done too well at the box office in the USA, as it is a vastly superior film to the likes of "Paranormal Activity 2".
If anyone is in two minds about seeing this film, take the gamble and shell out your hard-earned. You'll be glad you did, if for no other reason than witnessing one of the most impressive performances by a child actor in cinema history.
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Given the background to this film, I must start by saying I have neither read the book it is based on, nor seen the 2008 Swedish original. After watching this masterpiece, I intend to do both.
This is a truly sensational film. When you can't really pin a film down to a specific genre, you know you're onto something special. Calling this film a "vampire movie" doesn't really do it justice, given the preconceived notions most film goers bring to the genre. It is part horror, part dark family drama, part love story, with all 3 categories succeeding admirably.
In my estimation, the director has come on in leaps and bounds since "Cloverfield", a movie with a clever idea that was hampered by a poor cast and so-so execution. Here the director sets a mood of oppression and isolation from the very earliest frames and never lets up. The locations are used superbly, as are lighting and sound to create the gloomy world poor Owen is stranded in.
The film undeniably belongs to Chloe Grace Moretz as the young vampire Abby. This girl is an absolute powerhouse of an actress, turning in a dark, subtle and convincing performance that belies her tender age of 12. If she does not make the shortlist for next year's Oscars, the Academy needs its collective head examined. She embodies the potent mixture of lovable innocence and animalistic darkness within Abby with such ease, you will be genuinely astounded.
My fellow Aussie, Kodi Smit-McPhee, is also excellent, making you really feel for the put-upon Owen and share in his joy at finding a spark of happiness with the mysterious Abby. The entire film falls apart if this pair fail to convince, so it is a testimony to their respective talents (particularly Moretz') that you invest so heavily in their relationship.
Don't let the press about this film being a remake put you off. I must say I'm very disappointed to see this hasn't done too well at the box office in the USA, as it is a vastly superior film to the likes of "Paranormal Activity 2".
If anyone is in two minds about seeing this film, take the gamble and shell out your hard-earned. You'll be glad you did, if for no other reason than witnessing one of the most impressive performances by a child actor in cinema history.