Let the Right One in by John Ajvide Lindqvist

by Jack Thorne

A dark and visceral coming-of-age vampire love story, based on the acclaimed novel and film.

Oskar is a bullied, lonely, teenage boy living with his mother on a housing estate at the edge of town, when a spate of sinister killings rocks the neighbourhood.

Eli is the young girl who has just moved in next door. She doesn’t go to school and never leaves the flat by day. Sensing in each other a kindred spirit, the two become devoted friends. What Oskar doesn’t know is that Eli has been a teenager for a very long time…

Jack Thorne's adaptation of Let The Right One In premiered in June 2013 at the Dundee Rep Theatre in a production by the National Theatre of Scotland, before transferring to London's Royal Court Theatre in November 2013.

Genres: Plays, Horror, Drama, Fiction, Vampires

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About the author

Jack Thorne (born 6 December 1978) is an English screenwriter and playwright.

Born in Bristol, England, he has written for radio, theatre and film, most notably on the TV shows Skins, Cast-offs, This Is England '86, This Is England '88, This Is England '90, The Fades, The Last Panthers and the feature film The Scouting Book for Boys. He currently lives in London.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN begins dark and bloody with a string of sinister killings and a warning from the Police Commissioner not to go near the woods.

Mum is worried for Oskar too, but his only worries are the hurtful bullies at school....and Mum's drinking.

The new noisy next door neighbors turn out to be a blessing though as Oskar now has a very special (girl) friend named Eli.

"I choose not to be that. So I'm not....that."

Fair to middling coming-of-age teenage vampiric love story play. Difficult to imagine how it was staged.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw the Swedish film first, the American version, then read this play. All fall inline with one another but I am having a hard time seeing how this can be adapted to a stage due to all the acts and scene changes unless it was a very high budgeted production. It's still a beautiful yet eerie story to me.

[ButterPoached · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, the only problem is that it doesn’t really lend itself to staging very well. Can you imagine having to deal with all that blood during a two week run?

[Athena · Rating 2 out of 5]

A chopped down screenplay instead of the stage script it claims to be.

[Amanda Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dont normally like reading plays, I prefer to watch them but I rather enjoyed this!

[Maddy Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rough.

[belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

another wonderful addition to the “all vampires are queer” literary and theatrical canon

[Maya Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot believe Rosario's high school did this. Need the detailed budget (and the vor) ASAP

[Nick K · Rating 3 out of 5]

The big problem with this script is that it demands big and most likely pricey theatrics. First off, you need good actors and an extremely competent director. The dialogue is simple but there is some heavy air in between and it takes good performers and directors to figure their way through it. The words don't speak for themselves. Some pieces can get away with having mediocre performers/directors because the words are so poetic and powerful and the story relatable. This piece requires quite a bit of work, thought and skill to even be watchable.

Secondly, you would most likely need a big budget for the set and the stunts/effects that are done. Including fight choreography, the blood draining, the effect that happens to Elli when she is not welcomed in a home, the make up, the acid scene, the swimming pool, the quickly disappearing sets. All. The. Blood. It would all be a tricky and could easily border into laughable territory.

I want to like this play. I imagine a grand production with top notch theatrical talent and tech. But the fact that this script depends so much on that proved to me that it is, in fact, a weak script- one that is not universally accessible. And that's no fun. UNLESS you stage it inside a dingy are Warehouse or the likes of that. Hmm.

At any rate, I would love to see this on its feet one day.

[Graceisreadingforonce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for my scripts class and i loved it. i have no idea how the original story was written so im specifically referring to this play. The connections between eli and oskar are easy to see even with simple conversation. since the first scene i knew i would love this play. the confusion were left with still not knowing who eli is. the use of morse code is delicious.

[Steph · Rating 1 out of 5]

The novel is my favourite book but this is just... awful. There are some things that shouldn't be adapted for stage and this is one of them. It just doesn't work. Perhaps the performance would've been decent, but reading the adapted script was very underwhelming.

[Chambers Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

The one thing you don't see much in the theatre is scary plays. But Let the Right One in is very scary. A big hit in London it will only be a matter of time before it comes to America.

[Avery Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
I really need to read the novel, but I LOVE this story

[Matthew Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there's a story I love to see in adaptation, it's Let the Right One In . I also discovered after the fact that Jack Thorne is the adaptor of the better His Dark Materials , so I appreciate the man's work too. I have my questions about how some of the scenes that hew quite closely to the Swedish film adaptation might be staged, but I am also aware that the staging of a play is the work of the director and others who work on a production rather than the writer, so that shouldn't be held against it.

As with all adaptations of Let the Right One In, this version has stuff that I like and stuff that I like less but still, in the final analysis, like. I like how this adaptation is both explicit about the fact that Eli was once Elias, but that now she uses she/her pronouns and identifies as nothing except Eli. It offers a complication of Eli's gender and a challenge to Oskar's sexuality that I think is essential to the story. On the other hand, this adaptation seems to be quite clear that Eli is training Oskar to replace Haken, and that she does not feel differently about him than she does the old paedophile. Honestly, in this adaptation, that allows Eli such depth through her rejection of gender as well as her choice not to kill, that her relationship with Oskar can be presented as so shallow is disappointing. It's well done, in a way, but I think it clashes with the more interesting parts of the narrative.

[Lou Mertens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm only partway through the book and all I can say is that this is a terrible adaptation. Jack Thorne seems to be averse to complexity in the two plays I have read by him thus far. the complexity of having a pedophile as one of your main characters gets almost downplayed in the grand scheme of things and it seems like he just liked the movie.

[Sam Jameson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok play! Some of the set changes and stunts seem pretty elaborate so I’d be interested to see it put off live. I think the script is simple with room for actors to either bring the characters to life or really fumble them. I liked the choice of showing a lot more than it told. I was hoping to be scared, but instead I was only mildly interested.

[Su · Rating 5 out of 5]

The play production is incredible. One of my
Favorite shows in a long time; some Cursed Child echoes for sure. I haven't seen the film(s) nor read the book, but was so riveted by the show that I had to buy the script.

[Alex McLintock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and violent, this book is not for the feint of heart. A very different set of vampires to Twilight.

[Emma Christmas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just mind blowing. Beautifully adapted for the stage, incredibly powerful writing. Heartbreaking in places. My only question now is how on earth do I stage it?

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw this twice, now five (!) years ago, and the succinct little script holds up. Staging possibilities galore and the perfect spooky atmosphere.

[Zachary Pareizs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and pleasant read. I'm not fully sure how it works on stage, but I think the potential for fun theatricality is there.

[Rosie Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very dark and chilling. A play that will stick in your head, and the stage directions give a lot to visualise when reading opposed to watching the play. Short sharp intense scenes that pack a punch.

[Charlie Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great play that made me tear up. Would be an honour to be in this one day ! Lucky to have the chance

[Madeleine Rose Healey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slay

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wish I would've read the novel first. But it was okay.

[Jake Brooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This play seems written very filmicly. It’s hard to envision on stage.

[holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is well written but how the absolute fuck is anyone staging this. blood comes out of her face.

[Riley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the weirdest plays I've ever read

[Bleedingorange]

understandably simplified. wish i could go watch the play on stage.TAT

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good adaptation