Stephen King: Let Me In “the best American horror film in the last 20 years.”

Jeff Wells finds two enthusiastic endorsements for Let Me In and I’m happy to help spread the word.

King: “Let Me In is a genre-busting triumph. Not just a horror film, but King: “Let Me In is a genre-busting triumph. Not just a horror film, but the best American horror film in the last 20 years. Whether you’re a teenager or a film-lover in your 50s, you’ll be knocked out. Rush to it now. You can thank me later.”

Lindqvist: “Let The Right One In is a great Swedish movie. Let Me In is a great American movie. There are notable similarities and the spirit of Tomas Alfredson is present. But Let Me In puts the emotional pressure in different places and stands firmly on its own legs. Like the Swedish movie it made me cry, but not at the same points. Let Me In is a dark and violent love story, a beautiful piece of cinema and a respectful rendering of my novel for which I am grateful. Again.”

I’ve had my own endorsement in draft for a few days now, and the quote from Stephen King gives me confidence to post it:

In spite of the scorn before its release, I believe Let Me In is the best American horror movie of the past 25 years. And it’s the most seriously sinister vampire movie since Katherine Bigelow’s Near Dark in 1987.

I don’t know what 20-year-old horror film Mr King uses as his reference point for a cut-off date, but I’m going all the way back to 1982 and The Thing to measure my longer 25-year span. (Sasha tells me I need to see Evil Dead II, so maybe 23 years is a number we’ll agree on.) I said Let Me In is the best horror film in 25 years during the phone call for last week’s podcast, but I think that part got trimmed out in editing.

The point is, I’ve been telling anybody who’ll listen for days. If you miss Let Me In you’ll be letting a chance slip by to let Hollywood know torture-porn isn’t the only horror that sells tickets. Let Me In had a very disappointing opening weekend. You guys have another chance to vote at the box-office weekend. Please don’t blow the opportunity. Let Me In will show up on Top 10 Lists at the end of the year, and you’ll be regretting the money you spent on _________ instead.