Review: Horror Comedy 'Let The Wrong One In' Has Some Fresh and Funny Moments

Fitfully entertaining, "Let the Wrong One In" is Ireland's answer to "What We Do in the Shadows." And while it has some fresh and funny moments, it doesn't totally land as a full-length feature.

The story of writer/director Conor McMahon's horror/comedy is simple: The brother of a blue-collar worker is turned into a vampire, and he has to decide whether to help him or stake him. That's it.

Most of the film takes place in the home of Matt (Karl Rice), his brother Deco (Eoin Duffy), and their mother (Hilda Fay). Deco is the drug-abusing slacker of the family, and isn't often welcome at home, but when he is attacked one night and stumbles home the next morning, all hell breaks loose. Literally.

Deco's skin starts to smoke when he encounters sunlight; he is disgusted by food and thirsty for blood. Clearly, he's a vampire, and his brother Matt figures this out pretty darn quick. While Ma demands Deco get out of their house until he can clean up his act, Matt knows releasing him out into the world could be more damaging.

He enlists the help of vampire hunter Henry (Anthony Head, former "Watcher" to Buffy the Vampire Slayer), who has an odd connection to what has befallen Deco. He, along with Matt, try to figure out how to help Deco, while also keeping him at bay before he attacks/eats/turns another human.

McMahon's script is fast and breezy, with some good one-liners and sight gags. The thick accents might be difficult for those on this side of the pond, so some puns might be lost. While the last act travels outside of the main home, the plot is so stationary this could have almost been an effective stage comedy.

The performances are hilarious and game, with Rice the MVP. His dour, often confused visage is the perfect anecdote to Duffy's Deco, who is confident, dim, and sometimes nasty.

There's a final reel confrontation at a "dance club" where the local vampires plan on getting their feast on that is both bloody and jokey. Not everything sticks the landing, but it is certainly an amusing take on the vampire genre. It's one we've seen before, but the characterizations are what make this one stand apart.

It won't go down as a "Shaun of the Dead" classic, but it's an amusing 90 minutes for horror and droll comedy fans on either side of the pond.

"Let the Wrong One In" opens in theaters and on Digital April 1st.