While we can fantasize about a Twilight movie we’d actually watch, a lot of the glitter-backlash was, luckily, channeled into Swedish vampire film Let The Right One In.
In the infinite wisdom of studio executives, they’ve decided to make an American version, retitled Let Me In (because I guess “the right one” was just too… I don’t know, I’m not even going to try to figure it out). What’s interesting is the choice of director: Matt Reeves, who made his debut with the JJ Abrams-produced Cloverfield (which, those of you who were rabid enough to first translate, subtitle, and then watch the Polish n1ckola version of lonelygirl15, may remember had an enormous Alternate Reality Game).
Enter the trailer (above) – watch it to the end.
I think it’s safe to say after the first scratch on the chalkboard I was already bringing up a morse code translator on Google. Unfortunately, all it says is “HELPME,” which, while nice and creepy and great to get people engaged, was a missed opening for an ARG that probably doesn’t exist. With the release date being in October – and I’ve got to assume it’ll be in the run-up to Halloween – now would’ve been the time to let the trailhead be found.
The morse code knocking, in case you’re wondering, isn’t a shoehorned in method of making something more web-friendly, but actually a good part of the story itself. So, ARG-creators, take note of this trailer. This is how you do a trailhead.
Only, when you guys do it, you actually, y’know, have a trailhead to release.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tubefilter. Tubefilter said: An ARG Trailhead? ‘Let Me In’ Trailer’s Missed Opportunity http://fltr.tv/aJDGfm [...]
1. Let the Right One In was not made in reaction to Twilight. Yes, you might be saying that Twilight-backlash got channeled into an embrace of Let the Right One In (arguable), but your phrasing implies a causality, where there is none.
2. This is a very weird post, since you explictly say there is no Let Me In ARG in the making (“a missed opening for an ARG that probably doesn’t exist”), yet you’re claiming this was a missed opportunity to make one. So, in essence, you’re faulting the producers of the film for not doing something they had no intention of doing. That’s fairly unhelpful.
What if I said “Let Me In was a failed opportunity to create a star vehicle for Jessica Lucas”? Equally invalid, since nobody is trying to create a star vehicle for Jessica Lucas. Using your logic, just because Matt Reeves worked with Lucas in one context, that means he might be thinking of doing so here. He is not. Write better posts.
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“just because Matt Reeves worked with Lucas in one context, that means he might be thinking of doing so here. He is not.”
However, a Matt Reeves production worked in an entire ARG for his film Cloverfield – a big one – and then in his follow up, utilizes the same methods of revealing an ARG.
If you’re using logical fallacies, yours doesn’t hold up. The proper 1:1 transfer would be: “Matt Reeves did an ARG in his previous major movie, therefore this one will have one” – with zero indication that any ARG-y elements existed.
However, here, there’s a thread to get people to go deeper, using a tried-and-true method of creating a trailhead (morse code, almost cutting in to the pacing of the trailer, pops up and leaves with no explanation), and then — hey, nothing’s there! It’s an odd thing to add for someone who was involved in one of the larger ARG/movie tie-ins and then to have nothing done with it.
Hence: Missed opportunity.
“Write better posts.” Thanks, “um!” I’ll be certain to take that wonderful note under advisement!
Keep those comments coming, guys!
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n1ckola was in polish? no wonder reversing all that audio proved useless!