Entertainment NOW

2 • October 9 - 15, 2022 Entertainment Now By Kyla Brewer TV Media A s Halloween draws near, it's time for stories about things that go bump in the night. The latest TV horror drama follows a father and his vampire daughter as they struggle to keep their terrifying secret. Demián Bichir ("A Better Life," 2011) stars as Mark Kane, who moves to New York with his daughter, Eleanor (Madison Taylor Baez, "Selena: The Series"), in the premiere of "Let the Right One In," airing Sunday, Oct. 9, on Showtime. Ten years earlier, 12-year-old Eleanor was turned into a vampire, and now she is seemingly doomed to spend the rest of her days in a child's body unless her desperate father can find a cure. While viewers can expect action, blood and plenty of sus- pense, "Let the Right One In" is not a typical vampire story. It explores a father's devotion to his daughter and his desperate hope to set things right. Bichir, who also serves as a producer for the series, explained the premise in a July article for EW. "This is the story of a father and his daughter and all the ob- stacles they have to conquer and overcome in order to keep them- selves alive," Bichir said. "Mark's daughter has been infected, so to speak, with a very, very strange and terrible virus, disease, howev- er you want to call it. I'm saying [it like] this because, to me, this story goes beyond any vampire story. To me, this is about many other things that we're actually experi- encing. It's about how difficult it is in any society for anyone to be different and to try to fit in." The 10-episode series is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist, which cen- tered on the relationship between a troubled 12-year-old boy and a centuries-old child vampire. The Showtime production is the latest in a number of adaptations of the work, which include two indie films — "Let the Right One In" (2008) and "Let Me In" (2010) — and an English-language stage play that premiered in 2013. Tomorrow Studios first tried to bring the story to American TV audiences back in 2015 when a production was developed for A&E and A+E Studios, but within a year the project had been moved to cable channel TNT. That version was reportedly closer to the source material, and though a pilot was ordered and cast, it did not make it to the production stage. It was passed over in 2017. The studio persevered and shopped it around until it landed at Showtime, where it was re- tooled with a new writer. Andrew Hinderaker, who worked with Showtime as a writ- er for the horror/fantasy series "Penny Dreadful," signed on to write the pilot for "Let the Right One In" and also serves as show- runner and an executive producer. His version of the series delves deeper into the relationship be- tween the "young" vampire and her adult caretaker, who, in this case, is her father, Mark. Showtime's version of the source material features fasci- nating characters played by a diverse cast of talented perform- ers. Mexican actor Bichir is an Academy Award nominee, having earned an Oscar nom for his work in the 2011 film "A Better Life." He is also known for playing Fidel Castro in "Che" (2008), though American audiences may be more familiar with him from his roles in "The Hateful Eight" (2015) and "The Nun" (2018). Cover Story Madison Taylor Baez in "Let the Right One In" Invitation only: Showtime welcomes the 'Right One In' Ready Rental 3 x 4 Hayley Siefert 3 x 2 Letters & Numbers Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 4x4 box contains the digits 1 through 9 AND the letters A-F. Solution on page 12. Advertise Your Business In Call Advertising at 217-477-5105

• Cover