Oskar and Eli, both outsiders, meet in the courtyard of their apartment complex near Stockholm. Bullied and lonely, Oskar welcomes any positive attention so he and Eli begin an awkward friendship/romance. Is this a charming coming of age film with a wise old grandfather and an enlightened teacher? Not quite. You see, Eli can’t go out in the daylight much or she’ll catch fire and she never knows what she looks like either since she can’t see her reflection in mirrors. Yup. Eli’s a vampire. That doesn’t sway Oskar though and the two twelve-year-olds continue to get closer despite the rising local death-toll.

I liked this film. Director Tomas Alfredson takes time to show us the beautiful countryside and the violent attacks. He also does a lovely job showing us Oskar’s relationship with his divorced parents, his teachers, and the classmates who torment him. As brutal as the murders are, we still like Eli and Oskar. The innocence of their love for each other makes us cheer for them.

John Ajvide Lindqvist wrote the novel and screenplay and he does the show, don’t tell thing rather well. His characters don’t say much. Their actions speak for them. The mostly Swedish cast all acquit themselves well here and the production design and costumes defined the characters as well.

No kidding, pal.

This film was a happy surprise. I knew almost nothing about it ahead of time and I really enjoyed it. It had an odd atmosphere for a horror film with suburban Stockholm standing in for Transylvania or London. Kåre Hedebrant was sweet and vulnerable as Oskar and Lina Leandersson did the emo pre-teens proud as Eli. The film also touched on sexual identity, but didn’t make a big thing of it. That made sense since the two leads are children who loved each other. Their sex didn’t matter to them so why should it to us? Of course the main characters do murder people and a sad future awaits so there is darkness at the edge of Stockholm. I liked it anyway. Let the Right One In was a thoughtful and different take on the vampire myth.

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In 1780, an African prince, Mamawalde of Abani (William Marshall) and his wife, Luva (Vonetta McGee) attend a dinner party at the home of the gracious Count Dracula. After the other guests have gone, Mamawalde and Luva remain for a private word with the count. After a brandy and some banter, the prince asks the count if he will side with him publicly in his mission to outlaw slavery in Europe. Instead of support or an argument, Prince Mamawalde gets laughter and a bite on the neck. The evil count imprisons the newly undead prince in a sealed coffin and his wife in an attic prison beside him.

Cut to the 1970s and a couple of flamboyantly and stereotypically gay antiques dealers buy the entire contents of Count Dracula’s castle and ship it to Los Angeles to sell in their shop. Of course they buy the coffin too and in doing so unleash Blacula on an unsuspecting Los Angeles.

Blacula cuts a swath of brutal murders across the city which prompts criminal psychologist Dr. Gordon Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala) to investigate. Thomas’ lab assistant and girlfriend, Michelle (Denise Nicholas) also happens to be the sister of Tina who looks amazingly like Blacula’s long lost love, Luva. So there you have it. Blacula and Tina/Luva fall in love instantly and despite her friends’ suspicions that Mamawalde comes on a little strong and creepy, Tina launches into a passionate affair with him. All hell breaks loose and then you have cops chasing a vampire through the nightclubs and warehouses of 70s LA.

Blacula is a fun film and despite the blaxploitation label and rather obvious title, the film isn’t the racist mess I was expecting. The main characters have depth and don’t fall into Huggy Bear-like stereotypes. The story is compelling and the action scenes look great. William Crain, who directed this and the series The Mod Squad and Starsky and Hutch, knows how to move a story along and the cast, veterans of film and television, do a fine job in their roles. There’s some real chemistry between the two main couples and even though it’s an exploitation film, you care about the people in it. Elisha Cook, Jr. even makes an appearance as a mortuary worker with a hook hand. You heard me. Gene Page, who arranged some of Barry White’s biggest hits, composed the soundtrack and the Hues Corporation, famous for the hit song “Rock the Boat” perform in a few nightclub scenes. It’s a good time!