So finally, we get to the number one choice in our picks for great vampire films this week, and this one is quite a doozy. If you've never seen it, you have to check out this Swedish horror movie from just a few years ago, as I think it's simultaneously a terrific thriller as well as one of the best movies ever made about kids (but intended for an adult audience). Yeah, it's that good. A 12-year-old boy in the late 1970's is approached by a mysterious, somewhat androgynous girl in his apartment complex, and being a lonely, bullied, child of divorce, he immediately cottons on to her attentions, which eventually reveal themselves to be rather dubious. She's a vampire and she needs what's known as a familiar, and though their blossoming relationship is affectionate and heartwarming, there's a terrifying and tragic layer to it that the movie doesn't shy away from. The film is coded with an atmosphere of dread and longing, and shows you all that can be seductive, romantic and threatening about the vampire, in whatever form it comes in. An instant classic (and the American remake from 2010 is quite good too, but this one couldn't be topped). Happy Halloween, everyone!
2008 Trailer:
