Let the Right One In

Yvonne and Staffan argue about Tommy. Staffan threatens to hit Yvonne, then walks back his anger by saying that he didn’t really intend to. Yvonne lies initially, but she eventually tells Staffan that Tommy is in the basement.

Eli warns Oskar that Håkan is dangerous, but Eli is too weak to protect anyone. When Eli leaves, Oskar realizes that Eli is so weak because he forced him to bleed out, and Oskar feels horrible. He remembers Eli’s clothing, and after determining to help Eli no matter what—even if it means killing someone—he disposes of the bloody clothes while imagining that he has been infected. Meanwhile, Eli goes to the basement and asks Tommy for blood. Eli is willing to pay Tommy a hefty sum. Tommy is high from sniffing glue, but he manages to focus and realizes that Eli is serious. Eli mentions that he suffers from a disease which requires blood. Tommy finally allows Eli to have blood, though he still feels squeamish about the entire transaction.

Oskar’s mother comes home, and after seeing some of his clippings on the kitchen table, asks him if he’s alright. Oskar feels sick and tells his mother that he’s becoming a vampire. His mother gets annoyed and threatens to throw away his books. She makes him undress and go to sleep. The entire time, Oskar feels remorse because he believes he’s transitioning into a vampire: “The normal sounds. He had heard them a hundred times. And he felt sad. So very sad” (376). Despite his sadness, Oskar longs to be with Eli.

By the time Virginia reaches the hospital, her wounds have all healed. The doctors have to restrain her, however, because she doesn’t want treatment. As she sleeps, Lacke notices that the doctors have given her the wrong blood type. When the nurse assures her that they don’t make mistakes, he figures Virginia mistook her own blood type previously. When he wakes up later, he notes that Virginia’s eyes look cat-like and she herself looks dead. She suddenly blinks, and her face returns to its usual appearance. Before Lacke can remove her restraints, she begs him not to. Virginia then tells him that she’s a vampire. Lacke initially makes light of what Virginia says, but she continues by explaining all the changes she’s going through. She also says that the child (Eli) infected her. Lacke assures her that they will get through whatever is wrong with her. He then tells her about his plan of moving to the countryside. Later, he gets a cot and sleeps in her room.

On Monday morning, in Iceland Square, Håkan murders a number of cats.

With only about 30 minutes before the sun rises, Eli contemplates where he will move to. He’s angry that he can’t have a normal life. He then decides to check on Tommy before he rests. Tommy, meanwhile, wakes up and remembers Eli. He can’t believe he agreed to give his blood, and though he likes the money, he becomes afraid when he considers the possibility that Eli is a vampire. When he hears the door open, he suspects it’s Eli and tries staying quiet. Eli doesn’t notice Tommy hiding in the storage room. Eli breaks a broom handle for a weapon, and as he toys with it, someone large enters the basement.

Tommy backs up when seeing the lumbering figure, trying not to scream. Eli knows that it’s Håkan, and that he’s now “the undead.” Eli doesn’t know exactly what this means. He doesn’t even know if a stake to the heart will kill Håkan. Moreover, Eli has nowhere to run. When Eli asks Håkan what he wants, Håkan reveals his erect penis while mumbling Eli’s name. Eli laughs, and though he thinks he’s safe because Håkan can’t enter the basement without an invitation, Håkan steps inside and knocks Eli fiercely to the floor. The blow is so severe that part of Eli’s ear rips from his head.

While Tommy listens and waits for the fighting to finish, he manages to find the pistol statue in the dark. Eli, meanwhile, regains consciousness, only to find Håkan trying to rape him. Eli tries stabbing Håkan’s heart with the broom handle but can’t reach. Håkan forces Eli’s legs back so hard that the tendons in Eli’s thighs snap. Suddenly, Håkan jerks forward and impales his eye unintentionally on the broom handle. Eli fights Håkan off, manages to get to the basement door, and knocks Håkan over. Eli then shuts the basement door, locks it, and places a stick in the handle so that no one can open it from the inside. Though Eli’s body heals slightly, sunrise is only in a few minutes. He must secure materials to burn Håkan. At 7:34am, the alarm goes off at the grocery store. The police report lists a young person with dark hair (Eli) leaving.

When the sun rises, Virginia notes sunlight peeking into the room and hopes a nurse will arrive before Lacke wakes up. Meanwhile, the sun hits Eli hard as he runs through the courtyard to his apartment. He doesn’t have the strength to finish Håkan off, so he rushes instead to his bathroom. His body automatically shuts off right when he reaches the bathtub. However, he has forgotten to lock his front door.

Tommy moves quietly in the dark, relieved that the fighting is over. When he feels something soft, however, his old fear of his father turning into a zombie returns. He finds his lighter, and when he flicks it on he sees Håkan’s face. Moreover, Håkan moves. Tommy screams, empties his bowels, and tries fleeing. He’s in such shock that he begins having what seems like an out-of-body experience: “He. Is there. Where I am not” (405). Tommy, in obvious shock, begins hitting Håkan repeatedly with the statue while singing a nursery rhyme.