Captivating. Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) is a 12-year-old Swedish boy attracted to his new neighbor Eli (Lina Leandersson), a similarly aged female, uh, vampire — whose bloodthirsty father has been busy around their Stockholm annex, in this inventive horror movie from Tomas Alfredson.
Set in the early ’80s, Oskar suffers at the hands of school bullies during the day, but finds solace in the company of Eli at nigh, the only time she can come out.
The budding romance that forms between the class-conflicted kids pulls an undertow of tension against the story’s quickening rhythms that unfold.
Novelist/screenwriter John Ajvide Lindqvist’s pinpoint script is a study in connecting the inner lives of emotionally bound characters to a suspenseful vampire plot in a cold foreign setting.
For his part, director Tomas Alfredson shows a keen eye for minimalist horror à la “Fargo.” Blood on snow is so cinematic. This filmmaker revels in creating a delayed series of thrilling surprises. This is a horror movie to savor. Watch closely; the devil is in the details.
Rated R. 114 mins.
