Let the Right One In

The manhunt for Håkan consumes the public, mostly because people feel anger and fear at the fact that the police have yet to apprehend him. The media uses a picture of a policeman during the hunt attempting to wrangle a prized sheep in Judarn forest. Many of the main characters see this photo, with varying concerns. Lacke, for instance, sees it while on his way to Gösta’s. Oskar sees it while in town, where he also sees Tommy fleeing the church incident. Oskar then goes home, takes the photo, and sets about updating his scrapbook. Jonny, meanwhile, sees it at home, but tosses it and focuses on the photo album from his dad. Jonny decides to keep the album at school for safekeeping. He then considers what to do about getting revenge on Oskar.

Virginia’s body transitions throughout the evening, including a cancer-like growth on her heart that continues growing. The growth is actually a collection of brain cells, though this is impossible from a scientific standpoint. This group of brain cells thinks independently of Virginia. Upon waking, “Her consciousness came to life, and at the same time it was as if something else quickly withdrew” (322). Virginia understands that the disease within her has a life of its own. She also finds that she has better hearing and an acute sense of smell now. With everything going on, she finally utters, “I am a vampire” (326), a conclusion that now sounds normal to her.

Oskar reads the paper and begins piecing the mystery of The Ritual Killer together. He knows the pink sweater found with Jocke is Eli’s. Plus, she left the night they played with the Cube looking sick but appeared healthy the next day, so she must have killed Jocke. Oskar then deduces that Håkan helped Eli by killing people. Oskar asks Eli to come over via Morse code and thinks about what he will tell her.

Tommy and his mother argue about his stunt in the church. Tommy begs his mother not to tell Staffan, and she promises not to, but she wants Tommy to stop acting immature. She then asks if she should marry Staffan, a question Tommy evades. Since Staffan will surely come over, Tommy leaves to sleep in the basement. He unlocks the storage room so that he can hide in it if Staffan comes looking for him.

Lacke and Gösta drink in Gösta’s apartment. Lacke tries calling Virginia, but she doesn’t answer. He tells Gösta about his plan to leave Blackeberg for good. Suddenly the doorbell rings. Gösta answers the door and invites Virginia in. Virginia had earlier made up her mind to kill Gösta, and now that she stands in front of him, she allows the animal within her to take over. Right before she’s about to bite him, however, Lacke says hi, startling Virginia. Lacke notes a strange look in her eyes. Lacke and Gösta pull Virginia into the apartment despite her protestations. Suddenly, the cats all begin hissing and attack Virginia. Lacke fights some off, killing them, while Virginia fights others. Lacke manages to get Virginia outside, but the cats continue ganging up on her, and in a last ditch effort, Virginia throws herself down the stairwell.

Later, the police obtain a picture of Håkan. The police hope the photo will help them by making use of the public—the police want anyone who has seen Håkan to phone in.

When Eli arrives at Oskar’s, she asks Oskar to invite her in—Eli requires an invitation for each new entrance (the previous entrance was Oskar’s window). Oskar wants to know what will happen if he refuses, so Eli walks in. A few moments later, she begins bleeding out from her pores. Racked with guilt, Oskar quickly invites her in and the bleeding stops. Eli then gives Oskar her bloody clothes and showers. When she returns to the living room, she disrobes. Oskar looks at her naked body and realizes that she has no genitals. Eli explains that she used to have a penis but now has nothing. 

Eli hasn’t had friends for over 200 years, and after he harps on his being biologically male so that Oskar understands, he apologizes for making Oskar feel weird. Oskar admits that he figured out Eli was born male previously, but he wants to stop talking about it. Oskar goes to the restroom and sees a tadpole-like creature—presumably from Eli’s body—wiggle into the sink and die. When he returns, the boys make small talk. Eli mentions that he sleeps for months at a time sometimes, while other times he sleeps during the day and wakes at night. Oskar suddenly loses his temper and accuses Eli of murdering innocent people. Eli takes offense, informing Oskar that he has heard Oskar pretending to kill people when stabbing trees. Though Oskar feels that his violent acts are make-believe, Eli suggests that Oskar would kill if he could get away with it because, like Eli, he wants to live without people hurting him. Eli implores Oskar to put himself in Eli’s shoes, then Eli kisses Oskar.

While kissing Eli, Oskar begins seeing various scenes from Eli’s past. The older man from the castle rolls the dice and chooses Eli. The man, along with a doctor, straps Eli to an operating table and sever his genitals. Then the man drinks the blood, and bites Eli’s body. Oskar also sees a scene in which Eli’s mother washes clothes in a river. When the scene shifts back to Eli’s torture, the pain becomes too much and Oskar falls backward. Eli catches him, and when Oskar comes to, he can’t remember who or where he is. He finally remembers, and Eli apologizes for making him relive nightmares. Eli decides to leave, and when Oskar tells Eli to wear some of his clothes, Eli goes to the closet and returns wearing Oskar’s mother’s dress. Oskar informs Eli that Håkan is missing and the police are searching for him. Eli looks visibly shaken and warns Oskar to stay indoors after nightfall.

While Eli and Oskar talk, Lacke and Virginia head to the hospital via ambulance to give her blood. Meanwhile, a squirrel notices Håkan emerge from a badger’s den.