Let's Explain the Good Ending: A Tale Of Boy Meets Vampire

We get next to nothing from Eli and Håkan's backstory in "Let the Right One In", but we can fill in the gaps. When they move in next door to Oskar and his mother, it is under cover of darkness and they have very few possessions with them. The first thing Håkan does is cover the windows with cardboard. They pose as father and daughter, but Håkan's role is more complex; he is a combination of parent, guardian, and familiar, held in Eli's thrall like Renfield in "Dracula." In one scene, he blames Eli for venturing out to kill Jocke, but it's clear she's the boss of this relationship.

Håkan grows old and weary, and he loses touch when it comes to finding blood for Eli. His existence is desperately lonely; moving from town to town to keep a low profile, unable to fit in or make friends, always locked in temporary accommodation until their cover is blown and it's time to leave. Her whole life revolves around killing people to feed Eli, knowing that if he can't provide for her, she will eventually be hungry enough to feed on him. When it comes to the crunch, he's so devoted that he offers his throat as a vital snack to keep it going.

Eli inhabits the body of a 12-year-old child and mentions to Oskar that she has been that age for a long time. Håkan is now middle-aged, but how old was he when he was first bewitched by Eli? Oskar's age, perhaps? This doesn't bode well for Oskar's future, especially since Eli takes a greater interest in him after Håkan's gruesome death. notably, the boy is regularly framed or reflected in windows, mirroring how we often see the older man.