Twilight Vs. Let the Right One In

A side-by-side comparison of this year's most talked about (for different reasons) vampire movies:

THE VAMPIRE

TWILIGHT	LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson)	Eli (Lina Leandersson)
Bella: “How old are you?” Edward: “Seventeen.” Bella: “How long have you been seventeen?” Edward: “A while.”	Eli: “I’ve been twelve for a while…”
Undead	Uncertain; Eli says that she is “not dead,” but this likely refers to the unnatural state of undeath
Aloof, detached, cold, cautious, but humane and capable of strong love	Aloof, detached, careless, capable of at least strong affection
Super-strength, super-speed, telepathy (exclusive to Edward and a few other vampires), climbing trees (in film)	Heightened agility, scaling walls, enhanced strength and speed hinted at in final sequence of the film
-Apparently no weakness against traditional anti-vampire measures such as crosses, garlic, sunlight, having to seek permission to enter a home, etc. -Strong urge to feed	-Can be incinerated by sunlight, must acquire permission to enter a home or be severely hurt, effect of other measures uncertain -Strong urge to feed
Low scare factor. He can be vicious, but he glitters in sunlight and can be consumed by romance.	Moderate scare factor. She is vicious and makes horrifying sounds while feeding, but she is young for a vampire.

THE MORTAL

TWILIGHT	LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart)	Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant)
Seventeen	Twelve
New student, daughter of police chief, generally well liked, has a circle of friends in school, attracts a lot of boys	Bullied by classmates, generally ostracized, has no friends in school
First reaction to vampire revelation: Shock and confusion that immediately dissolve in love	First reaction to vampire revelation: Shock, confusion, misplaced anger
Absurdly high loyalty to vampire lover. Will do anything and give up everything for Edward without reservation	High loyalty to vampire lover. Will probably do anything and give up a lot for Eli but with reservation

THE MOVIE

TWILIGHT	LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Dir: Catherine Hardwicke	Dir: Tomas Alfredson
Source material: Novel by Stephenie Meyer	Source material: Novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist
English	Swedish
Teen romance/drama, with a dash of action and comedy	Coming-of-age drama/romance, with a dash of horror
US box office: $119,687,620	US box office: $266,886
Rotten Tomatoes rate: 43%	Rotten Tomatoes rate: 98%
Strengths: Contemporary soundtrack, commendable lead performances, high entertainment value, new twist to vampire mythos, generally loyal to source material	Strengths: Minimalist score, commendable lead and supporting performances, strong script and direction, non-reliance on visual effects, elements of horror, loyalty to standard vampire mythos
Weaknesses: Low-quality visual effects and makeup design, weak supporting performances, weak direction and script, new twist to vampire mythos, generally loyal to source material	Weakness: No new twist on the vampire mythos
Final Verdict: Sappy and uneven but ultimately entertaining, C+	Haunting, affecting, thought-provoking, lingering; A