So after today we’ll be more than half-way through the second Vampire A to Z here on Baby Gates Down.

If you have missed the entries to date, you can catch up by hitting the Vampire A to Z tag (OMG. Look how easy I just made that!).

If you are all up to date, let’s get right to it!

L is for Let the Right One In, the 2008 Swedish horror film based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s 2004 novel.

The movie tells the story of 12-year-old Oscar, bullied by the kids at his school, living with his mom in a suburb of Stockholm in the early 1980s and of Eli, a pale girl, who moves into the apartment next door.

Oscar is lonely, and dreams of revenge against his tormentors. Eli and he become friends, she encourages him to stand up for himself at school, so he takes up weightlifting. He also eventually figures out she’s a vampire and is upset that she needs to kill people to survive. However, Eli insists they are alike, in that Oskar wants to kill and Eli needs to kill.

The film ends in an … interesting showdown with the bullies before Oskar and Eli … carry on with their existence (not to ruin it for you).

The film received widespread international critical acclaim, winning several awards. It is also a fabulous example of using the genre to discuss other issues – in this case bullying – and the feelings of powerlessness that gives the victims, as well as the wishing you had superpowers to make it stop. It is a great example of “the safe space of fiction” in action.

M… Now here’s the moment Draculaura gets a bit moody and confused. But she’s all about being the bigger vampire and waiting for the blood tests to come in. Because, she’ll KNOW.

M is for Mavis – another one of Dracula’s daughters! – this time from Hotel Transylvania, a movie both my six and three-year old daughters love, because it’s a vampire movie and Mommy loves vampires!

And, if I’m being honest? I mostly love this movie because Adam Sandler is the voice of Dracula. He even plays the ukulele to little Mavis in the first movie. And anyone who reads this blog knows I have a love for the ukulele.

Moving on…

In the original movie, she’s a teenager turning 118, dealing with an overprotective father who doesn’t want her leaving the hotel he runs as a haven for monsters to head out into the big bad world where she might meet some scary humans.

Then one of them shows up as a backpacker to the hotel! Dad has to learn to let go, Mavis falls in love, and everyone learns a great lesson about tolerance and how we’re all more similar than we are different.

This year is also extra special for Mavis, because it’s the year the sequel comes out. Hotel Transylvania 2 is now in theatres! I saw it with my daughters last weekend (in 3D) and it was a hit! By the second film she has turned 125, has married her human boyfriend and they have a son – Dennis. Dracula is concerned his vampire teeth might not come in and … gasp! … Dracula’s grandson might not be vampire. The gang from the hotel take it upon themselves to teach preschool Dennis about his roots. It’s worth a watch, but if you need a bit more convincing, here’s the official trailer (I admit to a small yay! at the baby gate moment):

Next, N is for Dr. Norman Godfrey from Hemlock Grove, a Netflix original horror television series which premiered April 19, 2013. Season three began last Friday.

I introduced Hemlock Grove on last year’s A to Z with the fabulous Olivia Godfrey, the matriarch of the most powerful family in the fictional Pennsylvania town. Unbeknownst to the town, the family is half Upir (on Olivia’s side), which is a Ukrainian vampire.

Olivia is attracted to and marries Norman’s wealthy brother, who dies in tragic circumstances well before the show ever started. Norman and Olivia have an ongoing affair from early on in that marriage, which results in Olivia’s son’s paternity (rightfully) being questioned as the show progresses.

Norman begins the series married with a teenage daughter and employed as the lead psychiatrist at Hemlock Acres Hospital and a share owner in The Godfrey Institute, owned by Olivia. His life begins to change dramatically when his teenage daughter becomes pregnant under mysterious circumstances and then tragically dies during childbirth at the Institute.

So there you have it: more than half done. Here’s who we’ve featured to date:

Tune in tomorrow for the letters O through R!

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Photo credits: Let the Right One In, Mavis, and Norman.