Not like Others

Lore & Background

The story follows two vampire sisters, Vera (Jenny Lampa) and Vanja (Ruth Vega Fernandez), who attend an illegal club. After Vera kills a biker who harasses her, the sisters are chased by his gang. Vanja plans to leave her vampire life and live with her human boyfriend, stealing blood from hospitals to avoid killing. Vera betrays their location to the bikers, then has a change of heart and confronts them, dying at their hands. Vanja escapes and meets her boyfriend at Stockholm Central Station.

Reader's Guide

Not Like Others holds a minor place in Swedish vampire cinema as the third such film, released in the same year as the acclaimed Let the Right One In. The film received mostly negative reviews; Swedish critic Pidde Andersson, writer of the first Swedish vampire film Frostbite, has called it the worst vampire film of all time. The film is notable for having only one human character with audible dialogue—David Dencik's taxi driver, who represents humanity. The cast includes a real-life connection: Marcus Ovnell, who plays Vanja's boyfriend, later married actress Jenny Lampa (Vera). The film's plot, involving vampire sisters and a biker gang, explores themes of escape and sacrifice, but its legacy is overshadowed by its poor reception.

Did You Know?

• The film is Sweden's third vampire film, after Frostbite and Let the Right One In.
• Only one human character, played by David Dencik, has audible dialogue; he is meant to represent humanity.
• Marcus Ovnell, who plays Vanja's human boyfriend, later married actress Jenny Lampa, who plays Vera.
• Swedish critic Pidde Andersson, writer of Frostbite, has called it the worst vampire film of all time.