The Little Vampire

Bespectacled nine-year-old Californian Tony Thompson (Lipnicki) has recently moved with his parents to a remote corner of Scotland, yet already he's plagued by nightmares about vampires and dark mythological occurrences. To his horror, a bat flies through his window and transforms itself into a vampire of similar age. Tony discovers, however, that not all vampires are nasty; like any mortal, they too have problems. The trouble is, Rudolph's problem is more pressing than most: his family (headed by Grant and Krige) is stuck in purgatory and desperate for the lad's help. This Burton-esque fantasy-cum-comedy thriller has plenty of bite, with just the right level of lightweight horror to give little ones a shock or two without inducing nightmares. Much of the film's success is down to the costume design, the novel SFX and the mildly foreboding atmosphere of the mist enshrouded Scottish countryside.