The Lost Boys (1987) is revolutionary in presenting what we know as the modern vampire, stylish, and full of youthful energy and humor! Vampires, pre-Lost Boys, were solitary aristocrats who had fake fangs, not scary and almost a parody. The innovative make-up effects were by Greg Cannom, he worked on Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), and won a Academy Award for Vice (2018). Read the FX article here: https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/the-lost-boys-makeup-fx-behind-the-scenes-pioneering-new-vampires. The design was set in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). The other vision of vampires was Count Orlock in Nosferatu (1922), the German film directed by F.W. Murnau, but it wasn’t really adopted by other horror properties. All of the versions of vampires were brought together in Kindred the Embraced (1996)! The story was by Jan Fischer and James Jeremias, the initial script had Lost Boys at Neverland age, but it was aged up to teenagers by Jeffrey Boam, also known for writing the adaptation of The Dead Zone (1983).
It was masterfully directed by Joel Schumacher who also directed St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) and later directed the musical adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera (2004). There were two later sequels, Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008), and Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010). We pan across moonlit waters, some tense music by Thomas Newman, and then we move to a boardwalk. On a carousel are the Lost Boys, leader David (Keifer Sutherland), and his lieutenant, Marko (Alex Winter). Sutherland has become a well known actor, his previous role was as bully, Ace Merrill in Stand by Me (1986). Winter is later known for playing Bill S. Preston Esquire in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989). David is looking at a woman and her boyfriend tries to fight them. A security guard sends them off the boardwalk. The lights go out and we get a soaring pov above the boardwalk to the security guard walking in an empty parking lot. The cinematography was by Michael Chapman who also worked on Taxi Driver (1976) and later The Fugitive (1993). He starts to scream and run, but can’t open his car door. The guard and the car door are ripped upwards and he screams.
Then, we get the ocean at daylight, some music is played as a jeep and trailer travel through the seaside town of Santa Carla. We get mother, Lucy (Dianne Weist), and sons, Michael (Jason Patric) and younger brother Sam (Corey Haim). Weist is a distinguished actress and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) before starring in a horror movie! Patric was in sci fi movie Solarbabies (1986). Haim is of course part of The Coreys, he starred in the drama Lucas (1986) and also the horror movie Silver Bullet (1985) based on a Stephen King novella. The trio are an interesting family, mother struggling to hold her family together, Michael our rebel, and Sam, the innocent teen. Sam’s dog is the Siberian Husky, Nanook. Then, we get Echo & The Bunnymen’s cover of The Door’s “People are Strange”, the soundtrack is also a star of this film. While we get the residents of Santa Clara and posters of missing persons. The jeep pulls up to and they look at some of the strange wood carvings. Lucy sees Grandpa (Bernard Hughes) collapsed on the front porch playing dead. Hughes is known for playing Dr. Walter Gibbs and Dumont in Tron (1982). His performance is eccentric and perfect.
At night, there is a concert at the boardwalk, Michael is entranced by the wild spirit of a young woman, Star (Jami Gertz). The actress co-starred with Patric in Solarbabies, but I know her from the sitcom Square Pegs (1982-1983). She looks at him and then leaves, Michael tries to follow her. Lucy is also on the boardwalk and sees a help wanted sign at a video store. At the store is the owner, Max (Edward Herrmann), then the Lost Boys walk into the store. Hermann was in the film, The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), and the comedy Overboard (1987). Lucy finds a crying boy and takes him into the store to find his mother. Her mother runs in to get her son. Max sends out the Lost Boys and they ride away on motorcycles. Lucy says they are just young kids. Michael is still in pursuit of Star so Sam goes into a comic book store. Side note: this is the first time that I saw a comic book store in any media. One of the workers is Edgar (Corey Feldman) and his brother, Alan (Jamison Newlander). Feldman is recognized from many genre films including Gremlins (1984) and Stand by Me. Newlander appeared in the Lost Boys: The Thirst and also the horror Western, Bone Tomahawk (2015). The Frog Brothers names are a fun nod to Edgar Allen Poe and they are a comic, strange duo.
Sam tells them that their Superman comics are not placed correctly, true comic book fan! Star and a young boy, Laddie (Chance Michael Corbitt), reach the Lost Boys and she rides with David. They watch David looking at them and ride away. The girlfriend is reading a comic book, when the roof of their car is torn off, and there is some garish red light. They scream, the boyfriend is torn upwards, and then the girl. At the garage, Grandpa and Sam enter his Ford Fairlane, but he only runs the engine. At the comic book store, Alan asks Sam if he notices anything unusual about the town, his brother gives him a Destroy All Vampires comic book, made for the film. They have their phone number written on the back, not true comic collectors damaging a comic! Michael is wandering the boardwalk and meets with Star. He invites her to eat when the Lost Boys ride up. David compels her to ride with him and tells Michael about Hudson’s Bluff. Michael rides behind them, Star looks back at Michael, the terrain becomes rough and he crashes. The Lost Boys enter their hideout, David explains that it was an abandoned resort collapsed against the sea cliff.
At the hideout, Marko has brought Chinese food, David is spotlighted by strong moonlight. He gives Michael a box of rice, says it is maggots, and Michael spits it out to see it is just rice. Then, David offers a box of noodles, Michael sees worms, and David eats a noodle. David calls for a bottle from Marko and drinks it, then offers it to Michael close-up of his face, saying, “Drink some of this Michael. Be one of us.” The other Lost Boys chant his name. Star tells him not to drink it because it is blood. He thinks like the rest of the food that he is being tricked and drinks from the bottle. Michael closes his eyes. He is slowly drawn into David’s Lost Boys and after Nanook protects Sam, they find he doesn’t cast a reflection! Sam needs the help of The Frog Brothers to take care of the vampire problem. Michael has to get Sam’s help to face his vampiric changes. When we finally look at the true form of the vampires, they are demonic, but still recognizable as the actors. David, Sam, and the Frog Brothers have to become vampire hunters. The Lost Boys is clever with vampire rules and humor, wild and also fun characters, and a great soundtrack!
Five Stakes out of Five!
#LostBoys, #JoelSchumacher, #JasonPatric, #KeiferSutherland, #CoreyHaim, #JamiGertz
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