Tags
1980's, Barnard Hughes, Comedy, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Horror, Jami Gertz, Jamison Newlander, Jason Patric, Joel Schumacher, Kiefer Sutherland, The Lost Boys
Film Title
The Lost Boys
Director
Joel Schumacher
Starring
- Jason Patric as Michael Emerson
- Corey Haim as Sam Emerson
- Kiefer Sutherland as David
- Corey Feldman as Edgar Frog
- Jamison Newlander as Alan Frog
- Jami Gertz as Star
- Dianne Wiest as Lucy Emerson
- Edward Herrmann as Max
- Barnard Hughes as Grandpa
A film that manages to bridge the gap between horror and comedy and a successful one at that, The Lost Boys is an inventive and irreverent movie that has a good few twists and outrageous moments to add to the vampire mix.
Teenager Michael and his younger brother Sam relocate from Phoenix to the beach side Californian town of Santa Carla with their mother Lucy, following her divorce. They move in with Lucy’s father, whose an eccentric man living on the outskirts of town. Exploring the Boardwalk, which is where everyone seems to go, (while their mother gets a job at the video store working for a quiet guy named Max), Michael and Sam both discover different things. Michael becomes curious and drawn to Star; a seductive young woman. She runs with a local gang of leather glad troublemakers headed by the charismatic David. David beckons Michael to join his and taunts him into an initiation that soon proves very dark for him. Meanwhile, Sam meets Edgar and Alan Frog, brothers who work in a comic store and speak of the town being overrun by vampires, which Sam sniggers at as being impossible. It soon becomes very apparent that David’s gang are not just teenagers but in fact savage vampires, who are probably behind all the cases of missing people around the town. Michael, who went through the initiation process without really knowing what it was, soon begins exhibiting strange powers and abilities that slowly take over. Sam notices this change within his brother and . Star is in fact in the same position of Michael as she isn’t a full vampire yet and wants to be rid of it. Worrying for his brother, Sam enlists the Frog Brothers in a fight to eradicate the vampires and save Michael and Star from the clutches eternal, blood-sucking life.
Joel Schumacher directs The Lost Boys with a clear control over it and a sense of fun that emerges throughout it. He wisely gets the humour and horror to both be effective, instead of a seesaw of up and down switches. His flourishes of style are apparent yet don’t swallow the story. The best instance is the shots from the vampire’s perspective as they fly over the town, which is both creepy and exciting. As far as humour goes, The Lost Boys has it in abundance and forms a marvellous balance with tense horror within the tale. It captures both horror and laughs in quick succession, making sure you’re scared one minute and then laughing the next. The pace is very impressive as it introduces us to the characters and hints of weirdness, letting the darkness sink in as the presence of David and his gang becomes more known. I particularly enjoy the presentation of vampirism here as it has traditional elements, but boasts quite a few surprises in it. The vampires here are shown as seemingly cool and dangerous, the type of popular gang it would be easy to fall into. Yet once the vicious truth of them is known, they take on a different meaning altogether. This is twinned with a theme of peer pressure as Michael is shown to want to be one of the, but comes to see that it’s a living hell from which he needs to escape. David and his gang become the dark forces taking away the innocence of Michael with their powerful and unusual ways. The Lost Boys can also be seen as a teen movie due to this examination of adolescence, but thankfully it’s one of the better ones due to the main touches of horror and humour. And I must gives kudos to The Lost Boys for its absolute blast of a final act. The extended climax in which Sam and The Frog Brothers face off against the vampires is as creepy as it is exhilarating. And you have to love a horror movie that has inventive deaths aplenty, including death by stereo. In terms of visual style, one can view the movie as a great time capsule back to the 1980’s. The slick and glossy nature is still there, with the vampire lair a cool retreat that looks like something made for MTV. There is fun to be had in looking at the setting and style on show, in between the outrageous comedy and creepy shenanigans. A quintessential soundtrack of mostly 80’s songs does a great job by cutting the action to these grooves, including a great version of ‘People are Strange’ that opens the film and sets the foreboding tone.
A cool cast excellently does a good job in this horror flick. Jason Patrick has the required attitude and cool factor to play Michael, who soon becomes a victim of the vampires. Corey Haim hits the right notes of youthful enthusiasm and brotherly concern as Sam fights to stop his brother becoming a full-on vampire. Kiefer Sutherland is one of the best things in the film. His performance as leader of the vampire pack David, is unnerving yet darkly charismatic. David is a character who embodies darkness from every angle but who you can’t help but feel intrigued by. A lot of this comes down to Sutherland’s good work that makes creatures of the night seem very cool. The duo of Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander as The Frog Brothers is inspired. These characters are geeky and amusing in their pursuit of vampires, you just have to here some of the one-liners between the two. It’s impossible not to have fun when these two are on screen doing their thing. Displaying a sensuality that is tempered by a deep-seated terror, Jami Gertz makes an impression as the beautiful half-vampire Star who is tired of the life she leads. Showing maternal anxiety and warmth is Dianne Wiest in the part of the boy’s mother, who doesn’t really know the kind of town she has moved them all into. Edward Herrmann excellently takes the role of the seemingly ordinary Max, who becomes interested in Lucy yet comes under suspicion from Sam and the Frog Brothers. And finally there is Barnard Hughes as the unusual but lovable Grandpa.
A gloriously enjoyable marriage of horror and dark comedy, The Lost Boys is deservedly a cult movie and it’s not at all difficult to decipher why.
Courtney Young said:
Love this post, and I love this movie! It’s my absolute favorite movie from the 80s.
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vinnieh said:
I’m happy you thought I did it justice. It truly is a great movie. Fun can be had with every viewing.
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thoughtsallsorts said:
I’m so with you on that one! I can remember seeing it for the first time way back then…was one of the coolest 80s movies!
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vinnieh said:
It still has the cool factor in abundance I’m happy to report.
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CrazyChineseFamily said:
What a classic and also the movie Corey Haim had his breakthrough 🙂
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vinnieh said:
It’s a fantastic movie. I hadn’t seen it in forever so decided to give it another whirl. I had a blast once more.
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Human Interest said:
I used to love this movie as a kid!
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vinnieh said:
I have never come across anyone who didn’t like this movie.
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Human Interest said:
And I know why.
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vinnieh said:
It’s a cult classic.
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Human Interest said:
Yes indeed.
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vinnieh said:
It just blends horror and comedy together well. Too many movies that try to combine the two fail.
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Human Interest said:
That’s true.
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mikeladano said:
Great review of a movie that was a fun childhood memory. Didn’t know it was Joel Schumacher until now!!!
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vinnieh said:
I wasn’t born when this film was released so I discovered it years later. I actually was unaware that it Joel Schumacher who directed it. Guess you learn something new every day.
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sonofabeach96 said:
Love this movie! Haven’t seen it in years but I watch it any time I catch it on tv.
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vinnieh said:
It’s one of those movies that boasts so much good in it. I too always enjoy catching it.
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Richard Ankers said:
One of the best and an awesome soundtrack.
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vinnieh said:
That soundtrack is killer(no pun intended).
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Richard Ankers said:
😎
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beetleypete said:
I really enjoyed this film at the time, V. But I haven’t watched it for years now. Good call!
Cheers, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
It’s one of the only honest successes at blending horror and comedy. I don’t know how it did it, but it did it with some serious style. And the 80’s vibe is pretty cool.
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Rincewind said:
I love this movie and yes the frog brothers lines are just glorious.
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vinnieh said:
The Frog Brothers just rock the film from the moment they first appear.
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fragglerocking said:
I remember this, but will now defo look out for it on TV when it comes up, would love to see it again.
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vinnieh said:
It’s on television quite a bit so you will see it sooner or later. What a cool movie.
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Eddy Winko said:
Great review of one that I remember well; it may have lost some of is sparkle over the years, but I would and will watch it again now. Cheers!
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vinnieh said:
It never fails to be enjoyable both as a horror and a comedy. Both of which it does with aplomb.
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ninvoid99 said:
I do love this movie. It is awesome as it’s not afraid to be cheesy as well as display elements of homoeroticism starting with that topless guy playing the saxophone. BTW, have you seen the epic remix of that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpuwcINDHnQ
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vinnieh said:
It’s a movie that doesn’t play by the rules and follows its own path. Thanks for that link.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I think this has to be one of my favorite reviews of yours Vinnie. Everything you said from the kickin’ soundtrack, to the terrific acting, to the phenomenal camera angles is spot on! I make it a point to watch Lost Boys every October. It just never gets old!😊
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vinnieh said:
Why thanks Kim. I really had fun watching and reviewing this movie. The bridge between horror and humour is pretty amazing and balanced with style. And that vampire hide out looks immense, would be a cool place to hang out.
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Mark Walker said:
Nice one, Vinnie. It’s been so long since I’ve seen this. I used to watch it religiously when I when younger. I never even considered it “a teen movie” but your absolutely right. Of course it is. And one of the best there is.
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vinnieh said:
I look at it as a teen movie with a dark twist. I think that’s a good way to describe it.
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Madeleine Swann said:
I used to watch this all the time when my hormones started kicking in, ha ha, so embarrassing!
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vinnieh said:
It’s one of those movies that remains cool no matter what way you look at it.
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Kev said:
You’ve made me want to watch this again. One of my all time fave films.
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vinnieh said:
I’ve done my job successfully if you want to see it again. What’s not to love about this film?
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keepsmealive said:
Total classic. Been ages since I saw it, though!
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vinnieh said:
It never gets old, does it?
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utkarsh7668 said:
going to watch it 🙋
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vinnieh said:
Have you seen the film before?
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utkarsh7668 said:
no thats why i love the reviews
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vinnieh said:
I enjoy introducing people to movies they haven’t seen and hearing what they think.
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utkarsh7668 said:
i will watch and tell you
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, looking forward to hearing your opinion on it.
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utkarsh7668 said:
i watch it more than i love the movie the character are so interesting
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utkarsh7668 said:
going to watch it
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alexraphael said:
One of this awesome films that the 80s produced in spades. It’s a rare exception. Most films when they can easily be put into several genres is a bad thing. It means they’re indecisive and all becomes messy. You’re right to highlight just how much of different genres it encompasses.
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vinnieh said:
It really runs the gamut and does it with blazing style.
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KittNoir said:
Brilliant film! Need to watch again 👌
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vinnieh said:
It’s a movie to watch over and over again.
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allendemir said:
I’ve been meaning to see this sometime. Doesn’t it have Alex Winter in it?
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vinnieh said:
You should. Yes Alex Winter plays one of the vampire gang.
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gruadacreations said:
Wonderful review. What a classic, I love this movie.
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vinnieh said:
It is so much fun and I loved watching it once more. Thanks for checking my blog out, hope you like what you see.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for commenting, will check your blog out soon.
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