Full Review: The Lost Boys (1987)

People in the Movie:  Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz

Director:  Joel Schumacher

Pigeonhole:  horror / teen/ vampire / comedy

The Basics:  Two brothers Michael (Patric) and Sam (Haim) move to Santa Clara, CA, and soon discover an interesting secret; the local teen-bikers are vampires.  Michael becomes interested in girl a named Star (Gertz), whom he sees on the boardwalk one night.  She hangs out with the bikers, and so Michael gets entangled with them, soon becoming a “half-vampire”.  It’s up to Sam and his new friends Edgar (Feldman) and Alan Frog, who happen to be vampire “hunters”, to rescue Michael before his blood lust leads him to his first kill, as well as dispensing with the murderous vampire gang.   

Recommendation:  Falls into the “sexy vampire” genre and will likely have appeal to that audience.  Fans of the “2 Corey’s” movies will obviously like this, as well.  I like it for both reasons.  “R” rating is for violence.

My Take: A nice, fun flick that has some intense moments, but still mixed with enough comic relief to not take itself too seriously.  The Lost Boys also has a very good soundtrack that works very well within the movie, and is worth checking out for just the music itself.  There is nothing new in the way of vampire lore, or the “formula” of the movie, but the characters, all relatively new at that time, keep it entertaining and the story moves at a fast enough pace not to get bogged down.  I was also impressed with the vampire make-up, simple but scary looking. 

**spoiler alert** Using the term “bikers” above, I feel should be clarified; these are not black leather jacket wearing guys on Harleys, these are the rebellious 80’s teen-types (although Sutherland and Patric were both 21 at the time of filming) who ride dirt-bike motorcycles and look more like fans of Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. 

We learn early the center of activity for teens in Santa Clara is the boardwalk, which is also where it appears the vampire gang stalks their victims.  In the opening scene of the movie we witness David (Sutherland) and his 3 cohorts selecting who will be future prey for them.  The boardwalk is also where Michael first sees Star, and soon meets David and company, as well as Sam meeting Edgar and Alan Frog at a comic book shop where they work.

Michael, caving into peer pressure and wanting to be with Star, is initiated into the gang by being tricked into drinking David’s blood from an old wine bottle.  He is now a half-vampire, but will not become a full vampire until after his first kill (and feeding).  We also learn that Star and Laddie (a unisex looking kid who tags along with Star) are both half vampires.  Sam, meanwhile, meets the somewhat strange Frog brothers at the comic shop, where they want Sam to read some horror comics they claim are “survival guides”.  They are self-proclaimed vampire hunters, but we learn they have no experience actually confronting live vampires.  Sam is skeptical at first, but Michael begins to exhibit vampire-like characteristics including being translucent in a mirror, and then losing control of his ability to fly in a particularly laugh-filled scene, so Sam decides to join in the proverbial “fight” to help his brother.  I also must add that Sam and Michael’s grandpa has a very funny supporting role.

A few plot holes and criticism’s I do feel are worth mentioning:

- Santa Clara is introduced as the “murder capital of the world” in the beginning of the film, yet the vampires appear to dispose of their victim’s bodies, also evidenced by the missing persons signs and posters seen everywhere.  So the murders are not at the hands of the vampires, then?

- Laddie’s character had no point whatsoever, and why would this group of guys want a little kid vampire tagging along?  Star with their groups makes sense, but not Laddie.

- Star tells Michael that he was supposed to be her first kill the afternoon they have sex.  Does this make any sense?  Why would David want Star to kill another vampire?  Would Michael even die?  Or would his body heal itself?

- Exactly how long have Star and Laddie been half-vampires?  The movie would have us believe that Michael, after a few days, is losing control of himself, so how is it that Star and Laddie are running around just fine.

- Max, the head vampire had allegedly been in Santa Clara a long time, why were only 4 vampires, and 2 half vampires to his charge?

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  Santa Clara, CA is a fictional town, but based on Santa Cruz, where the movie was filmed… Feldman and Sutherland starred together previously in the movie Stand By Me… Edgar and Alan Frog are named for Edgar Allen Poe…