The Lost Boys Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1987

The Lost Boys is remembered by most 80's fans as being one of the premiere vampire flicks of the decade. While the movie didn't take itself too seriously, it laid out an absorbing story of a family that moves to a seaside California town that just happens to be known as the murder capital of the world. Why? People disappear due to an infestation of vampires, of course!

When one of the family members is unwillingly drawn into the world of the undead, he and his family fights to save his humanity before it's too late.

The year 1987 was a great year for vampire films due to the release of two very high quality offerings. One was Near Dark, a straight horror film, and the other was The Lost Boys, a horror film that had its tongue held firmly in cheek. It's for this reason that The Lost Boys is often billed as a comedy-horror, but honestly it's not very funny, nor is it terribly intense. Yet it's extremely entertaining, because the sum of all its parts created one of the slickest, coolest vampire movies of the decade.

Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim) Emerson are brothers that recently moved with their mother (Dianne Wiest) from the big city to a small seaside Californian town, Santa Clara. Neither teen is amused with the sleepy nature of their new hometown, but they make the best of it.

While the brothers visit the local amusement park one evening, a beautiful girl named Star (Jami Gertz) quickly captures Michael's eye. Instantly smitten, he pursues her and eventually gets the opportunity to speak with her, but their introduction is cut short when a gang of rowdy guys led by David (Kiefer Sutherland) show up.

Although the first meeting between the gang and Michael is not exactly amiable, they end up gathering at the gang's hangout to socialize. Michael, of course, has no idea that he is actually in the midst of a pack of vampires. While sharing a dinner of questionable Chinese food, David tricks Michael into drinking an unknown substance that just happened to be his blood. By drinking the blood of a vampire, Michael's future is forever shattered as he becomes forcibly indoctrinated into the world of vampirism.

Sam soon discovers that his older brother has become a vampire and, with the aid of two like-aged kids that he met in a comic book store, he works with Michael to try and kill the leader of the vampires, for by doing that Michael will become human once more. But David and his gang proves to be a tough foe, and even if they succeed in taking David down… is he truly the leader?

As I mentioned earlier in the review, this movie has its tense moments but cannot really be considered a true horror. It is somewhat light at times, but it's not funny enough to be called a comedy. The Lost Boys is an odd hybrid of various genres, so trying to pigeonhole it into one proves undoable. Nor is it necessary to do so, for ultimately The Lost Boys is a heck of a good 80's flick.

Stylish is the first word that comes to mind when watching the film. Everything about it just oozes 80's goodness, from the big hair to the gaudy clothes. Each and every main star also emanates coolness, from the vampire gang members to the Emerson brothers. While the film appears somewhat dated today due to the predominance of 80's style, it still works for the quirky vibe of The Lost Boys.

All of the actors put forth strong performances, so I won't break down each actor by name aside to say that Kiefer Sutherland as David was a great choice. His harsh voice and ominous appearance gave his character a very menacing feel.

I can hear the gorehounds now… is there blood and gore in The Lost Boys? Yep, the film is rated R for a reason. It's no bloodier than the average horror flick, but the gore and special effects were very well done and still hold up well today.

It is uncommon that I comment on a film soundtrack since most of the time they can quietly lend some atmosphere to a movie, but don't actually stand out. The Lost Boys is different – while there are a couple duds on the soundtrack, the rest are some of the best tracks to have ever appeared on a soundtrack. Cry Little Sister by Gerard McMann is the most frequently used track during the movie, and it was a brilliant choice; this music gem is an extremely haunting ballad with a gothic touch to it. The Lost Boys soundtrack's quality songs works well as a separate 80's compilation for general listening.

The Lost Boys stands out among the elite of vampire films, and is very close to qualifying as an actual classic.

Movie rating: 9 stars

If you enjoyed The Lost Boys you may also find the following films to be of interest:

• Near Dark
• Lifeforce
• Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn

Enjoy the Lost Boys experience in the comfort of your own home with these products!

DVD

Soundtrack

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