Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest, Kiefer Sutherland, Barnard Hughes, Edward Herrman, Jamie Gertz, Jamison Newlander, Alex Winter
31 Days of Horror continues with this review by Robert Nijman. Send me your horror reviews.
‘I think I should warn you all. When a vampire buys it, it’s never a pretty sight. No two bloodsuckers go out the same way. Some yell and scream, some go quietly. Some explode, some implode. But all will try to take you with them.’
The eighties are a lamentable decade for several obvious reasons, and a few specific ones as well. But as far as the movie era is concerned, it did get a few things right. Adventure movies for one, awesome buddy movies another. But more than anything, the decade succeeded where more recent years have failed: bringing classic vampire characters that put the likes of Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner to shame. I’m referring of course to the mysterious and blood-sucking spectacle that was The Lost Boys. Which, incidentally, is also the first pair-up for the two Corey’s: Corey Feldman (well-known for kick-starting the Christmas carnage that was Gremlins, by spilling his drink on Gizmo), and the late Corey Haim. Since Gremlins is already part of this month’s Halloween extravaganza, I can’t thinks of any other Feldman flick more suitable for LFF’s 31 Days Of Horror as Richard Donner’s vampire venture of 1987. Although I am rather stunned as to how Feldman got to be a variable in considering this movie for another Halloween Horror Special. The ghost of Haim, perhaps?
As the original story for the eighties cult classic was more grafted on Goonie type youngsters, the prospect for The Lost Boys (a nod to the eternal youth of Peter Pan) was one of innocent and possibly pirate-laden adventures. Director Joel Schumacher however wasn’t interested in the project if he could ante up the sexy by transferring to teenagers and their contemporary quests. A smart choice, as it paved the way for the likes of Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric and of course Jami Gertz. When Michael and his younger brother Sam (Patric and Haim) join their mother and move to the town of Santa Carla to live with their grandfather, the story doesn’t fret about and quickly takes a turn for the worse – as this isn’t your regular Californian coastal town. When Michael’s teenage hormones direct him towards young Star (Gertz), he soon finds himself part of the motorcycle gang led by David (Sutherland) and ultimately engulfed in the darker sides of the mythological spectrum – when David turns out to be something else entirely. Luckily, Sam meets the brothers Frog (Edgar and Allen, thus named in reference to horror fictionist Edgar Allen Poe) in the local comic store, where they house their headquarters for the anti vampire offensive..
Wait. The what? That’s right, the aptly named Santa Carla (Spanish for Holy Cross) is festered with blood-sucking teenage vampires who roam the boardwalks and beaches searching for fresh meat, virgins and the latest Bon Jovi record. Given all the Jim Morrison references in both picture and sound (the haircuts, the posters, the fact People are Strange is part of the OST), the fictional Californian coastal town of Santa Carla might have well been Venice Beach, but the writers instead opted for this disturbing seafront town so they could dub it ‘the murder capital of the world’, for all intents and purposes. Which obviously adds to the entire happy-go-lucky vampire hunt that is to ensue after Michael inevitably becomes drawn to the dark side and starts levitating in his bedroom.
As with all things Halloween, it soon becomes apparent that the movie that coined the phrase ‘vamp-out’ (which was later adopted by Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is not one to take too seriously. Which is good, as cast and crew don’t pretend otherwise. The best entertainment then comes not so much from the living death action spectacles as from the fraternal relation of Michael and Sammy, as the latter doesn’t know how to respond to the surrealism that grips both him and the audience. When his hunger, or rather thirst, for blood takes control of his new persona. ‘My own brother, a blood-sucking vampire. Wait till mom finds out!’ Other outcries of the troubled youngster include ‘Don’t kill me Michael, I’m basically a good kid’ and ‘You drank blood!? Are you nuts?’ in obvious (and successful) attempts to be self reflective towards the genre. Something that is increased with considerable gravitas when the aforementioned Frog brothers (one of which is Feldman, who went on to star as head honcho of vampire hunters in 2008’s straight-to-dvd Lost Boys: The Tribe) lend their expertise to the fraternal quest of Michael and Sam’s. Especially considering they get all of their weapons and tactics training for the vampire-ridden fields of battle from the fantasy comics sold in the store that provides them with their weekend jobs. ‘You can’t come with me Sam, these guys are vicious killers,’ utters Michael. ‘Yeah, well, so are the Frog brothers.’
Besides the obvious fun to be had from the rather ridiculous and quintessential eighties storylines and the enjoyment conveyed by all actors involved, there is more to the experience than corny jokes and exciting stakes. Michael Chapman is in charge of cinematography, for instance. And when the man that helped Scorsese portray his vision in, among others, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, you’re bound to pay attention to the scenery. Especially when that scenery bounces along to the sounds of INXS, Roger Daltrey and Run-DMC. Indeed, it doesn’t stop at impressive imagery alone. The end result then, is one that combines the best (or, you know, somewhere near the best) of several aspects of filmmaking, thereby elevating The Lost Boys above other movies in the (sub)genre and neatly planting it into the list of this month’s Horror Special – with a silver bullet.
