After moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires.
When “The Lost Boys” came out in 1987, my sister Cathy and her friends loved it. As teenagers, they had found their onscreen counterparts in Kiefer Sutherland’s hip, good-looking, and rule-breaking vampire David. I disliked the movie simply because Cathy liked it. We had that sort of sibling rivalry, and I only ever watched it once when it was first released. Looking at it again for the first time since 1987, I found the film to be wholly enjoyable, filled with a terrific ensemble cast who appeared to be having way too much fun. After all, the tagline for the movie reads, “Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire.” And “The Lost Boys” is lots of fun.
When Michael Emerson (Jason Patric) and his younger brother Sam (Corey Haim) move from Phoenix, Arizona, with their recently divorced mother, Lucy (Dianne Wiest), to the small beach town of Santa Carla, California, to live with Lucy’s eccentric father (Barnard Hughes), little do they know that they have relocated to the murder capital of the world. Unbeknownst to them, a small biker gang led by the charismatic David (Kiefer Sutherland) are vampires who have been feeding on the town’s citizens, hence, its grisly reputation. When Michael falls for the beautiful Star (Jami Gertz), little does he know that he will have to fight David for her, but instead of killing him, he takes a shine to his rebellious and fearless nature and tries to induct him into his gang and turn him into a vampire. When Sam meets the Frog brothers, Edgar and Alan (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander), they claim to be vampire killers, so when Sam uncovers that Michael is fraternizing with the enemy, he enlists the brothers to intercede, but things don’t go according to plan.
I enjoyed “The Lost Boys” much more than I expected. From an adult perspective, as opposed to my 15-year-old one the first time I saw it, I could appreciate it much more. Jason Patric and Corey Haim shared undeniable onscreen chemistry, and their constant bickering and physical interactions were very reminiscent of real-life siblings who love one another but can also get on each other’s nerves from time to time. Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander must’ve had the hardest time playing the Frog brothers as expressionless and somber, acting more like adults with lifelong grudges against the bloodsuckers in their town than the teenagers they are. Veterans Dianne Wiest, Barnard Hughes, and Edward Herrmann are along simply for the ride (and probably the paycheck) while Kiefer Sutherland struts his stuff, dressed all in black, riding a motorcycle, and getting to sink his fangs into pretty much anybody who looks at him sideways. If you haven’t seen “The Lost Boys” yet, I’d highly recommend it; it’s certainly a blast from the past.
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