The Lost Boys (1987)
Starring: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest
Writers: Janice Fischer, James Jeremiahs, Jeffrey Boam
Director: Joel Schumacher
****SPOILERS THROUGHOUT****
Story:
A mother and her two sons move from Phoenix to Santa Carla, California, the murder capital of the world. According to the Frog brothers, the place is also crawling with vampires. Fuuuuuuuck.
Review:
It's not anymore, but in 1987-88 The Lost Boys was not
only my favorite vampire film, but just my favorite horror film, in
general. This shit was in my blood. It was the second horror film I
saw in a theater (first being Dream Warriors earlier the same year), and I managed to
experience it twice that way. I was 10 years old. When it came to VHS, I pirated that
shit by hooking up two VCRS so I could watch it on the daily. Just couldn't get enough of it.
- I even took this picture up to the local barber shop and said “Do this to me!”
- This was the outcome. My Dad was unthrilled. Looking back on it, I can understand why. I had a motherfuckin' mullet and it's all Kiefer Sutherland's fault.
Over time, I grew more fond of Fright Night and Near Dark than The Lost Boys, but I have an insane amount of love for all three of them. Joel Schumacher (who is
actually not a favorite of mine) just made
vampires seem so damn cool... made nearly everyone in the movie perfect,
really. At the time, Mtv wasn't at the level of suckery that it is
now; it was actually alright, and this film is just one big 90 minute
epic music video. It's sleek and sexy and full of energy. Now, it wasn't
always supposed to be the way it is. Early stages of the script had
The Lost Boys penned as more of a kid movie, ala Goonies and PG or possibly
even G rated. That may have worked, though, it's kinda hard to imagine it
now. But at the same time, this flick as is could have passed for PG-13, if
you ask me. The vulgarity is void of “fucks”. I've read that
there is one F-bomb, but I've never caught it --not even in cut
scenes-- and it doesn't show up with subtitles. So, I'm saying it's
not there. There's no nudity, either. Just some kissing and a sex
scene that reveals nothing. Lastly, gore is pretty light.
Hell, we don't even actually see an on-screen kill until the one-hour
mark, and these are done with lightning fast edits. The showdown at
Grandpa's house is of course, a fucking blood bath, but even with
that I think The Lost Boys could probably make a PG-13 rating in this
day and age.
Anyway, instead of starting this out with all the things I love about The Lost Boys, I'm gonna go with some ...
What the shit? and random moments:
****NOTE: Not all pics are GIFS****
- The whole starring 'Kelly Jo Minter' thing. By age 10 I was already memorizing actors/actresses names in film, and I knew who Minter was from seeing her in Mask --she also shows up in Summer School the same year and Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child a few years later. So, I saw her name in the opening credits, which made me think she may be in the movie a good bit.
- Tellin' ya right now that I didn't catch her the first few viewings. Where the shit is she!? Oh, right here!
- That's it? Oh wait, here too! And honestly, lookin' kinda shady, like she may be in on something or... eh, just something, I don't fuckin' know.
I've heard that Minter's character has more to do in the novelization, but I have never read it so I don't know exactly what she does in there. There is a deleted scene on the Blu-ray, which is basically her showing Momma Lucy the ropes at Max's video store. Doesn't get much deeper than that, unfortunately. No talk of her or her character in the commentary. All I can really think of is that she was meant to be a more pivotal character somewhere along the lines. Okay, moving on...
- Really wanted to find some big background meaning to the black kite. Nadda. I'm honestly not a fan of this scene. It's kind of a poor diversion to make Max look like an innocent dude.
- Dudes, preserve your fucking back issues... damn.
- "Never invite a vampire into your house, you silly boy. It renders you powerless." Okay, well what about half vampires that haven't made their first kill? Well, they can enter through windows, of course!
- Seriously, one of the most disappointing fights ever. You don't take a character who's made out to be as badass as David is and allow him to have his shit handed to him by a half vampire. They do one full lap in the room, then Michael gets the upper hand? What the fuck!? I liked Michael, but... no.
Okay, now let's talk about the visuals of The Lost Boys, which are fucking amazing, even by standards of today. Michael Chapman's cinematography is straight awesome. If you've ever wondered why they never really showed the vampires flying as a group, it's because of budget restraints. There was simply not enough dough. Instead, we gets tons of overhead views from a helicopter, and added giggling in the background with other various sound FX. If anything, this makes the kill scenes all the more intense. We do get some actual vamp flying sequences eventually, done through green screen, and they are pretty brief. Schumacher says there's two, I counted three.
I really dig the shit out of the transparent overlay used in this flick. Directly after Michael drinks David's blood, there are so many shots over top of each other displaying the actions of everyone in the room. Totally brilliant and beautiful, and a perfect example of this film being one gigantic music video.
Example:
The sex scene uses this technique, as well. It's a completely gorgeous moment and made even more amazing by transitioning into a high above clouds shot. Lemme tell ya, if I was ever lucky enough to jump into bed with Jamie Gertz, I would be in the fucking clouds, too. Making this moment even more great is accompaniment of "Cry Little Sister" by Gerard McMahon.
The scene of Michael falling asleep --after the altercation with Nanook-- and waking up plastered firmly against his ceiling was all done with a crane, straps, and wires for when he starts to float down and out the window. For the scenes of frantic motorcycle headlights outside of Grandpa's house --as well as Max's-- there were just crew guys outside running around with lights. Yup. Bo Welch handled production sign, and this dude worked some fuckin' wonders for a tight budget. During my twenty plus year relationship with The Lost Boys, I never knew that the interior of Grandpa's house was a set piece; I just always assumed the outside and inside were the same place. Same goes for David and his gang's hideout. It's not nearly as big as it seems, but with constant rearrangements and different set pieces being moved in and out it looks mammoth.
Now, join me for some of my...
Favorite shit:
- Say "Off the boardwalk" again. Say "Off the boardwalk" again, I dare you, I double dare you motherfucker! Say "Off the boardwalk" ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME!
- Welcome to Santa Carla, aka Santa Cruz.
- Motherfuckin' Grandpa. The late Bernard Hughes steals the show in all of his scenes. Grandpa rules. He grows pot, has an "Old Fart" designated spot in his fridge, gets booty, has a bad ass car, reads the TV Guide but has no TV, and if I had to guess I'd say this dude has had more than one run-in with vamps and came out on the other side smiling. ♥Grandpa♥
- Tim Cappello. My Mom thought this dude was SO sexy. Well, he fuckin' was. Makin' sweet sweet love to that saxophone. Schumacher says in between takes that Cappello would work out and oil up to keep as buff looking as possible. He was a sax player for Tina Turner at the time. "I Still Believe" is such a damn good jam, too.
- Oh, Star. Gertz you couldn't possibly have been any hotter. Oh yeah, if you can take your eyes off of Gertz for a second, look to the left and see a leveled down version of Ryan Reynolds appear out of nowhere.
- Love all the red lighting used in this film. There some epic faces here, too.
- Some really awesome shots in this sequence, particularly when they go under the bridge and come out all hill ramping 'n shit. Lou Gramm's "Lost in the Shadows" owns.
- Sam's affinity for comics (though, not horror comics, wtf), Molly Ringwald, Reform School Girls, giant watch clocks, and a half naked Rob Lowe. Ironically at this same point in time I had pictures of Haim and Feldman from Big Bopper magazine all over my walls. Sam dresses like a train wreck, though.
- Maggots or worms, which would you rather? Of course, maggot and worm wranglers were on set.
- One of my favorite moments in the movie. Thanks to fog machines and a sound stage, this train bridge looks high up as fuck. In reality it's just a few feet, though, Schumacher doesn't exactly specify how many is a few.
- The Frog Brothers + Sam. Dudes are epic comic relief. Wish Jamison Newlander had landed more roles in his early years. Haim and Feldman gel exceptionally well together, and it's really obvious why they had a few more hits together after The Lost Boys before shit went south.
- Just over the one-hour mark and FX whiz Greg Cannom unleashes some awesome looking bloodsuckers. Also the first shot of gore. This was all shot on a soundstage.
- Nanook, the fucking badass. Two dogs were used for this role- one for gentle scenes and one for moments like this.
- "Some yell and scream, some go quietly, some explode, some implode. But, all will try and take you with them."
- Laddie was a pretty underdeveloped character, sadly, but this scene fucking rules and the Eddie Munster reference is unforgettable.
- Kung-Fu closeups.
I've already talked about Feldman, Haim, Newlander and Hughes, but there's damn fine performances all around. This is the role that made Kiefer Sutherland. His character has very little dialog; it's his body language that makes him so badass and memorable. His gang has even less to say, but that's usually the case for sidekicks. Brooke McCarter as Paul (the Twisted Sister looking one) probably has the most presence out of the backup vamps. Being an Alex Winter fan I sure wish he had been given more to do, but hey, we have Bill & Ted and Freaked. Edward Herrmann does a great job at making his Max character look like a regular old dorky dude and not a head vampire. Diane Wiest as the mother of Sam and Michael, well, comes off like an honest and real loving single mother. Jamie Gertz as Star, another half vamp and love interest for Michael doesn't have much more to say than Sutherland, but there's some depth. You'd think they would have thrown some of that love triangle shit in that was hinted at, but no, sadly. Good grief she is hot, though. Lastly, Jason Patric as Michael. Dude has the hotness and suaveness to carry such a role, and works the magic well. Apparently he didn't want to take the part out of fear that it may be an exploitation type film. Further, he was reportedly angry that he had to wear vampire makeup. I'm sure he's over it now, but are you fucking kiddin' me? Be glad this film made you, dude. I'd be more pissed if I starred in Speed 2.
Thomas Newman handles the actual film score. I don't want to sound like I'm just tossing his work to the wayside, but goddammit, the rock soundtrack for this flick is where it's at! It is still one of the fucking best ever. EVER. No words, just hit up the links-
Other awesome jams on this soundtrack are "Good Times" and "Laying Down the Law" by INXS, "People Are Strange" covered by Echo and the Bunnymen (and produced by Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for The Doors), "Walk This Way" covered by Run-D.M.C, and more. I love the shit out of the tunes in The Lost Boys.
Final Thoughts:
I've said more than enough here but I ain't about to apologize. I could actually keep going. I could give some love to Max's Hound of Hell, Thorn, or I could just talk endlessly about how it doesn't matter that it takes more than half the film before we see a vampire. Why? Because this flick is wrapped up neatly with a shitload of charm; the kind of charm we don't see too much of anymore. The Lost Boys was a huge huge huge part of my childhood, and I felt the need to give it a big fucking hug of appreciation.
~THE END~
