Vampires Week: The Lost Boys (1987)

The Lost Boys

Call No: PN1995.9.S26 L881 2004

The Lost Boys seems to be one of those movies that straddle both the worlds of obscurity and nostalgia. Those who grew up with the movie have a sort of fond affection for the offbeat and campy film, while those who haven’t seen it might not even know of its existence. It’s not a groundbreaking film or something you absolutely must see. It’s not even that fantastic. It is an entertaining watch, if for nothing more than to see how comfortable Kiefer Sutherland is in his role of being the badass (a little less Jack Bauer and a little more pre-Twilight vampire).

The story is about two brothers and their single mom to live with their grandfather in a small town in California, a town that is rumoured to be overrun with vampires. Soon after arriving, the boys find themselves immediately pulled into opposite directions: the older brother becomes attracted to a mysterious girl and drawn into her circle of suspicious friends, while the younger brother meets two boys who claim to be vampire hunters. When the older brother’s personality and behaviours begin to change rapidly, the two must work together to find a way to stop it.

It’s interesting to watch this movie with all of the vampire hype going on right now (courtesy of Twilight and other books trying to cash in on this suddenly hot genre, which also seems to include zombies and werewolves). Nowadays you have vampires as epic love heroes that sparkle and find true love. Vampires like Edward and Angel (from the popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel series) can be bad, but usually play up the tortured soul angle while finding the love of a woman that changes them. Don’t get me wrong – the tortured soul angle usually works for me, just not usually in the undead. In the film, Michael fits this category: innocent man, tortured soul, completely in love. Maybe this is why Kiefer Sutherland’s David and the other vampires in the film are so much more exciting. They make vampires look cool again. They sleep, party, drink and do daredevil stunts, never getting tired of their abilities. While age might have something to do with it, these vampires inject the genre with excitement and raw energy rather than romance (that angle is covered by Michael in the film).

The comedic trio of Jamison Newlander, Corey Haim and
Corey Feldman that make the film worth the watch.

It also needs to be said that as much as I enjoy watching Kiefer Sutherland, it’s the Corey boys and Jamison Newlander who steal the film. Newlander and fan-favorite Corey Feldman play the young Frog brothers, professional vampire hunters (who actually help when not screaming or running in fear). The late Corey Haim plays the younger brother Sam. Whenever the trio share the screen, hilarity happens. Imagine two five year old Rambos coming to your house as exterminators, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of the comedic possibilities that can and do happen in the film. Vampires are their business. They are serious about what they do, and it is from this intense seriousness that the comedy comes.

This movie is more of the “take it or leave it” variety. I’d seen it twice before (mostly because a favourite show of mine made a reference to it that I didn’t get) and once at Halloween. If you’re in the mood for a vampire movie that both guys and girls will like, give it a shot. If you’re looking for something a little more serious, maybe try Wesley Snipes in Blade. If that doesn’t work, you may have to head into Twilight turf. Best of luck.