(Photo courtesy of: The Guardian) “‘The Lost Boys’ centers on a pair of brothers who find themselves entangled in a war between vampires and humans.”
Riley Fontana
Connector Editor
One of the best vampire films goes overlooked every year for a Halloween watch. Released in 1987, “The Lost Boys” is a painfully campy horror film about a beach town crawling with vampires. It perfectly fits the bill of what the 80s needed on the front of vampire films. It is filled with big hair and even bigger personalities on screen.
The film follows the Emerson brothers, Michael and Sam, who have just moved to Santa Carla, a fictional town in southern California. Their mom is trying to become an independent woman after her divorce, and her sons are getting tangled up with the wrong groups of kids on the beach. Michael gets himself mixed in with a group of teenage vampires, while Sam meets and befriends two tween vampire hunters. The film quickly turns into a blood bath in a major vampire fight.
“The Lost Boys” has become known as a cult classic but deserves so much more than that. It has received two sequels, which are not the best, and several attempts at a reboot. This film completely changed the lore around vampires, taking away the need to be bitten to be transformed instead of relying on someone to unknowingly drink the blood of the head vampire. This lore also allows for the death of the head vampire to revert all those who have been turned back into humans.
“The Lost Boys” also carries such strong choices in special effects, relying on practical effects to create their blood bath scenes. Behind-the-scenes stories and videos reveal that some of the scenes were too gruesome to allow into the film. These special effects look outdated now but still pack a punch. The care put into the film for their massive fight scenes shows how good the effects and lighting look in each shot.
The costuming also shines in this movie. The costume department leaned hard into the maximalist energy of the 80s, giving every character several layers and brightly colored clothing. There are tons of details in the jewelry and accessories choices, including the main vampire,
David, wearing a Dracula amulet. The small details allow for long-time viewers to always pick up on new details and understand more of the vampire history. The makeup department also had to carry its weight when creating this film. They had to create masks of the vampire characters with deep ridges and fangs for the characters’ transformations. Everyone on the set for this movie wanted the film to be amazing, and it is.
“The Lost Boys” is a campy vampire film perfect for those who want a little blood for Halloween. It’s currently available on Max, Philo and a few other streaming services. The film carries a lot of humor along with high-quality action and humor. There are some aspects of the film that are perfect for every viewer but are definitely for older audiences. The film has aged out of its original R rating and by today’s standards would most likely be rated PG-13.
Overall Grade: A+
