The Lost Boys

Joel Schumacher | USA | 1987 | 97 mins

Been feeling a bit under the weather lately? Too many late nights? Keep missing the daytime or having to wear sunglasses when you do make it up before dusk? Well, student life eh?... or maybe not... how do you feel about garlic? Crosses? Stakes?

Yes, it's vampire time again....

Boasting not just one but both of those lovely late 1980s/early '90s pubescent "pin-ups" (or so I was told at the time) called "Corey" this is a sort of brat-packer attempt at the typical vampire/horror flick.

The basic plot type thingie runs a bit like this: Dianne Weist is a recently divorced mom of two who moves herself and her boys Sam (Haim) and Michael (Jason Patric) nearer to her father in Santa Carla, California. Sam starts to worry about his brother's new gang of chums and his strange social activities and also happens to make friends with a somewhat batty comic-mad self-appointed Vampire hunter (Feldman enjoying himself). Both gang up and with a little helpful advice from Grandpa (Barnard Hughes having an obscenely fun time!) decide to start investigating a bit.

Inevitably blood is spilled and supped and much vampirical make-up applied (including some impressively effective red contact lenses), you might also catch the odd special effect (well ok a bit of flying anyway) and some decent music - including the excellent "People Are Strange" (you will be humming it as you leave) and "Don't Let The Sun Come Down On Me" (groan).

Bloodsucking support comes in the form of Alex Winter (who you may recall as "the one that isn't Keanu Reeves" from the Bill & Ted films) and Keifer Sutherland (yet again competing with Kevin Bacon for the title of "most dodgy films made in a decade"). Both do fine in their roles as does the rest of the gang but the person to watch out for is Barnard Hughes, he somewhat steals the show making the most of his occasional lines and the fact that he doesn't have to play too kindly an old fella for once.

It's a very silly romp (Joel Shumacher directs) but as it knows it's own limitations it is much fun with it, although you probably need to be able to overlook a few things - try not to picture Jason Patric in The Doors whenever he appears (I find this almost impossible) and attempt not to have Blossom flashbacks whenever Grandpa makes an appearance (maybe you were fortunate enough not to have grown up watching the damn thing?). If you can do that and can cope with the eighties facade - in fact the decade suits vampire movies quite well if this and The Hunger are any sensible measure - then you should be fine.

Review by Nicola Osborne
Taken from EUFS programme spring 2000