Why can't they create films like this today? Kiefer, Jason (oh Jason!!) Amy, Dianne... and the most adorable, hilarious and addictive acting of the two Corys ever!! I've been a huge fan since the movie came out and I swear, it keeps getting better everytime I watch it. Late 80s in all its edgy and sexy glory. I could cry its just so yummy, scary and fun all at the same time. Great acting and no over the top CGIs, pure late 80s with a healthy dose of cheese here and there. Amazing soundtrack which I proudly own. Loving this forever! <3

I love this movie. Even though I was born in '88 I can still appreciate this movie for its relatable story line about a mom with two teenage boys who goes to live with her father after a bitter divorce, the hot guys, the stylish (for the 80s) clothes, how it is to be young, naive and easy to get mixed up with the wrong crowd. Kiefer Sutherland (as well as the rest of the guys in his crew) was SO handsome and this movie makes for a great night-in movie.It also satisfies any horror-movie buff's hunger for some atmospheric and low-thrills horror. I like to watch it a lot just to see Kiefer and the oily sax man (I love the song he plays at the boardwalk!) It really does make me wish I lived in the 80s. What a great time for music and movies.

The Lost Boys is a classic. A family moves into a new town called Santa Carla. On the back of a billboard it says “Murder capital of the world.” There are missing persons flyers all over the town. The oldest son then makes some friends and they turn out to be vampires. Typical all American story.

What’s good about the movie is that it doesn’t take itself seriously. When the younger brother Sam for instance finds out that his older sibling Michael is becoming a vampire he says, “Wait until mom finds out.” Sam than asks his two friends to confirm Michael is turning and they ask whether he has bad breath. Sam says yes but he always had bad breath. If the comedy wasn’t included the Lost Boys could have very well been a very cheesy movie.

The story is really fun and not your usual vampire plot. It’s a classic for a reason.
C

“The Lost Boys” was a big hit in its day and has become a major classic both as a vampire film and an 80s film and has gained a cult following. It deserves all this. It was groundbreaking in its depiction of vampires as 20-somethings on motorcycles. Even in “Fright Night”, *1985) which influenced “The Lost Boys’. the vampire was in his early forties and seemed a wealthy and somewhat courtly gentleman. “The Lost Boys” also featured a strong visual sense, beautiful cinematography and an adept use of ‘80s music that blended with the film rather than overwhelming it.

Director Joel Schumacher personally saved the film from being something quite different and much less. The original script was from a pair of first-time screenwriters who had written it as a kids’ film with 12 to 13-year-old vampires; the Frog Brothers were cub scouts, Star was a young boy and much of the cast was under eleven. The tone was appropriately light. Producer Richard Donner’s last hit had been “The Goonies (1985) and he planned to direct the film, so the script was going to be like that film, but younger (not at Donner’s suggestion but so he might buy it). Donner got too tied up with “Lethal Weapon” and passed “The Lost Boys” on to Schumacher, who had only directed three films thus far.

The director has a mixed reputation today. After a streak of successful films, Schumacher took a lot of grief for “Batman and Robin” almost destroying his career and is still a famous misfire. He had planned to make a dark and serious film based on Frank Miller’s “Batman Year One”, but came under tremendous pressure from the toy industry and Warner Brothers. A superhero with the popularity of Batman had huge toy and tie-in potential and the studio would get a cut of that, so they demanded a light, kids’ movie. He could have quit but risked being labeled “difficult”, a death sentence in Hollywood.

Fortunately Donner didn’t care that much about “The Lost Boys” and let Schumacher have his way with it. Immediately a new screenwriter, Jeffery Boam, was brought in for a complete rewrite with young adult vampires who were sexy and up to date. Schumacher’s last film was “St. Elmo’s Fire” with a young Brat Pack cast, and he thought that approach would work better here. The younger kids became early teens and there were only three adult roles, keeping it a youth oriented film.

A good cast was assembled, one which took their roles seriously enough to deliver strong performances. Most were almost complete unknowns. Jason Patric (Michael Emerson) had been in “Solarbabies” with Jami Gertz, whom he recommended for the part of Star, That film had not been a hit, but the director felt he was right for the role. He also allowed him input on the script, particularly in keeping the language, styles and general feelings of young people in the ‘80s accurate. Jami Gertz mostly gets to look good, which she does right off spotlit in a white camisole. Other than that she explains what she can to Patric’s character, Michael ,and takes care of waifish ten-year-old half-vampire, Laddie.

The “Two Coreys” were just starting out their careers with their biggest successes being Corey Haim’s title role in “Lucas” and Corey Feldman’s Teddy in “Stand by Me”. Haim’s Sam Emerson was the film’s true center and point of view character and did an incredible job for a 14-year-old. Corey Feldman has a comic supporting part played earnestly. The vampires were wisely kept to four so each could make an impression. Kiefer Sutherland was outstanding as their leader, David, taking charge the moment he appeared. The three others get screen time but little dialog or development but fill their characters with swagger and youthful high spirits, something heretofore rare in movie vampires.

The director hit the jackpot with three fine actors for the adult roles. Barnard Hughes was an esteemed actor who had won both an Emmy and a Tony. He brought humor to the role of the eccentric Grandpa who grew his own marijuana. Edward Herrman often played patrician characters including several stints as F.D.R. and brought authority to the role of video store owner Max. The biggest coup was getting Dianne Wiest in the role of Lucy Emerson. She was a highly respected actress who had just won an Academy Award for “Hannah and Her Sisters. Mother roles tend to be bland in these kinds of films but with not that much dialogue, and much of that reacting to others, she creates a nuanced character. Sitting on the porch with Michael you can almost see everything she’s feeling.

Grandpa’s house itself is almost a character having a strong presence for it’s quirkiness. No regular house, it’s not in town but up in the Santa Cruz (Carla) mountains, a rambling lodge-like building with bark-covered railings and elaborate woodwork and windows everywhere. Inside it’s all cream, peach, orange and pink colors giving it a warm ambiance. It even has a taxidermy room for grandpa’s hobby. It was an actual house (the movie sets duplicate it). It was built in 1912 as the Casa Del Rey Country Club clubhouse. It was made into a lodge after 1945 until bought by Bernard H. Emerson, who added a taxidermy workshop.

Schumacher had an unusual background for a director, coming from the world of fashion design. This gave him a keen awareness of look, and that’s an important element of this film. He chose American Cinematography Society Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Chapman to shoot the film, and it’s beautifully lit in every scene. The look of the characters became very important. Costume designer Susan Becker allowed the vampires to pick out their own clothes from the trendy boutiques of Melrose Avenue. Kiefer Sutherland wears a long black coat and gloves and sports a platinum-dyed ‘80s hairstyle reminiscent of Billy Idol. The other vampires could be members of any ‘80s hard rock band.

Differences between Michael (Patric) and Sam (Haim). are visually emphasized Where Michael is a jeans, T-shirt and black leather jacket guy who might have been in “The Wild One”, Sam (Haim) wears an incredible assortment of bright and trendy ‘80s apparel . A Mondrian bathrobe and a “Born To Shop” T-shirt are also in his wardrobe.. He’s all MTV and high end mall-store, a bit precocious for his age. The Frog Brothers notice this right away in the comic book store where Sam calls his clothes “pretty cool” and they call him a “fashion victim”. Sam and Michael’s bedrooms differ greatly as well. Sam’s has a huge bed with a headboard of bent willow, a large glass paned cabinet, a giant red wristwatch wall clock and posters that include Molly Ringwald in “The Breakfast Club”. In contrast, Michael’s room is ordinary and old fashioned looking.

There are so many nice touches in the film. The vampire’s flight is wisely filmed from their point of view, avoiding using effects that might have looked tacky. The makeup is restrained so faces remain recognizable and not look like monsters; Joss Whedon said he copied this style intentionally for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer ” because it worked so well. Some people actually complain that “The Lost Boys” is dated because it’s so ‘80s. That’s part of the fun. It’s very much of its own time and that’s how it should be. It’s actually a good portrait of the ‘80s because it doesn’t overdo it with too many crazy hairdos or New Wave music. In fact it relies on ‘80’s rock by INXS, and others, which is less cliched than New Wave and synth pop, which though good music, has been overused.. It’s Echo & the Bunnymen singing “People Are Strange”, not The Doors. The movie zips along with a script that gets funnier as the tension ratchets up. It’s no surprise at all why this is a classic and anyone inclined will have a great time.

I've seen this more then 25 times over the last few decades. How can you go wrong with a classic like this one!!! Vampires don't sparkle kids, they are vicious, cruel and hungry, the way they ought to be, not falling in love, being a senior in high school for a 100 years, or living off forest creatures for blood.
This is the real thang, dang a tang.
Come over to the dark side.... we have maggots Michael.

I thought this movie was about Peter Pan’s friends all grown up and I was severely disappointed it was a prequel to twilight. What a bummer. On a positive note this morning a got a note from the bank saying they had made a critical error about a withdrawal they had made from my account several years ago , a mistake that resulted in a couple thousand dollar withdrawal out of my account... anyways, today that was put back, with interest! So I went out and I bought 3 dogs!!! Yes 3! I know that sounds crazy but I’ve always wanted to buy three dogs at once, I do live in a very small apartment and I did get Wolves just like in the movie so that’s one good thing about the film I guess, and I’m feeling very positive about the whole situation. Anyways this movie was mad dumb, who would ever confuse worms and spaghetti what an idiot lol. I give the movie 2 stars but I give my really cool life with me 3 new wolf dogs 4 stars, two thumbs and 6 paws way up. Woot woot and woof woof!

This is the 1987 teenage vampire film, directed by Joel Schumacher. It stars Kieffer Sutherland as David, Corey Haim as Sam, Jason Patric as Michael, Jami Gertz as Star, Corey Feldman as Edgar, Dianne Wiest as the mother.

Story: Two teenage brothers Michael and Sam with their mother who has divorced, move to a small town in Northern California. Sam is befriended by two comic-book nerds who warn him about vampires living in the town. Michael meets and falls for a pretty girl named Star, who seems to like David, the leader of a gang of vampires. Sam and his new friends must save Michael and Star from becoming full vampires.

This is one of the better, if not the best teen vampire movies to come out of the 1980’s. It has a very good soundtrack and is surprisingly entertaining with some real scarry moments. This said, it is obviously meant for the issues facing the adolescent. It explores the teenager’s need to find themselves and where they fit in society. In the process, they grow up and learn to deal maturely with serious issues of life including drugs, all shrouded in a humorous campy manner. Definitely easy viewing. I give this film 3 stars.

I have fond memories of this movie. I worked at Warner Bros. while this film was in production and saw the stars hanging around out outside of the soundstage in vampire make-up a few times. And, I liked the film at the time. I thought it was a little scary, but certainly campy fun.

It is a bit stuck in its time, though. Late 80's music track and wardrobe (especially Corey Haim's) was a bit over the top. I hadn't seen this film is 15 years, so it was a blast-from-the-past, but my new wife thought it was stupid, and I didn't disagree that much. Maybe stupid fun would be a better way to look at it.

It's surprising that the film spawned several direct-to-video sequels. Maybe it will be re-made for present-day audiences.