Lost Boys: Lost in Time

Sub-Category: Monster - Vampires, Teen Thriller
Setting: Small Town
Predictability: Very Predictable
Scare Factor: I checked under my bed and in my closet
Gore Factor: Very Mild Gore
Look-at-these: No Nudity

Synopsis: In case you have not seen one of the most famous vampire movies ever then I will give you the jist. Sam and Michael move to their grandfather's house with their mom. In pursuit of a girl, Michael ends up running into a gang of motorcycle riding vampires. He in turn is duped into becoming a half vampire, but will his brother and the frog brothers be able stop him from becoming a full vampire before it is too late?

Title Significance: Lost boys could refer to the gang of vampires who are perpetually young and macho but have no direction to head in. Or, it could refer to Michael and Sam who, after their parent's divorce, are left in emotional limbo. I imagine that it refers to the former, but how I do enjoy stretching things to the limit.

Memorable Lines: No destined-to-be-a-classic film is complete without a few noteworthy lines. Here are some of them:

"If you read the TV guide, you don't need a TV."
--grandfather

"You're a s**t sucking vampire. Just wait until mom finds out buddy!"
--Sam to Michael

Analysis: Why do I choose to write this review now? People have been making a lot of hooplah about The Queen of the Damned modernizing the vampire. Well, this was done much earlier in The Lost Boys. The 80's may no longer be considered contemporary but in 1987 when the film was made motorcycle riding vampires wearing denim and leather was certainly a modernization. Besides, this film is destined to become a classic and already is considered to be a classic by some. In many ways this movie defines the 80's. I can't think of any single horror movie that has had more viewage than The Lost Boys.

The cast reflects the main stream nature of the film. A Goonies era Corey Feldman stars as one of the frog brothers and Kiefer Sutherland stars as the head vampire. Also, Corey Haim stars as the younger brother Sam. Few horror movies boast such a cast, perhaps one of the most endearing qualities of the film.

There is little gore in the movie and the ending is happily ever after. I don't believe this film was ever intended to follow the classic horror movie paradigm. This was intended to be and actually typifies the 'feel good' movie of the 80's (The Goonies, ET, etc). The Lost Boys did for horror in the 80's what Scream did for horror in the 90's. The films took a classic horror element (vampires, psycho killer) and thrust them into a pop-culture shell. Hollywood has certainly profited from this, the pop-culture shell is what brings in the masses.

The idea of two brothers who were once close but now drifting apart reminds me of the recent film Ginger Snaps. Both involve one sibling turning into a monster and in both cases it is the elder. These metamorphoses perhaps symbolize the changes that occur as siblings get older, but since I explored this in my review of Ginger Snaps I won't belabor it here.

So does this mean that there are no scares? No. Despite the predictability of the film and the warm and fuzzy ending this movie does have some suspenseful moments. The second half will have you on the edge of your seat. The ending will leave you less than frightened but fulfilled nonetheless.

Final Comments: Everything about this movie smacks of the 80's. It is truly an amazing film, whether or not you like horror movies. The characters are real, the acting is outstanding and the tale is magnificent. This is one horror movie that will go down in history. In a genre where few movies ever gain mainstream acceptance, this says a lot. Definitely a must see.

Similar Movies: The Brotherhood, Ginger Snaps, Interview with a Vampire