Barely serviceable as a horror film, The Lost Boys functions far better as a pop culture black comedy, sort of a nastier John Hughes film with pretty photography. As with 8MM and Flatliners, Schumacher blunts most of the visceral potential in his script by focusing more on aesthetics, though thankfully not as harmfully as in those other two cases. Reminiscent of music videos but wholly influential in its own right, the film looks marvelous with slick scope photography and some of the finest use of dark negative space you'll ever see. Something of a "you had to be there" experience, the film features an exceptional rock/pop soundtrack (with some orchestral help from a young Thomas Newman, whose score remains sadly unavailable to this day) and a bizarre but effective roster of actors. Utilizing his brat packers far better than his earlier St. Elmo's Fire, Schumacher coaxes excellent work from the two Coreys in their most iconic performances; though offscreen for much of the film, Sutherland and his cohorts (including a pre-Bill and Ted Alex Winter) make a striking impression despite their dubious fashion choices. (Even in 1987, Weist's compliments to their outfits drew guffaws from audiences.) In one of his earliest roles, Patric does fine with his part (though he later brushed the film aside compared to his serious later work) and the adult performers offer nicely shaded characterizations. Only Gertz (Patric's costar from the previous year's Solarbabies) stumbles with a sketchy character whose lack of development leaves her a frustrating cipher. She looks great, but that's about it.
Perhaps the mildest R-rated horror film ever made (indeed, its one scene of gushing blood looks more like muddy tap water), The Lost Boys also makes interesting but muted use of its Peter Pan analogies, with Lucy's potential Wendy role playing nicely against the titular characters whose adolescent development clashes with their oddly asexual behavior. Many perceptive viewers noted a not-so-subtle gender role subtext to the film, particularly in the character of Sam and the use of a pretty girl to lure a teen boy in with a gang of trendy, fashion-dressing bloodsuckers. (However, as far as Schumacher films go, the implications here are a lot more subtle than, say, Batman and Robin.) In retrospect, it's easy to view the film as part of a homosexual panic horror trilogy from the `80s along with Fright Night and A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, all of which chart a similar trajectory involving male teen heroes whose confused sexuality is channeled into curiosity over a supernatural presence invading their home.
A notoriously difficult title to transfer to home video, The Lost Boys fares surprisingly well in its double-disc special edition incarnation. The very wide anamorphic transfer looks sharper and cleaner than any other version around (and significantly fresher than it did in theaters), while the 5.1 mix does what it can with a fairly standard sound design. Schumacher provides a solo audio commentary in which, like his early tracks, he largely focuses on his own directorial decisions without going too much into the nuts and bolts of how the film came to be or how drastically it changed from its original conception (more Peter Pan, less MTV). He also leaves many blank gaps in his chat, so keep the fast-forward button handy.
The second disc kicks off with The Lost Boys: A Retrospective, a 25-minute featurette in which Schumacher, both Coreys, Herrmann, producer Richard Donner (originally slated as director), Sutherland, and Newlander recall working on the film with affectionate detail. Inside the Vampire's Cave carries over the participants for four tiny extra featurettes, talking about the production design, the conception of vampires, the comedy/horror aspects, and a potential sequel involving a gang of biker girl vampires. (Oy!) Vamping Out: The Undead Creations of Greg Cannom focuses on the effects work with an emphasis on the vampire make-up, which went on to influence decades of future bloodsucker pop culture (including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which owes much of its look and lingo to this film). The Return of Sam and the Frog Brothers: The 2 Coreys and Jamison Newlander reunites the Coreys and Newlander for a multi-angle commentary track in which they observe themselves from a vantage point years later.
An interesting reel of deleted and extended scenes is mostly filler, though Weist and Herrmann get a couple of extra scenes expanding on their relationship. An extra bit with Hughes also does a more thorough job of foreshadowing his classic closing line, and Patric and Gertz get a silly extended love scene primarily focusing on the former's jeans. Other extras include the excellent theatrical trailer, a video for "Lost in the Shadows" (presumably the one for "Good Times" proved too difficult to clear), a photo gallery, and an interactive map charting the various vampire myths throughout the world.
For more information about The Lost Boys (Special Edition), visit Warner Video. To order The Lost Boys, go to TCM Shopping.
by Nathaniel Thompson
