The Lost Boys
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Joel Schumacher
Jason Patric
Corey Feldman
Kiefer Sutherland
Corey Haim
Jami Gertz
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Strange events threaten an entire family when two brothers move with their divorced mother to a California town where the local teenage gang turns out to be a pack of vampires.
Cast
Jason Patric
Corey Feldman
Kiefer Sutherland
Corey Haim
Jami Gertz
Dianne Wiest
Edward Herrmann
Jamison Newlander
Ian Guindon
Cheryl Carasik
Captain Colourz
Eric Graves
Nori Morgan
Brooke Mccarter
Christopher Peters
Sandra E Garcia
Jim Turner
Alexander Bacon Chapman
Gerald Younggren
Inez Pandalfi
Chance Michael Corbitt
J Dinan Myrtetus
Timmy Cappello
Tony Cain
Billy Wirth
Melanie Bishop
Tom Flores
Alex Winter
Jane Bare
Barnard Hughes
B Lowenberg
Keith Butterfield
Todd Feder
Kelly Jo Minter
Crew
Donald Abblett
Dale Alexander
Dick Alexander
Eric D Andersen
James M Arnett
Brent Baker
Ken Ballantine
David Banks
Jimmy Barnes
Jimmy Barnes
Bill Beasley
Susan Becker
Michael Been
Garry Gary Beers
Harvey Bernhard
Sandy Berumen
Michael Bigelow
Michael W Blymyer
Jeffrey Boam
May Boss
Judith Bouley
Christopher Bowman
Janet Brady
Eric Brevig
Eric Brevig
Eddie Brigati
Paul Brooks
Robert Brown
Everett Burrell
David Burton
Jeff Bushelman
Jodie Mae Caldwell
Charles L Campbell
Greg Cannom
Timmy Cappello
Larry Carow
John Carroll
Felix Cavaliere
Ray Chambers
Michael Chapman
Michael Chapman
Doc D Charbonneau
Bob Chase
Charles Chiodo
Craig S Clark
Bob Clearmountain
Michele Comris
Lamont Cox
Robert Crosby
Roger Daltrey
Bob Daly
Robert A Daly
Mark Damon
Huw Davies
Gary Charles Davis
Run Dmc
Scott Dockstader
Richard Donner
The Doors
Marion Dougherty
Tom Duffield
Patrick Duffy
Louis L Edemann
Keith Edmier
Donald Elliott
Earl Ellis
Whitey Ellison
Bill Erikson
Geno Escarrega
Jennifer Evans
Rosemarie Fall
Andrew Farriss
John Farriss
Tim Farriss
Michael Ferriter
Janice Fischer
Janice Fischer
Janice Fischer
Bill Foertsch
Bill Forsche
Richard C Franklin
Les Fresholtz
Dino Ganziano
Frank Gardner
Bruce Gattenbein
Michael A. Genne
Sandra Gimpel
Chris Goehe
Anthony Goldschmidt
Paul Goldsmith
Paul Goldsmith
James Goodwin
Danny Gould
Lou Gramm
Lou Gramm
Tracy Granger
James Green
Dr. Morton K Greenspoon
Linda Griffith
Dennis Grisco
William S Grisco
Jodi Guber
Kim Guthrie
Jeff Habberstad
Randy Hall
Donna Hart
Clarence Henry
Clarence Henry
Larry Hezzelwood
Beau Hill
Frank Holgate
Steve Holladay
John Hughes
Michael Hutchence
Clint Hutchinson
John W. Hyde
Dream Quest Images
James Jeremias
James Jeremias
James Jeremias
Eric Jewett
Elton John
Jack Johnson
Madonna Joy
Paul Kaplansky
Kenneth Karman
Gene Kearney
Jan Kemper
Paul Kennerly
Gary Kieldrup
Jennifer Kingry
Justin Klarenbeck
Kim Koscki
Leslie J Kovacs
Steve Laporte
Tom Lassally
Andrew Lauren
David Lebell
Gene Lebell
Doug Lefler
Robert Lemer
Larry Lennert
Gail Levin
Joe Madalena
Michael Mainieri
Ray Manzarek
Sam Marquez
Bruce Martin
Gail Martin-sheridan
Tracey Mccampbell
Tim Mchugh
Gerald Mcmann
Gerald Mcmann
Benny Mcnulty
John C. Meier
Marie Melendez
Pat Moran
Timothy J Moran
Robert Munoz
Chuck Neely
Ve Neill
Bob Neilson
Mel Neiman
Thomas Newman
Larry Nicholas
Alan Nineberg
Jane O'neal
Michael O'shea
Larry Odien
Grant Olson
Daniel L Ondrejko
Mark Opitz
Michael Papale
Kirk Pengilly
Bill Perry
Joe Perry
Bill Petrotta
Chuck Picerni Jr.
Phil Pickett
Dan Plum
Bernie Pock
Vern Poore
Travis Powell
Jim Prior
K G Ramsey
Daniel Quinton Reilly
Ross Reynolds
Richard Rippel
Brian A Robertson
Alex Rodriguez
Bill Roe
Rod Rogers
Pat Romano
David Ronne
Laurie Ryan
Peter Salim
Lief Sand
Robert Scarborough
Charles Schuman
Robert Scifo
Film Details
Technical Specs
Articles
Lost Boys, The - The Lost Boys (Special Edition) on DVD
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
Lost Boys, The - The Lost Boys (Special Edition) on DVD
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1997
Released in United States July 17, 1987
Released in United States November 12, 1987
Released in United States Summer July 31, 1987
Re-released in United States October 30, 1987
Shown at WideScreen Film Festival in Los Angeles October 31 - November 16, 1997.
Released in United States 1997 (Shown at WideScreen Film Festival in Los Angeles October 31 - November 16, 1997.)
Released in United States July 17, 1987 (Shown in New York City July 17, 1987.)
Released in United States Summer July 31, 1987
Re-released in United States October 30, 1987 (Los Angeles)
Began shooting June 2, 1986.
Released in United States November 12, 1987