The Lost Boys Review

This week we’re taking a look at a classic: The Lost Boys. Quintessential 80s (it came out in 1987) this movie is both of its time, and completely timeless. Back when vampires might be attractive, but you still wouldn’t want to date them (and only Kiefer Sutherland could pull off a mullet).

Spoilers Ahead

The Lost Boys starts with single mom Lucy (Dianne Wiest) and her sons, Michael and Sam (Jason Patric and Corey Haim) moving back to her hometown, Santa Carla (really Santa Cruz, which at one time was known as “The Murder Capital of the World,” inspiring the graffiti we see as the family drives into town).

It doesn’t take long for chaos to ensue, and the brothers discover there’s more to Santa Carla than hippies, bikers, and rampant unemployment. Older brother Michael gets mixed up with the wrong (undead) crowd, and younger brother Sam enlists the help of a couple of wacky locals (the Frog brothers, Edgar and Allan, played by Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander) who have dedicated themselves to eradicating the vampire menace. It all comes down to living long enough to kill the head vampire in order to save Michael and his fellow half-vampires, Star (Jamie Gertz) and Laddie (Chance Michael Corbitt).

The awesome cast is rounded out by main vampires David, Marko, Dwayne, and Paul (played by Kiefer Sutherland, Alex Winter, Billy Wirth, and Brooke McCarter); Grandpa (Barnard Hughes); and Lucy’s new boss/love interest, Max (Edward Herrmann). Oh, and Cody as Nanook, Sam’s dog (and the dog doesn’t die!)

The chemistry between the characters, particularly between Sam and the Frog brothers is so good. This was the start of the Two Coreys, which was a whole cultural phenomenon in and of itself. Grandpa is one of my favourite characters–and he gets the best line of the movie (the one at the end). And who could forget this guy:

This is Timmy Cappello, professional saxophonist. The 80s were all about the sax. No one is really sure why, but this guy undoubtedly had something to do with it.

The movie’s also got some fine cinematography and sets, and a great soundtrack. The opening shot of the camera swooping over the ocean and into the carnival, where we catch our first glimpse of David, is perfect, not least because of the music chosen (the chanting boys choir that’s used throughout– love it). We’re also treated to Echo and the Bunnymen’s version of “People Are Strange” (originally by the Doors). It should be noted that The Lost Boys broke ground by being the first movie to feature teenage vampires (or at least, vampires that look like teenagers).

But what’s the point of all that unless the vampires are worth watching?

Luckily, they’re fantastic. First of all, I like that Schumacher et al didn’t give everything away too soon. You don’t see a full-out vampire (fangs, bumpy profiles, red-rimmed yellow eyes) until 1:01:30 into the movie. They’re also the perfect mix of human and monster (for me, anyway). Restrained David is just as good as brutal David (the beach scene, where he bites into the bald head of a victim and the blood shoots out–what’s not to love?) Kiefer makes the character his own, and I can’t imagine anyone else in the role.

The makeup is also really good, especially considering the year this was made. There’s something to be said for practical effects and subtlety. Side note: I don’t know if the actors practiced talking with the fangs in, or if the fangs were particularly well made or what, but I was happy that there was no lisping among the vampires, which even the Buffy vamps have been known to do.

The vampire mythology is a mix of traditional and innovative. Full vampires can hover/fly and have the ability to hypnotize, but they have to avoid sunlight, fire, stakes, and holy water. They sleep hanging upside down, like bats, using their clawed feet to hang on, and they don’t have reflections. Half vampires have drunk a vampire’s blood, but haven’t killed anyone yet; once they do, they become full vampires. Killing the head vampire reverts all half vampires to human, and kills all the full vampires.

The title is a reference to the Lost Boys in Peter Pan, young boys who never grow up and never die.

The Blu-Ray comes with some excellent bonus content, including “A World of Vampires,” an interactive map with a bit on vampire legends from around the world. It’s fascinating to see the similarities in vampire legends/mythology among diverse cultures, sometimes spanning the globe. There’s also an interesting bit on the evolution of the Slavic vamp into our modern image of vampires. This is why streaming isn’t always the best option.

While the movie does look dated now, you can think of it as a period piece (then again, I hear mullets are making a comeback). You’ll probably never see The Lost Boys on any “Top Movies of All Time” lists, which is a shame because there’s a lot to love about it. Still, it’ll always be one of the best vampire films; one that any fan should watch. And then watch again a few more times.

Have you seen The Lost Boys? What did you think of it? Share in the comments…

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The Batman vs. Dracula

Spoilers Ahead

So, I was all set to settle in and watch this week's episode of Moonlight when, while idly scrolling through the other channels to see what else was on, I stumbled across The Batman vs. Dracula. Not only did I not know it even existed despite it being a fairly recent (2005) release (yes--I am embarrassed for myself) but it was just about to start. Clearly the vampire gods had spoken. Moonlight would have to wait.

The story itself is pretty standard superhero fare: the good guy has to face a supervillain as well as seemingly insurmountable odds. Only in this case the supervillain is Dracula and the insurmountable odds are his army of minion vampires. Penguin and the Joker serve as fairly minor distractions and there's a subplot about Bruce Wayne's inability to form human connections. I particularly enjoyed the parallels drawn between the Dark Knight and the Prince of Darkness, both being bat-men. Batman's vampire-like attributes were what drew me to him in the first place and are what have made him my favourite superhero (sorry, Wolverine). It's nice to see him up against the real thing.

I have to say, there's some really nice animation to be found here--the sort of thing 3D and CGI will just never be able to compete with. There's excellent use of shadow and camera angles. The scenes between Dracula and Batman are brilliant, and Bruce Wayne's dream sequences aren't too bad, either. There's also an exceptionally creepy scene as the Joker is soaked in a rain of blood. The animation more than makes up for the weak spots in the writing (Dr. Alucard--really? Not to mention letting Vicky go home alone at night when Bruce and Alfred know full well that Dracula and his minions are out there).

Dracula and the vampires look good, definitely on the scary side. Dracula alternates between his vampire and human appearances; as a vampire he looks like a cross between a bat and an animated corpse (as do all the vampires), when human he's rocking the classic Bela Lugosi-Dracula look (hollow cheeks, slicked-back black hair, cape). Personally, I've never found Dracula to be particularly compelling. It doesn't help that you know he'll be defeated. This Dracula isn't really creepy or charming enough, but he does get some good lines, and has a decent accent (nothing over the top or cheesy, but authentic sounding). He's also the only vampire with any sort of personality. Overall, they did a good job with him.

As for the other characters, they were all well done. I know there's some controversy over the portrayal of the Joker. He's not my favourite but I liked him (and there's something to be said about not recognizing the actor behind the character; Mark Hamill has a lot of fans but I always just hear Luke Skywalker). One quibble I have is with Bruce Wayne--he looks, I don't know--soft? He doesn't seem like he could step into Batman's shoes. I know, I know--that's part of the disguise (like Clark Kent's glasses) but I guess I want to be able to see a hint of the bat inside Bruce. Maybe I'm asking too much.

Overall, this is a good effort, and one that both Batman and vampire/Dracula fans should not miss. Much as I like Moonlight, I'm glad I decided to put it off this time.

Fang Files

Appearance: Animated corpse: grey skin, skeletal features. Clawed fingers, pointy ears, prominent fangs, white-grey hair. Eyes glow blue (red when using powers of hypnotism). Dracula can switch between appearing human or as the vampire. Vampires cast no reflection.

Strengths: Super speed, strength, hearing, and sense of smell. "Vampire Vision": can clearly see veins and heart within a human body. Ability to hypnotize humans. Ability to cling to walls, ceilings, and move along them. Ability to jump from great heights. Resistant to pain, injury. Dracula can also turn into mist and animals, and can fly.

Weaknesses: Garlic, sunlight, crosses. Need a human servant to protect resting place by day. Serious over-confidence.

Mythology: Standard Dracula--not much deviation. A drop of blood is enough to bring his skeletal, staked corpse back to life. To turn a human a vampire only needs to bite them; the human turns almost immediately. While humans can be cured of vampirism, there is no cure for Dracula--he is a supernatural being.

Sound Bites

Alfred: Sir, you are brooding. More so than usual.

Penguin: (to Dracula as he gazes at the television) You like? It's a plasma screen--as in blood. Oh, the girl. You have been in the grave a while, haven't you, master? (Eyes Vicky Vale) Nice jugulars.

Joker: (opening Dracula's coffin) That's one good-looking corpse.

Dracula: (to Batman) I will drain you dry and use your cape as a dinner napkin.

The Batman vs. Dracula. Written by Duane Capizzi and Bob Kane (creator of Batman). Directed by Michael Goguen and Seung Eun Kim. From Warner Brothers/DC.

Lost Boys: The Tribe

Spoilers Ahead

I've been reluctant to watch Lost Boys: The Tribe. The original movie was brilliant; I knew the sequel could never live up to it. Not to mention the less-than-stellar reviews it received, and the not-promising premise outlined in the Reign of Frogs comics. But it had to be done, so on this cold, wet, grey, miserable day, I finally sat down to watch The Tribe. And the verdict is: at least it's finally over with.

First off, if you watch this movie in hopes of seeing any of the original characters other than Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman) and (briefly) Sam Emerson (Corey Haim), you're out of luck. Gramps was dispatched in Reign of Frogs, Lucy/mom has been replaced with obnoxious Aunt Jillian, Michael and Star are dead. Alan Frog was turned in the comics, mentioned in the movie, and will clearly be back in the sequel. Sam's also a vampire now (disappointing, although fangs suit him), and he and Edgar show up in a short interlude during the credits. I expect he'll be back in the sequel, as well. David was nowhere to be found, which is good and bad--his character was awesome, but who wants to see anyone other than Kiefer Sutherland playing him? Then again, he had such a prominent role in Reign of Frogs, I was sure he'd at least make an appearance in The Tribe. Speaking of making an appearance, I must say I think it would be nifty if they brought Laddie back for the next sequel; somehow I don't see it happening, though.

Set in the present day (i.e., about twenty years after The Lost Boys), The Tribe opens promisingly enough. There's a beach at night, nice shots of the water, a group of young surfers spouting intensely unimpressive dialogue. The boys have their fun before being confronted by the owner of the private beach on which they're trespassing. The owner, by the way, is played by Tom Savini, one of the few high points of the movie. No surprise when he turns out to be a vampire. More surprising is when the surfer boys show off their own fangs. They attack Savini's character en masse, killing him, and then beheading him for good measure. If the whole movie had followed along those lines, the terrible dialogue might just have been forgiveable. Oh well.

Cut to scenes of Santa Carla in the daytime (still a hole, only now minus the carnival) and the arrival of brother and sister Chris and Nicole Emerson, children of Michael and Star. It's fairly depressing that after everything they went through in the first movie, one-time half-vampires Michael and Star went on to settle down, have kids, and then die in a car accident. (When Edgar mentioned it in Reign of Frogs, I thought it was just a lame story to put David off their trail. My bad.) At least you'd think they would have warned their kids about Santa Carla. Chris (Tad Hilgenbrinck, Disaster Movie) is an ex pro surfer who was kicked off the circuit after he snapped and injured another surfer (Jon). Sister Nicole (Autumn Reeser, The O.C.) mainly just serves to cause trouble and make her brother crazy. They arrive in Santa Carla hoping for a cheap place to live and a chance to rebuild their lives. Instead they find Shane Powers (Angus Sutherland, charmless half-brother of Kiefer) another ex-surfer, now head vampire of the tribe. Of course Shane takes an instant liking to Nicole, forcing Chris to "infiltrate" the tribe in order to save her. Edgar Frog helps Chris out. Although Feldman's character isn't in the movie as much as he should have been (what's the point of a Lost Boys movie without the Frog Brothers?), the fact that he spends most of his time onscreen repeating dialogue and scenes from the original movie left me feeling that he was in there way more than necessary.

Besides the crappy dialogue, the pacing also sucks (no pun intended). Why fill your movie with pesky character and plot development when you can use screen time for awesome scenes of parking lot donuts, car/motorcycle/skateboard chases, and half-naked chicks?

By the way, the movie tries way too hard to be edgy, thus ensuring that it will fail miserably. Look: drugs! Underage drinking! Tattoos! Girls making out! Rebels harassing the law! Yawn. Not to mention that the female vampires (or half-vampires) all seem to acquire a double dose of skank along with their fangs (human women are just modestly skanky). Star would not be impressed. I know I'm not.

As for the male vampires, they seem to spend most of their time giggling dementedly and disemboweling one another for fun. Kids these days.

The Tribe also seems to be operating under the impression that if it references The Lost Boys enough (music, dialogue, props, scenes), it'll be as good as the original movie. Sorry guys--none of that will make up for poor writing, bad acting, and a lack of story. Annoying vampires don't help either. This movie has "sub-par" practically stamped across the title.

Not that it's all bad. Mostly, but not all. The high points (and yes, they're few enough to be listed):

*The siblings find a pair of antlers in their new home that look remarkably like the ones that impaled David. Less of a high point is when the antlers are later used the same way on another vampire.

*Super cheesy oiled-up sax player from The Lost Boys (Timmy Capello) is back! And he's really let himself go. (Technically it's not really Timmy Capello, who looks pretty much the same as he did back then, but it's a cute reference, and particularly amusing to those of us who despised sax guy in the original.)

*The sign outside the Frog Brothers' surfboard-shaping and vampire-hunting compound: You Are Not Invited In.

*Aunt Jillian shows up to spend quality time with the siblings, bringing along a copy of The Goonies. (And the dumbasses decide they'd rather go to a surfer party. )

*Edgar Frog ordained himself online and now makes his own holy water.

If you're looking for a lame, not particularly horrific horror movie, by all means watch The Tribe. But if you want a movie that's actually worth watching, stick with The Lost Boys. There's a reason why it's a classic while its sequel rots in the mire of direct-to-video releases.

Fang Files

Physical Appearance: Unlike the fairly subtle appearance of the vamps in the original movie, the vampires now have bumpy, scaly, veiny features (except for the girls--they still have to look cute), black eyes, and slightly less-prominent canines. Voices deepen and have a demonic quality to them. Their eyes turn red when communicating telepathically.

Strengths: Super speed, super strength (both of which seem to disappear when it comes to fighting the unarmed hero). Ability to fly. Ability of head vampire to call out telepathically to vampires they've created (or at least the girl they've got the hots for).

Weaknesses: Holy water, crosses, sunlight, garlic. Any object that can pierce their heart will kill a vampire.

Mythology: Vampires need to be invited in and have no reflection. Vampires die in differing and dramatic ways (their deaths often involve exploding and/or projectile blood vomiting). Being bitten or drinking the blood of a head vampire will turn a human into a half vampire; killing a human will turn a half vampire into a full vampire. Killing the head vampire before half vampires feed for the first time will revert all half vampires back to humans.

Sound Bites

Shane: (to Chris) You should come, meet the rest of the guys. They're killer.

Vampire Jon: Saltwater and blood are basically the same thing. [This is followed by a long explanation, leaving this viewer wondering why vampires don't just drink saltwater then.]

Edgar Frog: (wielding a pair of crosses/stakes) Hey! Who ordered the stake?

Edgar Frog: I'm warning you.
Sam: Hey, I'm trembling.


Read my previous reviews:

The Lost Boys

Reign of Frogs #1

Reign of Frogs #2

Reign of Frogs #3

Reign of Frogs #4

Lost Boys: The Tribe. Written by Hans Rodionoff. Directed by P.J. Pesce. From Warner.