Everything about The Lost Boys is so relentlessly dated; from the soundtrack full of INXS tunes to the presence of Jami Gertz and the Two Coreys (Haim and Feldman, for those of you born after 1983). I remember seeing this movie in the theater on the day before I started the 10th grade (you do the math) and it's maintained a permanent position in my movie collection ever since. It's cheesy, but it's also very funny and well-done in a way you rarely see in horror films in this era of the teen-oriented, aren't-I-clever horror movie that's been done over and over.

Santa Carla, California, is a town run by vampires, if we're to believe Edgar and Alan Frog, semi-professional teenage vampire hunters (Feldman and Jamison Newlander). They tell us that vampires occupy the highest offices at city hall and the Frogs are on a mission: to wipe out every last one of them.

The titular quartet of vampires are the cutest vampires ever seen on film. There's the Brooding One (Kiefer Sutherland), the Dark One (Billy Wirth), the the Blond One (Brooke McCarter) and the Short One (Alex Winter, aka Bill from the Bill and Ted flicks). They don't talk much, which is kind of a shame, because Sutherland has a very effective evil edge to his voice that makes his scenes really work. He is quite a threatening persona, but still charismatic enough to seduce poor Michael over to the dark side.

Michael is a James Dean type who moves to Santa Carla from Phoenix with his little brother, Sam. Michael is played by Jason Patric, who should have been Jim Morrison in the Doors, and if you don't believe me, watch the scenes in the cave, look at the poster of Morrison hanging on one of the walls, and then look at Patric again. Michael falls wildly in lust with the token girl vampire (Gertz). Gertz plays the part with just the right touch of blonde bimbo flair to be credible. She doesn't talk much, either, but the hair flips and insipid giggles say it all.

I love Dianne Weist, who plays Patric and Haim's mom. I will watch her in any film and despite the inspired silliness going on around her, is just as dignified and studied in The Lost Boys as she is in any Woody Allen movie.

What really impresses me about The Lost Boys is the lighting and composition of the shots. All but some very key scenes are shot in dim light or total darkness. After so many scenes in caves and dark rooms, the scenes shot in sunlight are startling and harsh-looking. This is a slick Hollywood production, directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Richard Donner, but somehow it manages to look just gritty enough without looking forced.

For a good double feature, rent this with Fright Night.




Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older