Intro
It’s that time of year when the darkness comes to play. When all that is dark and spooky becomes the theme of life. It’s Halloween season. And in honor of that I think it would be a good idea to review a horror film. The question is, what film would be a good choice? We don’t want to be too dark as that’s no fun and probably is a bit harder to sell. The point of these reviews is to increase traffic to the site after all. However, the horror fan in me beckons me to review a film that is actually horror and not horror-lite. A film that isn’t a kids’ movie with a Halloween coat of paint, or one that just plays lip service to horror. So what film could be a fun horror movie that doesn’t pull its punches but is still not too extreme? The answer came to me straight from the 80s in a leather jacket with a thirst for blood: The Lost Boys.
The Plot – Setting Up the Pieces
The film begins with Michael Emerson, played by Jason Patric, his younger brother Sam, played by Corey Haim, moving to Santa Carla with their mother Lucy, played by Dianne Weist, after she recently divorced their father. They move in with her father, their Grandpa, played by Barnard Hughes. After moving in the family, save for Grandpa, head to the local boardwalk. While there, each family member meets some side characters. Lucy meets Max Lawrence, played by Edward Herrmann, who owns a local video store and gives her a job. Sam meets the Frog brothers, Edgar, played by Corey Feldman, and Alan, played by Jamison Newlander. Their family owns a comic book store, and they give Sam a comic about vampires, claiming that it’s a survival guide.
The Plot – Darkness Rises
Meanwhile, Michael becomes captivated by a girl named Star, played by Jami Gertz. He discovers that she is associated with a local motorcycle gang led by David Powers, played by Kiefer Sutherland. Through Star, Michael becomes involved with the gang. The gang makes him do multiple tests of courage. After completing them, they make him drink from a bottle while in their hideout, a sunken hotel at the bottom of a cliff. Star warns him not to, but he goes ahead anyway.
The Plot – Transformation
After he drinks, he begins to change. Michael finds that his eyes are sensitive to sunlight, normal food becomes revolting to him, his reflection becomes partially transparent, and he develops a thirst for blood. While Sam is taking a bath, overcome by his bloodthirst, Michael attempts to attack Sam but is repelled by Sam’s dog, Nanook, played by Cody. Sam realizes what Michael’s condition is, and freaks out about him being a vampire. Michael calms him down, and they come to the conclusion that, because he hasn’t killed, Michael is a half-vampire and he can become human again if they kill the head vampire. After consulting with the Frog brothers Sam comes to the conclusion that Max is the head vampire.
The Plot – Gathering Information
Sam and the Frog Brothers decide to test that theory when Max comes over for dinner that night. Michael invites Max in, and after many antics they come to the conclusion that Max isn’t the head vampire due to the fact that he has a reflection. As time goes on, David pushes Michael to kill but he resists each time. Star eventually reveals to Michael that she, and the youngest member Laddie Thompson, played by Chance Michael Corbitt, are still human and that originally Michael was supposed to be Star’s first kill, finalizing her transformation into a vampire.
The Plot – Confrontation
After this revelation Michael leads Sam and the Frog brothers to the vampire’s lair during the day in order to ambush them. The brothers kill one vampire but wake up the other three. Sam, The brothers, and Michael manage to escape taking Star and Laddie with them as well. The group comes to the conclusion that the gang will come after them later. The teens stock up and prepare with holy water, crossbows, and stakes. Later that night the gang attacks the home while Lucy is out on a date with Max, and Grandpa is absent. Sam, Nanook, and the Frog brothers manage to kill two of the vampires. Michael struggles with David, the last gang member standing and manages to impale him. However, Michael, Star, and Laddie don’t change back, leaving the group to conclude that the head vampire is still alive.
The Plot – Evil Revealed
It is at this moment that Lucy and Max return from their date. Seeing the carnage, Lucy is shocked and Max reveals that he is the head vampire. He tells them that because Michael invited him in, the usual tricks to determine vampirism didn’t work on him. Max reveals that he had intended to turn both Sam and Michael into vampires so that he could force Lucy to also transform. He would then have her be the mother to his lost boys. As Max prepares to forcibly transform Lucy, Grandpa drives his truck through the front of the house, sending a fence post flying through Max, and staking him. After this Michael, Star, and Laddie return to humanity, confirming that Max was indeed the head vampire. After a brief celebration Lucy, Sam, and Michael go to check on Grandpa, where reveals that the only thing he doesn’t like about Santa Carla is all of the vampires.
Review – Plot
And that is the basic summary of the movie’s plot. With details omitted for time, as is standard for us. This movie plot might not be the smartest ever put to film, but it is a hell of a lot of fun. It gives off major Goonies vibes. This might be partially because it was written to be just like the Goonies, and had the same director signed on. Of course, this didn’t come to pass, and the script was retooled by the new director, Joel Schumacher, to be sexier with an older cast. It’s this edge that elevates it from a Goonies homage to its own unique style. The older grit giving a jagged edge to an otherwise smooth movie. Ultimately it’s this approach that gives the plot its great sense of feel. While now the idea of vampires in an urban setting is common, at the time of the movie’s creation it was somewhat unique so we can forgive some of the common tropes that we see in these sorts of plots nowadays. Though unlike a lot of media now, the vampires aren’t portrayed as heroic, or tragic figures. They are portrayed as sadistic, cunning, and animalistic monsters. They kill to feed and take great pleasure in doing so as sadistically as possible.
Review – Acting
Moving on, the next thing to look at is the acting. All of the actors do a good job with the roles they have. The standout is, of course, Cody as Nanook. I don’t believe I have ever before seen such a range or complexity of emotions as Cody portrayed in this film. I’m joking of course, but the point is that even the animal actors do a great job in this film and give believable performances. I can truly believe that each actor is their character, and you can get a sense of each character’s motivations through the performances as well. Certain standouts are Kiefer Sutherland as David, and Diane Wiest as Lucy Emerson. Kiefer Sutherland brings a calm mania to his performance as the main antagonist of the film. When he is on screen you become truly unnerved and intrigued by his reckless charm. Diane Wiest does a great job as a mother under pressure. You can truly sense her exasperation at the situation, while still getting the feeling that she loves her sons.
Review – Craft
Of course we can’t just talk about the acting so let’s move on to the craft. The standouts in this field are the editing and the soundtrack. First, the soundtrack is filled with an abundance of great 80s tracks and the film uses them constantly to great effect. Two standouts are the People Are Strange cover by Echo and The Bunnymen, and the movie’s theme Cry Little Sister by Gerard McMahon. The cover is used during the title sequence alongside the editing to brilliantly establish the setting of Santa Carla as a town of freaks and weirdos. The sequence consists of the song played over shots of strange people hanging out at the boardwalk during the day. It serves to establish the setting and helps make the world feel that little bit grittier. The theme is used many times throughout the movie and serves to act as the indicator of when a character is falling into darkness. The standout sequence is when Michael drinks from the bottle and becomes a half-vampire. The music plays over the moment and syncs quite well with the trippy editing that makes the moment feel like a dream, while the music makes it clear that this dream is a nightmare. It is moments like this that make the film almost feel like an extended music video.
Rating Time
Ultimately, I find that the film is a very good example of the good parts of the 80s. It creates a fun, almost comic book feel, that pervades the movie with a lot of needle drops that serve as a backdrop for a bevy of colorful performances. This movie is a great example of popcorn entertainment. It might not have the deep intellectualism of many other films that are considered art, but it is a fun journey that will serve to keep you invested in the fates of the characters. If you enjoy a bit of a scare and some fun to mix then this is a movie for you, though be warned, there are a few instances of gore that might not be for most audiences. The film is a horror movie with an R rating after all, what more could you expect? Now that we are coming to the end of this review, allow me to give you a hint of what the next review will be. Let’s just say that it’s fortuitous that Friday the 13th is in October this year. – ♤
