The Lost Boys – One of the seminal films of the eighties

If you only see one eighties movie about vampires… then watch (the original) ‘Fright Night.’ However, if you’re well into either or both movie history, or our blood-sucking fiends of the night, then you should probably watch the original ‘Fright Night’ AND ‘The Lost Boys.’ There are some films you just have to see and The Lost Boys is one.  Maybe I was being too flippant when I said that you should watch it after ‘Fright Night?’ Let’s face it… Fright Night got an updated remake whereas The Lost Boys is yet to be redone by modern (CGI) hands.

There’s nothing amazing about The Lost Boys’ plot, i.e. a family relocate to a new town where they discover it has a dark secret.  Even in the eighties this was getting a little stale.  However, it’s the film’s blend of horror and a real self of ‘self-knowing’ without ever descending into straight up comedy.  The two central characters/brothers play off each other well, giving a natural feel of sibling rivalry while at the same time having each other’s back when push comes to shove.  Of course, this relationship is really put to the test when the elder brother only goes and gets mixed up in the wrong crowd – a crowd of vampires to be precise!  And, to prove the old warning true about never accepting drinks from strangers, he only goes and has a swig from a bottle of blood turning him into one of their reflection-less ranks.

As good as the brothers are, a really great film also has a wide variety of supporting characters for them to interact with.  The Lost Boys doesn’t depart in that department.  For a start we have the pair lads who seem to live in the local comic shop and ‘swot up’ on how best to defeat the local undead via the pages of graphic novels.  If there is a real ‘comic element’ to the film it lies with them, but, seeing as they’re never used in excess, they never become annoying.  Of course special mention must be given to Kiefer Sutherland.  Before Jack Bauer was saving the world, Kiefer was ripping people’s throats out with his evil yellow eyes and 18 certificate Buffy the Vampire make-up.  He’s by far the stand out performance.  You may not want to root for him, but you sure won’t sleep easy after watching his sheer glee at terrorising any of us mere mortals.

Yes, as with any horror film you have to suspend your disbelief at times.  Sometimes plot points are a little hard to swallow, but this film is just too much fun to really care and the massive amounts of good so outweigh the negative moments it’s just not worth mentioning.  

You should definitely watch ‘The Lost Boys.’ Whether you’re a fan of great characters, horror, vampire, teen movies and general fun flicks from the eighties, it basically has it all.  And that’s before I mentioned the musical score.  Seriously… that chant is damn haunting and will stick in your head long after the cool (and completely out of the blue!) last line of the film!

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one