The Lost Boys came out in 1987, at the height of the rebellious teen phase.
For the future punks, emos and goths in us ? It was (and still is) royalty.
No it doesn’t have a beautifully goth love story like Dracula, no it doesn’t have sparkling vampires like Twilight, but yes, it does have a gay lovers vampire vibe like Interview with the vampire.
More than just 80s hair spray
Set in the very punk town of Santa Carla (murder capital of the world), it is perfectly 80s.
It has Billy Idol hair, epaulettes and soooo much hair spray and leather. It is an insane time capsule.
It’s technically a horror comedy. It’s Buffy before Buffy existed.
Back then they still trusted their audience and used the “show don’t tell” approach.
The graffiti, the missing persons posters, the victim taken from the sky… They will mention it all later on, but you get rewarded for having paid attention in the beginning.
In 2026 ? They would have done a flashback to the opening scene to beat you over the head with it.
The grandfather is amazing, the frog brothers are weird, and I may or may not still have an undying crush on 1987 bleached up Kiefer Sutherland.
The Lost Boys has its flaws, of course, but it is eminently watchable, mainly for the camp of it all.
It walked so mainstream vampires could run.
The prosthetics are perfect (and clearly inspired others), the plot is relatable, the husky (Nanook) is a very good boy, and where else would you have a break in the plot to feature an oiled up sax player ?
Nowhere, that’s where.
Ps : the dog doesn’t die.
Behind the scenes trivia
The brotherly bond seems real because Jason Patric and Corey Haim (RIP) worked on it for a few weeks before shooting began and hung out a lot. The tension between Michael and David seemed real because Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland were competing to who would seduce the most girls back then.
The chemistry between Jason Patric and Jami Gertz seemed real because she got him the role, and he had a huge crush on her.
A soundtrack for the damned
The soundtrack has a haunting feel to it. G Tom Mac created a masterpiece with Cry little sister.
And I still believe ? Tim Cappello gets the audience hyped up like no other at the For the love of horror afterparties.
The decor in the vampire cave really looks like a sunken hotel and the bridge scene became a cult classic.
It’s a spookier version of the Goonies. And back then, it was all that was needed.
I could praise this movie for hours on end. I have no idea what people would think if they discovered it today and if my nostalgia is playing tricks on me, but it still holds up decently.
Yes it is as corny as can be, yes some characters are annoying, and yes, the plot is fairly basic… but think about it, without David, we would have never had Spike.
That alone is worth it.
“Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire.”
And if you’re as obsessed as I am with the Lost boys, then a trip to London’s Lost souls pizza is a must.
My rating : 5/5 bats and a saxophone.
🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇🎷
(Yes it gets a 6/5 rating, my website : my lack of rules. Embrace the chaos)
Ps : Don’t bother with the sequels. They are not worth it.