'Lost Boys' celebrates 30th anniversary
The stylish 1987 horror comedy film reinvigorated the vampire genre.
— -- Monday marks the 30th anniversary of "The Lost Boys," the stylish 1987 horror comedy film that some say reinvigorated the vampire genre for a new generation.
"The Lost Boys" made vampire films young and sexy, and predicted books and films like the "Twilight" series, and TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "True Blood" and "The Vampire Diaries" that have given the genre a youthful spin over the past few decades.
"The Lost Boys" was convceived as a "Goonies"-esque kids adventure film, according to IndieWire, but under the direction of then largely unknown director Joel Schumacher, the movie took its darker, R-rated turn.
The movie centers brothers Michael and Sam Emerson, played by Jason Patric and the late Corey Haim, respectively, who move to the fictional, sleepy beach town of Santa Carla, California with their just-divorced mom and move in with their oddball taxidermist grandpa.
Older brother Michael falls for a girl named Star, played by Jamie Gertz, who's attached to Kiefer Sutherland's David. He invites Michael into his group of unusual friends and, after a bizarre initiation, Michael unwittingly becomes one of them -- a vampire.
Meanwhile, Sam meets Corey Feldman's Edgar Frog, who manages a comic store with his brother, Alan. But it's only a cover for their true calling: hunting Santa Carla's vampires.
Michael must try to save himself from his bloodsucking fate while also freeing Star from hers, while Sam and the Frog brothers try to put an end to David's murderous band.
"The Lost Boys" also boasted a hit soundtrack featuring INXS, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Who's Roger Daltrey, Foreigner's Lou Gramm and others.
"The Lost Boys" was both a financial and critical success, and has since become a bit of a cult classic. Though a planned theatrical sequel starring Sutherland never took off, there were two forgettable, direct-to-video sequels, and even a few comic book sequels.
