The Lost Boys (Special Edition) (DVD)

The mere mention of the cult vampire movie The Lost Boys, and one thing comes straight into my head - the song "Cry Little Sister". The two are inseperable - it's like Flashdance and "What A Feeling". The "Thou shalt not..." chorus of Cry Little Sister, sung by what sounds like a group of young girls is the most famous part of it.

The song is of course, the theme from The Lost Boys movie. The song is emblematic ...
...I talking so much about the song? Well, apart from owning the soundtrack, this film is arguably a real movie milestone - because it's a horror movie for the MTV generation.

MTV even gets a mention in the film, and the film, like those of John Hughes, spearheaded the youth culture which Hollywood still embraces. Looking through the 2-DVD set, it is evident how the makers (producer Richard Donner, who directed The Omen, Superman 1 & ... more

The mere mention of the cult vampire movie The Lost Boys, and one thing comes straight into my head - the song "Cry Little Sister". The two are inseperable - it's like Flashdance and "What A Feeling". The "Thou shalt not..." chorus of Cry Little Sister, sung by what sounds like a group of young girls is the most famous part of it.

The song is of course, the theme from The Lost Boys movie. The song is emblematic of the film in several ways - it's dark, it's powerful, it's memorable, it's not too heavy, and overall, it's pretty cool.

Why am I talking so much about the song? Well, apart from owning the soundtrack, this film is arguably a real movie milestone - because it's a horror movie for the MTV generation.

MTV even gets a mention in the film, and the film, like those of John Hughes, spearheaded the youth culture which Hollywood still embraces. Looking through the 2-DVD set, it is evident how the makers (producer Richard Donner, who directed The Omen, Superman 1 & 2 and Lethal Weapon 1-4 and director Joel Schumacher) wanted to avoid making this a children's adventure/horror and make a sexy comedy-horror for a late-teen/young-adult demographic. Its popularity is enduring, and has become a true cult film because of the time it arrived and how unique and modern it still appears.

The only comparable film I can suggest is Gremlins, which has a slightly different focus - there's more sentiment attached to that film, and it includes less pop-cultural references. Obviously, The Lost Boys has its influences in terms of earlier vampire movies, but it attempts to redefine the horror genre, whilst adhering to classic vampire lore. Although there are clear influences, it would be wrong to say that the whole film looks or sounds like a music video. Parts of it do thought - several scenes run to the tempo of their backing track and there is as much use of real songs as there is of a score.

> Plot <
Okay, that's enough trying to sound clever - what is the film about?
After a divorce, a mother and her two sons relocate to Santa Clara, California to live with their eccentric old grandfather. Santa Clara is dubbed "The murder capital of the world", but it does have a boardwalk, a seafront amusement park.

It's not long before the elder son, 18-year-old Michael (Jason Patric) had his head turned by a pleasant looking lass named Star (Jami Gertz). Unfortunately she lures him into a motorcycle gang of naughty late-teens, which includes Kiefer Sutherland (before he was 24) in their number. After a heavy night of rice, noodles and red wine, Michael wakes up the next afternoon with a sore head, and an aversion to sunlight. It might sound like a typical Saturday night to some people, but when younger brother Sam (Corey Haim) notices Michael has no reflection, he realises he's turning into a vampire - just wait 'til Mom finds out!

Sam's fears are confirmed on the advice of trained vampire hunters, Edgar and Allan Frog (Corey Feldman and Jamison Freelander), who work in their parents' comic shop. The trio of 13-year-olds have to do what's necessary to save everyone's neck - put a stake in either Michael or the head vampire. It just so happens that Sam's mother, played by Dianne Wiest, is dating her boss - the man they believe to be the head vampire. Can they do? 93 minutes of fun-packed moving pictures hold the answer!

> Acting <
The actors all do a superb job. The suffering of Jason Patric as he painfully turns into a vampire is very well portrayed. Dianne West is a very sympathetic mother and Edward Hermann is convincing as an understanding date and potential head vampire. But the performances of the two Coreys - Haim and Feldman are my favourite. Haim is good as a fun-loving fashion victim and he began an on-screen partnership with Corey Feldman , who excels in his John Rambo inspired role.
Feldman and Freelander were told to play their roles straight, but end up with most of the comedy in the film - several great one-liners and macho clichés. Feldman was a real hero of mine when I was little, for his roles in The Goonies and Gremlins. He also appeared in the more adult The 'burbs and the excellent Stand By Me - all of them classics of their time. After The Lost Boys, Feldman and Haim went on to make 7 movies together,
reflecting the on-screen chemistry seen here.

> Music <
The music is very good. The score perhaps doesn't stand up on its own, but the songs make for a great soundtrack CD. Echo and the Bunnymen's version of People Are Strange works very well in the film, Lost In The Shadows and Cry Little sister make good themes for the Lost Boys as a teen gang and the film respectively. Roger Daltrey's (who?) Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me is great for the closing titles.

> Special Effects <
For an action film, these are few and far between, but that's a good thing. Because of the lack of stars, financers refused to put up a big budget, so the effects are not at all over-the-top as they might have been. There are about 3 seconds of green-screen and no CG effects. Every effect is well done and fits in seamlessly.
The make-up for the vampires is very subtle, but very effective - raised cheek bones, lowered forehead, contact lenses and fake teeth. It produced a well-known and iconic image of Kiefer Sutherland's snarl.
There is a great scene when Michael wakes after his night out with the Lost Boys and returns to the real world, the action fades beautifully from slow-motion to real speed. Watch out for it.

> Special Features <
All are pretty good, but Joel Schumacher's commentary (on disc 1) encompasses pretty much everything that disc 2 has to offer. There's additional scenes (15 min), a retrospective documentary (23min), Inside the Vampire's Cave (4 featurettes, totalling 18 min), Make-up documentary (14min), the Corey Story (4min), trailer and Lou Gram 'Lost In The Shadows' music video.
You also get an opportunity to use your 'Angle' button on your remote for once! The 18 minutes of scenes featuring Sam with the Frog brothers are commentated upon by each of them separately - you can choose whose commentary you want to see (unfortunately you can see what they look like in their 30s!)

The director, Joel Schumacher, does the commentary. He's directed a diverse array of films, such as Batman 3 & 4, Falling Down, 8mm and St. Elmo's Fire. He also wrote Car Wash and The Wiz. His commentary is interesting and informative - it can enhance some parts yet ruin the illusion of others. It was only his fourth film as a director, so he explains how he was learning certain things as he went along.

> Summary <
The Lost Boys is a pretty cool name for a film, but doesn't reflect the main focus of the film, which is that of brotherly love and attempts to save Michael from becoming a vampire. It is a highly enjoyable, iconic, cult film from the 80s. The action barely stops and there is plenty to keep you interested - it's just like the Goonies in that respect. It also keeps you guessing - you can never really be sure who the head vampire is until the very end of the film.

If you've watched any John Hughes or Corey Feldman film before, you've gotta watch this. If you haven't heard of the Lost Boys before, then I might struggle to convince you to watch it - it doesn't sound as cool when you try to describe it.

Cool is very much the best way to describe the film - it's all about being fashionable, but unlike fashion, this film has not faded as time has gone by.

> £ <
I have seen this around for a fiver; if you can get it for that much, buy it. You're a fool not to. The best online price for R2 2-Disc Spec-Ed I've seen lately is £11.99 + free delivery, www.cd-wow.com. It's still a bargain! 

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