Movie Review – The Lost Boys – An 80s film about a motorcycle gang who are actually vampires

I do not tend to take on movie recommendations, other than from Netflix, for the pure reason that movies have a tendency to bore me, and Netflix is the only thing that accurately knows what movies I will like.

This film, though, I watched on the recommendation of my Twitter friend, Compass (@CompassStories). I originally talked about how I came to watch this film in my review (which I wrote before writing this bit) so I will stop writing, introduce the movie, and then get into my review!

Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire.

When a single mother and her two sons move to the sleepy seaside California town of Santa Clara, they discover much more than they anticipated in this visually stunning blend of hip humor, horror and rock 'n' roll about the most compelling group of contemporary vampires ever to put fang to vein.

My Review!

There is a whole story behind me watching this movie. One of my dearest friends on Twitter is a very big vampire fan, and one time, a good few weeks ago, possibly even months, I either asked for some film suggestions, or asked what film a character was from. It was so long ago, I don’t actually remember the interaction. But, I do remember this film coming up, and I said I would watch it. Skip forwards to now, I see someone else talking about this film, remember I said I would watch it, and actually go and watch it. 

It’s bad enough already that Michael and Sam are forced to move to Santa Carla after their parents divorce. The whole place seems strange, and their grandfather is the kind of person who will bestow a stuffed animal on you, and deem it an appropriate and welcomed gift. But, on top of that, Michael finds his eye drawn towards a girl, who seems to be unavailable, due to her connection with a motorcycle gang. He doesn’t let that stop him though, and as Michael attempts to become the sort of guy the girl, Star, might want, he slowly falls in with the gang.

On the other hand, Sam is simply browsing for comics when he is cornered by two boys, giving him warnings and being just a little odd. Being passed a book about vampires, Sam puts their ramblings down to the strangeness of the town, but when he starts reading the book, and Michael starts acting a little strange, he starts to wonder if it all wasn’t entirely made up.

I did not know what this film was going to be like, going into it, but I did know it was from the 80s, so I wasn’t expecting any special effects masterpiece. I must say, I was not sure what genre this film was marketed as. It was a mix between a thriller, maybe a little bit of horror, and certainly some comedy thrown in. There is a wonderful amount of dry one-liners, and, come on, Kiefer Sutherland? You can’t go wrong with him, especially as an evil teenage vampire. 

One thing I loved about this film was Michael and Sam’s relationship. They are not like modern siblings, who lock themselves in their rooms all day, barely speaking to one another, but I suppose that is simply the era. In Santa Carla, they do not even have a television to watch (although their grandfather receives the tv guide regardless), but if they did spend their time inside, not going out, doing things, or socialising, there wouldn’t have been a story to tell. They are close brothers, who look after each other. It is not just Michael looking after Sam as the older brother, for Sam does his fair share of looking after Michael as well. 

With the title of ‘The Lost Boys’, it brings to mind Peter Pan, and the children who never grew up. I wouldn’t entirely say that the children in Neverland were vampires, but lending the notion of not growing up to this movie fits almost perfectly. David and his vampire gang all seem to view vampirism as a way to escape the future. They are forever young men, able to do whatever they want without getting injured, or worrying about the consequences. They have a feeling on invincibility, and their carefree attitude harkens back to children, not following the rules or listening to anyone. Of course, in the story of Peter Pan, the Lost Boys eventually have to leave Neverland and grow up. This film plays out a little differently. 

Being from the 80s, this film was right up my street, and having Kiefer Sutherland on the cover certainly did not dissuade me, and although he was a bad guy, I wouldn’t have been opposed to seeing him more during the film. If you’re after retro vampires, this is the movie for you.

And done!

If you are a fan of vampires, you really should go and follow Compass on Twitter. They are what I would call the Number 1 Vampire Fan (among the people I follow on Twitter!) You can find them here: @CompassStories

And to Compass, I will say thank you for introducing me this film! It's been so long since we actually spoke about it, you probably don't even remember recommending it to me!

(Side note, I told my Mum I watched this movie, and she started fan-girling about Kiefer Sutherland, and talking about maggots...)

That's all for now...

Bye!