I was born in 1979. That means that the movies of my youth, for the most part, are going to be teeming with synthesizers, head bands and one or both of The Coreys. Like most kids of that era, my favorites range from bona fide classics such as
Gremlins ('84 - my
first favorite movie) and
The Goonies ('85), down to more niche movies like
Rad ('86) and
The Monster Squad ('87). One movie that somehow managed to elude me was 1987's vampire-flick,
The Lost Boys. How could I have missed this for so long?
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| Jack Bauer's embarrassing senior portrait. |
Frankly, I have never really cared for vampire movies.
What's the best one? Interview with the Vampire?
Bram Stoker's Dracula? Old school
Nosferatu (1922!)? I don't think I have seen any of these in their entirety. My favorite two vampire flicks would probably be
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Kristy Swanson? Yes, please) and
Blade (or the sequel). Yeah, I just admitted that.
Despite my bias, I really enjoyed
The Lost Boys. I know,
who cares almost 25 years later...but that's a testament to the movie's worth. It's still good. Yes, it's low-budge. There are almost
no special effects (or on-screen killings!) whatsoever. The dialogue can be cheesy and dated. And, yes, Corey Haim routinely looks like he's wearing my mom's clothes. Oh, the
worst offense? They go to this concert early on, and I swear, it's a shirtless, (and amazingly sweaty) Shawn Michaels just
destroying a saxophone. Really.
I'm on the fence with the music. The creepy choir-thing was cool, but maybe a bit...
overused.
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| Dorks. They look like a couple of dorks. |
All the aforementioned terribleness is offset by a great cast and memorable characters. Kiefer Sutherland is as awesome as his mullet. Jason Patric, who would make a beautiful woman, is solid as the conflicted older brother. Corey Haim finds the right mix of annoying kid and ass-kicking goofball. Bill S. Preston, Esq. even makes an appearance, and that makes every movie better. Let's not forget about the Frog Brothers, either. They pretty much rule with how ridiculously hardcore they are
in every frame. And any movie that has a dog basically
jumpkick a vampire into a tub of garlic and holy water is okay by me. And everyone, apparently. If you too somehow missed it, check it out. Even if you already have, watch it again. It doesn't um, wait for it...
suck. High five on that one! Anyone? No? Screw you guys.
