Even 39 years after they came out of the dark, The Lost Boys shows no signs of slowing down. The 1980s had no shortage of horror icons on the big screen, yet the vampire subgenre was dormant, with the classic creature largely overshadowed by slasher villians. However, divisive director Joel Schumacher would add a youthful twist to the bloodsuckers in his 1987 horror comedy that imagined how a young pack of unruly vampires would fit into contemporary America.
With The Lost Boys becoming a critical and box-office smash upon release, the movie has never left public consciousness and gathered its own loyal cult following. Yet, despite several sequels and reimaginings, nothing has come close to capturing the lightning in a bottle that the original movie is.
What is The Lost Boys?
The Lost Boys centers on brothers Michael and Sam, who move to the rough seaside town of Santa Carla alongside their recently divorced mother to live with their grandfather. Upon arrival, Michael is quickly drawn to Star (Jami Gertz), a beautiful young woman who is part of a teen motorcycle gang, led by David (Kiefer Sutherland). Michael is soon pulled into more than the bad boy lifestyle, as he is gradually turned into a vampire and learns that Star, David, and their group are creatures of the night.
Torn between his family and the hunger for blood, Michael turns to Sam in hopes of reversing his curse. Sam recruits the amateur sibling monster experts Edgar and Alan Frog (Corey Feldman and Jamieson Newlander) into the fight, setting their sights on killing the original vampire who turned David’s gang. Together, the group must use every trick in pop culture to fight the horrors haunting Santa Carla.
- Release Date
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July 31, 1987
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Jason Patric
Michael Emerson
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Dianne Wiest
Lucy Emerson
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The Lost Boys reawakens the vampire for the 80’s
Horror in the 1980s was dominated by the slasher, as Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers had audiences gripped in the subgenre’s commercially viable heyday. Despite their pivotal role in establishing horror on film, vampires were largely underserved during this period, with The Lost Boys and Fright Night emerging as the few notable examples of the creatures’ on-screen presence during the decade. Despite this, The Lost Boys made a clear attempt to place the creatures firmly within the period.
Much like how early examples, including the original Nosferatu, can be seen as having framed the vampire as representative of a larger societal debate, The Lost Boys‘ vampires draw from fears of anti-social youth behavior, with them being a gang of delinquents clad in leather. As the film progresses, it is revealed that part of the lead vampire’s plan is to find a figure who can set them straight, though their methods rely on traditional conservative beliefs and wouldn’t offer a real solution to the bloodshed in Santa Carla.
Another subtextual layer that The Lost Boys has become known for is its exploration of queer culture. Not only can the vampires be read as queer, but both Michael and Sam are at times queer-coded, be it through dialogue or production design. As such, queer viewers have been able to draw many different readings to take away from Schumacher’s work and ensure the movie remains a hot topic of discussions about the genre.
The Lost Boys is an underrated tale of brothers
Beyond the subtext and allegorical readings, The Lost Boys is also a rare cinematic depiction of healthy sibling relationships. Even when grappling with delinquency, death, and the supernatural, The Lost Boys‘ story is driven by three groups of brothers, the Emmersons, the Frog brothers, and the group of vampires themselves. Michael’s and Sam’s bond as the movie opens is strong already, to the point that not even the thought of Michael becoming a monster could shatter it. Meanwhile, the Frog brothers may be young, but they are an effective team when working together.
Even with their many acts of carnage and murder, there is something wholesome to be found in David’s group’s bond. They may use their gifts to tease one another, but they are encouraging new, fledgling vampires like Michael and loyal to one another, with the loss of one of their own pushing them to vengeful violence. Even today, I feel healthy on-screen brother bonds are a rarity, but The Lost Boys can be easily viewed as a celebration of siblings.
Where to watch The Lost Boys
While its layers have ensured that The Lost Boys remains a hot topic for discussion, the franchise has also been kept alive through new incarnations. In 2020, several major Hollywood stars came together to acquire the rights to produce the stage musical adaptation of the movie. Set to premiere in April 2026, the musical has already captured the minds of longtime fans and will likely spark a fandom of its own, akin to the following of Beetlejuice‘s stage adaptations.
As such, whether you’re looking to take a trip down to Santa Carla for the first time or have trodden the boardwalk before, now is an excellent time to stream The Lost Boys. Currently, the movie is available to purchase on Prime Video, Plex, and the Apple TV Store. If you’re willing to pay a price significantly less costly than what it takes to be an immortal bloodsucker, you can enjoy one of the most influential pieces of vampire media ever.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, via Prime membership or $9/month
- Simultaneous streams
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3
- Live TV
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No
- Price
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Included with Amazon Prime subscription ($15/month or $139/year) or $9/month standalone
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
