The Lost Boys
[4K/Blu-ray combo]
This is one of those movies that brings a smile to my face. Not just because it’s a recent discovery that has delighted me, but because it was somewhat of a slow burn. The Lost Boys is popular in the punk/goth crowd, so it’s always been on my radar, and it just so happens that the 35th anniversary edition was the right time for me. On a first watch, I though it was decent, but it was on subsequent revisits that I realized how much I enjoyed inhabiting this little world, and how much this movie does with so little. It’s really an underdog success story.
First and foremost, what makes the Lost Boys stand out is that it seamlessly merges the genres of horror and comedy. It does so by basically splitting the protagonists and their worlds. When their interconnected worlds collide, by golly, it makes for some hilarious and suspenseful happenings. It’s watching movies like this that make you realize how much of a blueprint it served for shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Lost Boys basically developed a working formula for this kind of genre. There’s a human aspect to all this where many of use humor to deal with stressful situations, sure, but this film also takes some big swings and asks, “If you’re going to have a big gruesome death scene, why not have fun with it?”
And of course, it’s the stellar casting that also makes this a wonderful film to watch. Just about everyone in the cast went on to big things (or was already a big deal at the time) and having to reboot your brain and remember this was 1987, and these actors were just getting started is simply wild.
The Lost Boys 4K/Blu-ray box set comes loaded with extras that are actually quite fun to watch. I will go ahead and say that Joel Schumacher is one of the commentary greats. He is informative and insightful and a blast to sit with. He makes the movie that much more fun to watch. The other featurettes offer behind the scenes, lost scenes, and a documentary on the making of the film and its legacy. It’s just the right amount of material without overloading the viewer.
The Lost Boys is a movie that has withstood the test of time, able to charm audiences decades after its release. That’s a testament to the craftmanship behind the movie. Highly recommended.
