Freddy's 31 Days of Horror Day 20: Joel Schumacker's The Lost Boys
I'm going to just say it right off the bat that I believe Joel Schumacker is probably one of the worst filmmakers of all time. He put nipples on Batman, enough said. That being said it is exceptionally weird to see someone of his caliber pull of a film this excellent and beloved! The cast here is amazing and production values are exquisite as Richard Donner and Warner Brothers spared no expense it seems. This is a movie of it's time period and I think the time period perfectly helps the movie succeed as a dark vampire flick with fun eighties overtones. 
Sam, (Corey Haim) Michael (Jason Patrick) and their mother Lucy (Dianne Wiest) are moving to the town of San Marcos after their family is torn asunder from divorce. They move in with their grandfather to try and start a new life in a town that is filled with missing people, a high body count and strange different people on every corner of the boardwalk. Michael and Sam are very close as all they really have is each other until a beautiful strange dressed girl catches Michael's eye and he moves to impress her, however he is caught by the group of young men she hangs around with, all dressed in black and all recklessly dangerous. Their leader David, (Kiefer Sutherland) challenges him to keep up with the group in a race on his bike and almost kills Michael in the process. Impressed, David invites Michael back to their dilapidated hideaway which was once a grand hotel by the sea. There they trick Michael into drinking blood which has been disguised as wine. Michael is entranced and awakens in the late afternoon the next day with a great distaste for sunlight and a mean demeanor toward everyone. Sam discovers Michael's problem when Michael is overcome by the hunger for blood and attacks Sam. Together Sam and Michael must figure out how to reverse the curse and stop the tyranny of David and his gang of vampires!
As stated in the brilliant television show entourage, Jason Patric, rarely does a movie but this is one of his first roles and he really gives himself into it, switching his personality perfectly to reflect the change. Star, played by Jami Gertz, does a great job of showing us the antithesis of how the other vampires feel about the curse. They all give off an air of reckless abandon, giving into eternal youth without consequence and uncaring for anyone they hurt. All it's about is having a good time no matter what. Star carries every burden of all the vampires and all those they hurt, she has not lost her humanity and longs for it. She begs Michael to not become one of then and is so sorrowful he becomes one. 
The vampire attacks within the beginning of the movie are mostly aerial shots diving into the victims as we see the looks of horror on their faces. These shots are brilliantly done and give way to the first major vampire attack on a group of partying teenagers on a beach. When David and the boys first reveal to Michael what they've all become and their monstrous faces as they attack the partying teens! It is a bloody sharply cut massacre as we get quick shots of each victim and the vampires bloodsucking horror.
The costumes play a big role in this movie which I do believe comes from Schumacker's background. Each costume is beautifully designed reflecting the personalities of the characters with grandiose imagery. Star for example has gypsy like dresses, reflecting her free spirit and love for the world as opposed to the rest of the vampires who wear black and ripped clothes uncaring what anyone thinks, very punk rock and very deadly. Plus the sweet eighties hair, they don't care what anyone thinks.
Finally my favorite thing about the movie is the fact that you get the two Corey's together again! Corey Haim teams up with Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander aka the Frog Brothers, vampire hunters extraordinaire! Sam first meets the Frog brothers in their comic shop where they match wits verbally over their knowledge of Batman and Superman, this exchange prompts the Frog brothers to trust Sam with their knowledge of vampires and how to dispose of them. Together they launch an attack on their lair, killing Marco (Alex Winter, Bill from Bill and Ted) and angering the vampires. David swears revenge as they all escape to their house where David and his crew launch an assault at night, but thankfully the Frog Brothers have helped fortify it against vampire attack for one of the best vampire battles ever! No matter what you do Mr. Schumacker I'll always love you for this one flick as it is truly meaningful to youth and a fun horror film as well! 11 Days til' Halloween Halloween! 11 more days til' Halloween! Silver Shamrock!
