10 Horror Movie Franchises That Went Out With A Whimper

3. The Lost Boys

The moral for Lost Boys fans, is be careful what you wish for. While we may at times clamour for a sequel to an outstanding movie, sometimes it's better to simply appreciate that property as a one-and-done affair.

Joel Schumacher's 1987 The Lost Boys is a classic of its time that also holds up today, complete with stunning performances, compelling characters, some genuine scares, a magnificent aesthetic, insta-quotable dialogue, and of course an utterly bangin' soundtrack.

Fans long-demanded a follow-up to that picture, and Schumacher himself made several attempts to develop a sequel, but it took until 2008 for a second Lost Boys film to arrive. That'd be Lost Boys: The Tribe, which picked things up with Corey Feldman's Edgar Frog as vampires stalk the shadows of California.

Bar a mid-credits appearance from Corey Haim's Sam Emerson, Edgar is the only character from the original film to be featured. No Michael Emerson, no Lucy Emerson, no Alan Frog - though he was in a deleted scene - no David, no Star, and no oiled-up Tim Capello on the saxophone. But hey, they did have Kiefer Sutherland's half-brother Angus as the main villain.

If Lost Boys: The Tribe was a huge disappointment, that looks like a masterpiece compared to 2010's Lost Boys: The Thirst, which did bring back Alan Frog - as a half-vampire - but was just such a mess.

Still, we'll always have Joel Schumacher's iconic '87 original.

Authored by Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

Posted On: 18th Jan 2024