10 Terrible Characters In Otherwise Awesome Movies

3. Sam, Edgar & Alan (Corey Haim, Corey Feldman & Jamison Newlander) - The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys remains one of the most celebrated vampire movies of the 1980s, yet it rarely seems to be noted just how oddly schizophrenic it is. It was originally conceived as a family-friendly movie for director Richard Donner to make as a spiritual sequel to The Goonies (hence the Peter Pan-referencing title, never used in the film itself). However, when Donner decided to pass, it was adapted into a gorier, teen-oriented movie under eventual director Joel Schumacher. Yet despite extensive rewrites, clear indications of the kiddie-movie that might have been are still present in the final film.

The first half of the film keeps the spotlight largely on Jason Patric's Michael, a moody, angst-ridden teen whose troubled initiation into vampiredom can stand as a metaphor for youth gangs, drug addiction, sexual discovery and other such adolescent issues. However, around the midway mark The Lost Boys radically shifts focus to Michael's massively annoying younger brother Sam, and his equally annoying new buddies Edgar and Alan, comic book store clerks and self-proclaimed vampire slayers.

It's so grating that The Lost Boys chooses to ditch the more interesting, mature approach of the first half in favour of a more Scooby Doo-ish final showdown which, despite the plentiful bloodshed, seems designed to appeal primarily to 12-year olds. And damn all those imbecilic yet unforgettable one-liners: "Burn rubber does not mean warp speed!", "Death by stereo!", and so on.