The Lost Boys is often considered to be the definitive '80s vampire outing. It embraces all the elements that make '80s movies so great - a plot about a new kid coming to town; cheesy soundtrack cues; terribly awesome fashion - and combines them with a vampire yarn to create one fluid whole. It's scary, it's funny and it's relentlessly entertaining. Directed by Joel Schumacher back when Joel Schumacher was still making good movies, The Lost Boys is essentially a teen flick with vampires thrown in, but their inclusion isn't with context; the vamps in this film - the leader of whom is played by a young Kiefer Sutherland - work as a metaphor for teenagers who refuse to grow up. They come to symbolise a state of arrested development at its downright nastiness. When The Lost Boy was released, cinema had reached its limit with vampires, and yet Schumacher's film injected life back into the genre. If it's dated somewhat in retrospect, it only adds a layer of retro charm that makes The Lost Boys even more fun to experience.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
