The Lost Boys(1987)

Plot Summary

• Following the divorce of their parents, Micheal (Jason Patric) and Sam Emerson (Corey Haim), along with their mother Lucy (Dianne Wiest), move to Santa Carla, California to live with their mother's father, a peculiar old man (Barnard Hughes). Known as the murder capital of the world, Santa Carla boasts a local boardwalk where a number of young people hang out. Most notable is a group of young men and their leader named David (Kiefer Sutherland).When the Emersons go out to the boardwalk for the first time, Lucy finds a video store run by a genial man named Max (Edward Herrmann (as Ed Herrmann)). They have a pleasant conversation, and Lucy is soon hired by him.Sam finds a comic shop near the boardwalk, overseen by the Frog Brothers, Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Alan (Jamison Newlander). The two give Sam a comic about vampires, which Sam reluctantly takes.Meanwhile, Michael becomes enthralled by the mysterious and beautiful Star (Jami Gertz), who happens to be the girlfriend of David. David and his gang take Michael to their hideout, which is the remnants of an old hotel that collapsed during an earthquake. While there, Michael inadvertently drinks David's blood, thinking it is wine. Michael starts to develop some side effects - including sensitivity to sounds, a lack of reflection, and even flying.At one point, Michael almost attacks Sam but is stopped by the family dog named Nanook. When Sam notices Michael's faded reflection in a mirror and him being able to fly, he realizes his brother's a vampire, and in a panic calls their Mom, who is having dinner with Max.Michael manages to calm Sam down, to the point that when their Mom arrives, Sam claims a comic book freaked him out. Needless to say, Lucy is upset at having her evening ruined.After these events, Michael returns to David's hideout, where he confronts Star. She admits that the bottle he drank from did contain David's blood, and his suspicions are true.The next day, Sam accompanies his Mom to Max's place to drop off some wine. However, they are both terrified when Max's dog Thorn attempts to attack Lucy!Feeling the attack seemed similar to something in the comic he was given, Sam tells the Frog Brothers.In regards to Michael, the brothers claim Sam has to stake Michael to kill him, but Sam refuses, confident that his brother is only a half-vampire, and that he can be saved if the head vampire is killed. After the way Thorn acted and not having seen Max in the daylight, Sam is convinced that Max is the head vampire.Lucy invites Max over to dinner a few days later. Michael leaves when Max arrives, but not before per Max's request, he invites him in. Sam has brought the Frog Brothers over for the dinner, and they attempt to expose him. However none of their plans work, and they conclude that Max is not the head vampire.Finally, Michael decides to take Star, along with a little half-vampire boy named Laddie Thompson (Chance Michael Corbitt), from David's clutches and brings Sam and the Frog Brothers with him to kill David and his gang while Michael grabs Star and Laddie. The inexperienced Frog Brothers manage to kill one vampire before waking the bunch and fleeing into the daylight. David smiles as the group escapes saying "Tonight." Sam, Michael, and the Frog Brothers prepare for the night ahead. They prepare a bathtub full of garlic. They fill squirt guns with holy water. They prepare wooden stakes. Night falls and David and the remainder of his crowd come to Sam and Michael's house to seek vengeance. Sam and Michael take out one of the vampires by electricity and the Frog Brothers are saved by Sam & Michael's dog when the dog knocks a vampire into the bathtub with garlic. Finally, David and Michael face off. Michael kills David by pushing him onto some antlers. The only problem is that Michael doesn't go back to being human, meaning David is not the head vampire.Just then Lucy comes home with Max from a date. Unseen by Max, Michael and Star hide in the shadows as Max approaches the deceased David. Max appears to be upset by the death. It's then that it is revealed that Max is the head vampire and that David and his gang were Max's "children" of sorts. Max wanted David to make Michael and Sam part of the "family" so that Lucy would agree to be with Max knowing what he is. Max wanted Lucy because his boys were in need of a mother. Even though his boys are dead he still wants Lucy. Max takes hold of Sam, telling Lucy that Sam will die if she doesn't come to him. Just then Lucy's father busts into the house in his car equipped with wooden stakes. Max is killed and the day is saved. As Lucy makes sure her boys are okay, the grandfather goes to the kitchen, pops open a root beer, and says "There's one thing about living in Santa Carla...I never could stomach - all the damn vampires."

Storyline

• A mother and her two sons move to a small coast town in California. The town is plagued by bikers and some mysterious deaths. The younger boy makes friends with two other boys who claim to be vampire hunters while the older boy is drawn into the gang of bikers by a beautiful girl. The older boy starts sleeping days and staying out all night while the younger boy starts getting into trouble because of his friends' obsession. — Zaphod <aaa@scs.leeds.ac.uk> Financial troubles force a recent divorcée and her teenage sons Mike and Sam to settle down with her father in the California town of Santa Carla. The town is plagued by bikers and some mysterious deaths. At first, Sam laughs off rumors he hears about vampires who inhabit the small town, until he makes friends with two other boys who claim to be vampire hunters. But after Mike meets a beautiful girl at the local amusement park, he begins to exhibit the classic signs of vampirism, sleeping days and staying out all night, and is drawn into the gang of bikers by the beautiful girl. The younger boy starts getting into trouble because of his friends' obsession. Fearing for his own safety, Sam recruits the two young vampire hunters to save his brother by finding and destroying the head vampire. — JRemingtonW Financial troubles force a recent divorcee and her teenage sons Mike and Sam to settle down with her father in the California town of Santa Carla. At first, Sam laughs off rumours he hears about vampires who inhabit the small town. But after Mike meets a beautiful girl at the local amusement park, he begins to exhibit the classic signs of vampirism. Fearing for his own safety, Sam recruits two young vampire hunters to save his brother by finding and destroying the head vampire. — Kevin Ackley <kackley1@aol.com>