The beach.
Motorcycles.
Leather jackets and sunglasses.
And of course, vampires.
These are just a few of the pieces that make up the late '80s majesty of The Lost Boys.
With an all-star cast, this teen horror thriller secured a permanent space in the hall of cult
classics.
If it's been a long time since you've seen it, here are some things about The Lost Boys
that you only notice as an adult.
Warning: spoilers ahead.
Peter Pan
It's pretty obvious to adults that The Lost Boys is based on Peter Pan.
For one, the title itself refers to characters from the original play and subsequent adaptations.
If you're a kid, though, you might not notice the connection because the director, Joel
Schumacher made changes to the screenplay to give it a more seductive tone.
He told The Telegraph that he made the vampires older and more attractive, in an effort to
avoid making a, "The Goonies go vampire" film.
So while the lost boys of the film may be closer to men, they'll still never grow up
or grow old.
Good cover
Back in the '80s — before Netflix, of course — you were at the mercy of your local video
store, and to set up an account, you often had to provide a copy of your driver's license.
That means the owner of the shop would have access to a lot of personal information, including
where you live.
So it's not surprising that Max chose that profession for himself as the perfect cover
while targeting people.
You might not put that together as a kid, but it's hard to miss as an adult.
Trust no one.
"I told you not to come in here anymore."
Dealing with divorce
Studies suggest that 40 to 50 percent of American couples will go through a divorce in their
lifetime.
The Lost Boys realistically handles the subject in a subtle exchange between Lucy and her
father when they first arrive in Santa Carla.
"You're the only woman I ever knew who didn't improve her situation by getting divorced."
"A big legal battle wasn't gonna improve anybody's situation."
Lucy clearly isn't getting much support in the form of alimony, but she walked away just
to have a clean break.
It's addressed again when Max assures Sam that he's not trying to replace his father
during the dinner scene.
It's all handled in a very real, adult way.
Stalker tendencies
Michael may not be the villain in the film, but he certainly has a creepy streak.
This is most evident in his pursuit of Star, who catches his attention while dancing during
the iconic "I Still Believe" scene.
He stares at her pointedly, not looking away until she acknowledges his gaze.
When she eventually turns and leaves, he follows her out of the venue... and it's honestly
really creepy.
Don't take romance advice from '80s movies.
White-washed
The fictional city of Santa Carla is apparently quite white, as all of the lead actors in
The Lost Boys are Caucasian.
Some minorities were cast in smaller roles, which is evident during the "People Are Strange"
montage.
Additionally, the host who lets Lucy use the restaurant phone is black.
But Santa Cruz, the city Santa Carla was based on, shows a little more diversity in the demographic
data from the 1980s and 1990s than that, making a case for at least 20% of the population
to be people of color.
It's not surprising that this didn't happen though, as Hollywood clearly has had a pretty
severe diversity problem for a long time.
In addition to a lack of racial equality, there's not a lot of gender diversity in film
either.
Sure, it's called The Lost BOYS, but in order to for a movie to pass the Bechdel Test, there
are three criteria: 1.
The film has to have at least two named women in it, 2.
They must talk to each other, and 3.
They have to talk about something besides a man.
Unfortunately, The Lost Boys majorly fails.
The two female lead characters, Lucy and Star, never have a conversation with each other.
And since they never speak, the third rule doesn't even apply.
Some folks have argued that Lucy asks Star who she is at the end, but that's not what
was said.
She actually says:
"Who's this?"
...which is even worse.
She asked the entire room, instead of asking Star herself.
Gang initiation
David and the other vampires put Michael through a hazing so intense that it could qualify
as a gang initiation.
When the vampires descend on a group of Surf Nazis and go on a bloody spree, Michael is
expected to participate.
Doing so would make him a full vampire, as well as an official member of their tribe.
But Michael holds back, never fully joining the gang.
"Feeding time!
Come and get it, boys."
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