Blu-ray Review: The Lost Boys (1987)

"Easily one of the Top 10 Vampire Movies ever made."

(aka MTV: Fangs.)

Release Date: July 31st, 1987.

Country: USA.

Rating: R.

Written by: Jan Fischer and James Jerimias.

Directed by: Joel Schumacher.

Starring: Corey Haim, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman, and Jami Gertz.



From a personal standpoint, we'd love to say that The Lost Boys is the best vampire movie ever, because to us, it just might be. If we're being honest though, it's not THE best. Top 10, objectively, and depending on your taste in vamp flicks, but definitely not #1.



Regardless of ranking, The Lost Boys remains today one of the most stylish, enjoyable Horror flicks to come out of the 80's, and in fact, I'm listening to the soundtrack as I write these words, and not just because we decided to watch and review the movie; no, this soundtrack has been in my rotation since it first came out, because it rocks.



Talk about staying power...

A recently divorced mother moves she and her two kids, Sam and Michael, to the scenic beach town of Santa Carla, California to live with her father. Sam is a bit of a comic book geek, and Michael is a brooding bad boy looking for adventure (girls), so when they realize that their Grandpa is a half bubble off plum, they take to the local boardwalk to find some action.

IT ACTUALLY FINDS THEM.

Michael, being an angsty teen with a pecker that cant be contained, falls under the spell of a beautiful local girl named Star, which in turn leads him to a gang of motorcycle riding Abercrombie models who are nothing but trouble. As Michael is inducted into the Lost Boy's gang, Sam meets the Frog Bothers; two local kids who run their dad's comic book shop, who are also fearsome vampire hunters. Sam thinks that they're crazy at first with all of their "Santa Carla is crawling with vampires" talk, but it's not long before he realizes they're right, when Michael begins showing signs of vampirism.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

As Michael gets closer and closer to falling into the eternal grasp of The Lost Boys, Sam and the Frog Brothers decide that they only way to save him is to kill the master vampire, which is David... and David is a bad-ass who isn't going to be easy to kill.



Death by stereo ensues.

ON THEIR OWN, JUST THE WAY THEY LIKE IT.

The Lost Boys is a classic Horror movie in every sense of the word. It's smart, slick, populated with well-written characters who are played by a perfect cast, and not only does it capture the unique style of the 80's perfectly, but it plays every bit as well today as it did back in 1987. You can't say that about a lot of movies. It's a lot of style, to say the least, but its also got a lot of substance to it too.



This one is way more fun than it is scary (although the vampires, especially David, were ferocious at times), and it's plan to see that its tongue is planted firmly in its cheek, and maybe that's why it works so well; it's funny without trying to be, and it's intense without needing to be. The script is sharp and witty, and the direction by Joel Schumacher is perfect, but it's really the cast that makes this one so fantastic.

WHO'S A GOOD BOY? NANOOK, THAT'S WHO.

Fresh off of his villainous role in Stand By Me (another excellent flick), Kiefer Sutherland is the subtle standout here. His David might not speak much, but Keifer makes his words feel weighty when he does, and the way that he carries himself is truly ominous. He's one of the best vampire characters ever committed to film, and he's definitely our favorite Keifer Sutherland character (sorry, Jack Bauer.) Other than Solarbabies, Jason Patric was virtually unknown when he starred as Michael, and he and Jami Gertz (who was also in Solarbabies) made for a perfect on-screen duo in this one. Fun fact: They also dated. 



Speaking of duos, this was the first time that The Two Corey's (Haim and Feldman) starred in a movie together, and their chemistry was perfect from the get-go. It got no bigger than Corey Feldman as far as child stars in the 80's went, and Corey Haim was no slouch either, and this movie marked the beginning of their long-standing on-screen tandem and real-life friendship, which even lead to a reality show in 2007. Sam and The Frog Brothers make for a perfect vampire hunting team, and watching them riff off of each other in this one brilliant.

CREEPY.

It's a bit of a bummer watching this one knowing that Corey Haim is dead. He seemed like such a happy kid, and just knowing that abuse lead him to the lifestyle that eventually killed him is truly sad. He was our on-screen bro in the 80's, and we hope that he found the peace in death that was so elusive to him in life. 

THAT OUTFIT AND HAIRCUT THOUGH...

What in the hell was with the half-naked poster of Rob Lowe on Sam's wall?

SAM, WHERE ARE YOUR HANDS?!?

There's not as much gore in this one as you'd think there would be in an R-Rated vampire flick, but we do get a few bloody vampire-fueled kill scenes throughout.

"YOU'LL NEVER GROW OLD, MICHAEL, AND YOU'LL NEVER DIE... BUT YOU MUST FEED!"

There's a love scene, but there's no nudity in this one. Well, unless you count Tim Capello being all greased up and shirtless (you can see him in the music section below.)

JAMI GERTZ WAS 80's HOT, EVEN WITH THAT JACKET ON.

In the 80's, soundtracks were often times every bit as good as the movies from which they came, and The Lost Boys is an excellent example of that. In fact, you could argue that the music added a hell of a lot to the movie, almost like it was its own character.



Lost in the Shadows (The Lost Boys) by Lou Gramm is the standout track on an album filled with standout tracks, with its energetic, anthemic grandeur, but then again Cry Little Sister is a haunting ballad... and I Still Believe has energy to spare... We can't decide!



With the exception of the instrumental track at the end, every song on this soundtrack rocks, and makes a perfect compliment to the movie.

YES TIM, WE STILL BELIEVE.

 

This WB disc is solid visually, but it isn't as good as it could be. It would be ideal if someone like Scream Factory could get a hold of the rights for The Lost Boys and give it a crisp, new, frame-by-frame transfer, but that's probably not going to happen, so this one will have to do. Don't get me wrong, this movie looks great on Blu-ray, it's just not as eye-popping as we'd like it to be. The lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track, however, is fantastic, which is especially nice in a movie where the music features so prominently.



The Special Features are varied and solid, with the commentary track by Joel Shumacher and the deleted scenes being our faves. It's also got Lou Gramm's Lost in the Shadows video, which is a really cool bonus.



Fans of The Lost Boys should be well-pleased with this disc, especially at its $9 price-point.

FIN.

The soundtrack, the lovable and memorable characters, the great acting from such a young, unknown cast... The Lost Boys is an A+ flick for us. It's not a perfect movie, as few ever are, but it's a slick, stylish flick that blends Horror and Comedy together perfectly, the end result of which is an ultra-enjoyable movie that holds up just as well today as it did when it premiered nearly 30 years ago.



If you haven't seen The Lost Boys yet, which would be really odd, you should grab a copy of the Blu-ray, and kick back and enjoy the nostalgic 80's Horror feels that it offers.



A+



The Lost Boys is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

Jami Gertz made our hearts skip a beat when we were kids, and she still looks fantastic decades later. Good for her.

Blu-ray Review: The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

"One of the best zombie movies ever made."

(aka Tarman's Revenge.)

Release Date: August 16th, 1985.

Country: USA.

Rating: R.

Written by: Rudy Ricci, John Russo, Russell Streiner, and Dan O'Bannon.

Directed by: Dan O'Bannon.

Starring: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Beverly Randolph, and Linnea Quigley.

 

Plenty of hyperbole tends to get thrown around when people discuss or review movies:



"It's the best ever!"

"It's the worst ever!"

"It's perfect!"

"It's genre-defining!"





When it comes to The Return of the Living Dead though, the moniker of "Best zombie movie ever!" doesn't seem all that exaggerated.



You could definitely argue that there are other zombie movies that are better, or at the very least, just as good as ROTLD, but aside from Dawn of the Dead (1978), which ones are objectively better? Night of the Living Dead? Shaun of the Dead? Zombieland? Dead Snow? What does it actually take for a zombie movie to be considered the best? Are the zombies in 28 Days Later really even zombies? Does Re-Animator count as a true "zombie" flick? Do you dare tout a remake like Dawn of the Dead (2004) as  being one of the best in its class? And what about the "Fulci-style" Italian zombie flicks of the late 70's/early 80's? You really can't watch something like The Beyond and tell me that it's not amazing in its own right.



In the end, it most likely comes down to taste and preference, and that's fine. Every zombie movie that I just mentioned, along with plenty of others, are all excellent entries into what is one of the most popular sub-genres in Horror, so who cares which one is "The Best." No need to argue. We can love them all.



That said, any "Best of" zombie movies list that doesn't include The Return of the Living Dead is invalid, because this little gem is in a class all its own.



*This is a re-post of our review from 2015, updated to cover the release of Scream Factory's new ROTLD Blu-ray.

In a medical supply warehouse in Louisville, Kentucky, two rubes are messing around with some old tanks that somehow ended up in the basement, when one springs a leak, spraying some sort of noxious chemical in their faces. Since these tanks (drums, if you'd rather) are rumored to be leftover from some sort of Government cover-up back in the 60's (yes, there's your Night of the Living Dead tie in), it's probably safe to assume that the shit inside is bad news.

TARMAN: THE DRY VERSION.

When the gas starts to reanimate everything in the warehouse, including a cadaver, the rubes call their boss, who comes up with a plan to decapitate and then cremate the thing into oblivion, and never speak of it again. Of course when the smoke from said cremation mixes with rain outside, it creates an acid rain which reanimates everything in the graveyard next door. They probably should have just called the 800-number that was on the drum, huh? 

THESE IDIOTS RIGHT HERE...

In the graveyard next door, a group of punk rockers are partying and rebelling against society while waiting for rube #1 to get off of work. When the acid rain starts to burn them, and the dead start to rise from their graves, they head for the nearby warehouse to seek shelter. Little do they know that there's a slimy zombie lurking inside who is hungry for brains, although dealing with him is probably better than trying to fight the hundreds that are outside trying to eat them.

EITHER WAY, THEY'RE DINNER.

Will they send more Cops? Will they send more Paramedics? Will Tarman ever get some more brains? Far be it from me to ruin what happens next for you here, but suffice it to say that everyone dies, and as usual, it's the Government's fault. Just kidding. Or am I?

"SEND MORE COPS... WE'RE FAMISHED OVER HERE."

The greatest thing about The Return of the Living Dead is how well it blends Horror and Comedy together; this is a scary and gory flick, but it's elevated by a steady stream of self-reverential, morbid humor that makes this into one of the best Horror/Comedy hybrids of all time. Also, it's one of the best zombie movies ever made. By that logic, it's got to be one of the best movies ever made, right?



There are lots of reasons why ROTLD is such a great movie, but here are the big ones:

• Tarman was brilliant, and stands to this day as one of, if not the best zombies ever put to film.


• Clu Gulager, James Karen, and Don Calfa were perfect in their roles, bringing both class and humor to the production. 


• The zombies were fantastic, both in form and function, and the fact that they talked made them even more terrifying. The fact that the zombies in this movie run actually makes them scarier.


• ROTLD is the movie that introduced the idea that zombies prefer to eat brains as opposed to just flesh.


• The soundtrack was perfect.

Everything about this movie just works at a level that most movies of its kind never seem to be able to reach.



We also love how this movie evolved. It was originally intended by writer John Russo to be a sequel or follow-up to George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, until Dan O'Bannon came along rewrote his script, injecting humor into it, which made it into an even better film. Watching ROTLD, you can see how it could have been a serious sequel to Romero's classic (which Russo owned the name rights to), but we're glad it never went that route.

HE'S GOING TO KNOCK HIS FUCKING BLOCK OFF!

This movie needed more Tarman! Of course that's just us being greedy about things because we really loved the character, but couldn't they have given him a spin-off movie or something? We'd watch something called "Tarman's Revenge," and you know that you would too.

"BRAINS!"

With the amazing groundwork that was laid by ROTLD, could they not have given us a better sequel than Return of The Living Dead 2? The whole thing was just goofy and cheap by comparison, which is a shame.

THE SEQUEL MAY HAVE SUCKED, BUT AT LEAST THE TARMAN CAMEO WAS FUN.

There's plenty of brain-eating, blood-spraying, and spine-severing in this one, all of which makes for a bloody good time. It's not the goriest of affairs, but it's gory enough.

"GIVE ME A KISSSSSSSSS!"

Linnea Quigley does her famous "naked grave dance" scene in this one, and then later runs around naked while eating brains as a zombie. It's nothing crazy gratuitous, bit it's a classic bit of Horror Genre nudity, none the less.

SHE'S ACTUALLY ON RUMSPRINGA.

Scream Factory has done one of our favorite 80's flicks proud by giving it a definitive 2K Blu-ray release.



It's sharp, new transfer looks way better than the old MGM disc, which actually looked pretty good in its own right; it looks vibrant like it never has before, almost as if it were a brand new movie in some parts. The audio is solid too, with a DTS 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio options, but it's the 2.0 Mono track that shines, as it recreates the theatrical experience almost perfectly.



Aside from the movie itself, the real draw of this Blu-ray is its Special Features. There are zombie subtitles, interviews, and supplements galore, all of which are entertaining, but on Disc 2 of this set, Scream Factory has included a copy of the Documentary, More Brains: A Return to the Living Dead, which is the best of them all. This Horror Doc is every bit as good as the movie is, albeit in a completely different way, and it's worth the price of admission alone. As a Bonus Feature, it's stellar. In fact, we watched it before the movie this time, and it made for an extra cool experience.



Like the move itself, it's A+ material.

ALL SHE WANTS IS LIVE BRAINS. IS THAT REALLY ASKING TOO MUCH?

The Return of the Living Dead rightly occupies a spot in the upper echelon of zombie movie history; it's not only gruesome and genuinely funny, but it broke new ground in the genre, and still plays as good as it did when it debuted 30 years ago.



If you don't already own this movie, or even worse, if you've never seen it, then you owe it to yourself to give this new Scream Factory release a place on your shelf. It's a classic flick, and an excellent Blu-ray set.



A+



Return of the Living Dead is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

As much as we love Scream Queen Linnea Quigley, let's take a moment to appreciate the ever-lovely Jewel Shepard instead. She was pretty awesome too.