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Three hosts of the 3 Guys and a Flick movie review podcast with movie-themed background.
🎙 Podcast Episode 191

The Lost Boys

Join the Guys as they roll into Santa Carla, the murder capital of the world, for Joel Schumacher’s neon-soaked vampire classic — where Kiefer Sutherland leads the coolest undead biker gang in California, Corey Haim gets dragged into monster-hunting chaos, and one shirtless saxophone player earns permanent membership in the 1980s Hall of Fame.

Release Date July 31, 1987
Runtime 97 minutes
Director Joel Schumacher
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3 Guys and a Flick — Episode 191

The Lost Boys (1987)

ⓘ Details

Movie TitleThe Lost Boys
Release DateJuly 31, 1987
TaglineSleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire.
Runtime97 minutes / 1 hour 37 minutes
DirectorJoel Schumacher
Screenplay Written ByJeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer & James Jeremias
Based OnOriginal story by Janice Fischer and James Jeremias
Is It a Remake?No. The Lost Boys is an original teen vampire film, though the title and concept play off the Peter Pan idea of boys who never grow up.
BudgetApproximately $8.5 million
Box OfficeApprox. $33.1 million domestic / approx. $33.3 million worldwide across reported theatrical releases
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👥 Main Cast

Jason PatricMichael Emerson
Corey HaimSam Emerson
Dianne WiestLucy Emerson
Barnard HughesGrandpa
Edward HerrmannMax
Kiefer SutherlandDavid
Jami GertzStar
Corey FeldmanEdgar Frog
Jamison NewlanderAlan Frog
Brooke McCarterPaul
Billy WirthDwayne
Alex WinterMarko
Chance Michael CorbittLaddie
Tim CappelloBeach Concert Star
Kelly Jo MinterMaria
Nori MorganShelly
Todd FederSurf Nazi
Christopher PetersSurf Nazi
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🏆 Awards

⭐ Saturn Award Winner — Best Horror Film
⭐ Saturn Award Nominee — Best Supporting Actor: Barnard Hughes
⭐ Saturn Award Nominee — Best Performance by a Younger Actor: Corey Haim
⭐ Saturn Award Nominee — Best Make-Up: Greg Cannom, Ve Neill & Steve LaPorte
⭐ Saturn Award Nominee — Best Costumes: Susan Becker
⭐ No Academy Award nominations were verified for the film.
⭐ No Golden Globe or BAFTA nominations were verified for the film.
⭐ Its biggest legacy is cult status as one of the defining teen vampire movies of the 1980s.
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📖 Short Plot Summary

After a divorce, Lucy Emerson moves with her sons Michael and Sam to the coastal California town of Santa Carla to live with their eccentric grandfather. While Sam meets comic-book-loving vampire hunters Edgar and Alan Frog, Michael falls in with a mysterious biker gang led by the charismatic David. After drinking from a strange bottle, Michael begins changing — floating, craving blood, and losing control. As Sam and the Frog brothers realize Santa Carla is crawling with vampires, the family must uncover the head vampire before Michael becomes one of the undead forever.
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❝ Key Quotes

“One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach: all the damn vampires.” — Grandpa
“You’ll never grow old, Michael, and you’ll never die.” — David
“Death by stereo!” — Sam Emerson
“My own brother, a goddamn, shit-sucking vampire.” — Sam Emerson
“Burn rubber does not mean warp speed!” — Sam Emerson
“Great. The bloodsucking Brady Bunch.” — Edgar Frog
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💡 Trivia

Director

  • The Lost Boys was directed by Joel Schumacher.
  • The screenplay is credited to Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer, and James Jeremias.
  • The title refers to J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan mythology, reimagining “boys who never grow up” through a vampire lens.
  • Schumacher shifted the project away from a more child-focused concept and leaned into teen rebellion, MTV-era style, motorcycles, music, and sexual danger.
  • The film helped reshape screen vampires from old-world Gothic monsters into leather-clad, youth-culture predators.

Cast / Casting

  • Jason Patric stars as Michael Emerson, the older brother slowly pulled into David’s vampire gang.
  • Corey Haim plays Sam Emerson, whose comic-book paranoia turns out to be disturbingly useful.
  • Kiefer Sutherland plays David, the platinum-haired vampire leader and one of the film’s defining icons.
  • Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander play Edgar and Alan Frog, the comic-shop vampire hunters who treat horror comics like military manuals.
  • Dianne Wiest plays Lucy Emerson, Michael and Sam’s mother, who is trying to rebuild the family’s life in Santa Carla.
  • Barnard Hughes plays Grandpa and earned a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Soundtrack / Score

  • The score was composed by Thomas Newman.
  • The soundtrack includes “Cry Little Sister,” performed by Gerard McMann / G Tom Mac, which became the film’s signature song.
  • The beach concert sequence features Tim Cappello performing “I Still Believe,” making shirtless saxophone energy an immortal piece of vampire-cinema history.
  • The soundtrack also includes covers and tracks associated with artists such as Echo & the Bunnymen, INXS, Jimmy Barnes, Lou Gramm, and Roger Daltrey.
  • The music is a major reason the film feels like a horror movie, a teen drama, and an MTV fever dream all at once.

Location

  • The fictional town of Santa Carla was largely represented by Santa Cruz, California.
  • The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is one of the film’s most recognizable locations.
  • The comic-book store and beach-boardwalk atmosphere help create the movie’s mix of tourist fun and hidden danger.
  • The vampire cave scenes were built around a fantasy of California coastal decay, rebellion, and underground teenage freedom.
  • The film famously turns a sunny seaside boardwalk into a place that feels fun by day and predatory after dark.

Behind-The-Scenes

  • The film was produced by Harvey Bernhard and released by Warner Bros.
  • Michael Chapman served as cinematographer, and Robert Brown edited the film.
  • The production budget is widely reported at approximately $8.5 million.
  • The Numbers lists the domestic box office at $33,112,052 and worldwide box office at $33,284,552 across reported theatrical releases.
  • The movie’s mix of youth casting, pop music, comic-book horror, and stylish vampire imagery helped it become a major home-video and cable favorite.
  • Two direct-to-video sequels followed years later: Lost Boys: The Tribe and Lost Boys: The Thirst.

Nostalgia

  • The Lost Boys is one of the most iconic vampire movies of the 1980s.
  • The film helped define the “cool vampire” image for a generation: leather jackets, motorcycles, big hair, boardwalk lights, and zero concern for curfew.
  • The pairing of Corey Haim and Corey Feldman helped launch the “Two Coreys” era of late-1980s teen stardom.
  • Its blend of horror, comedy, brotherhood, pop soundtrack, and comic-book monster hunting made it a cable-TV and sleepover staple.
  • For many fans, the film is less a movie than a full 1987 mood: vampires, earrings, trench coats, fog machines, sax solos, and absolutely no one making normal hair choices.

Easter Eggs

  • The title’s Peter Pan reference fits the film’s central idea: vampires as boys who never grow old.
  • Santa Carla’s nickname, “the murder capital of the world,” appears on the back of a billboard near the beginning of the film.
  • The Frog brothers’ comic-book obsession turns pulp horror fandom into practical monster-hunting knowledge.
  • David’s gang feels like a dark mirror of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys — eternal youth, flight, a hidden lair, and total rejection of adulthood.
  • Grandpa’s final line recontextualizes him as someone who knew much more about Santa Carla than he let on.

Misc.

  • The Lost Boys is rated R.
  • AFI classifies the film as drama and horror.
  • Rotten Tomatoes describes it as a teen vampire thriller blending horror, humor, visual style, and 1980s young-star energy.
  • The film won the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film.
  • Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 191, with Don rating it 3.75, Ken rating it 3.50, Jon rating it 4.00, and an overall rating of 3.75.
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🔗 Sources Cited

3 Guys and a Flick — Podcast 191: The Lost Boys Podbean — Podcast 191: The Lost Boys 3 Guys and a Flick — Ratings IMDb — The Lost Boys IMDb — Full Cast & Crew IMDb — Awards IMDb — Quotes IMDb — Taglines IMDb — Soundtrack IMDb — Filming Locations AFI Catalog — The Lost Boys Box Office Mojo — The Lost Boys The Numbers — The Lost Boys Rotten Tomatoes — The Lost Boys Metacritic — The Lost Boys Saturn Awards — Best Horror Film 1987 Wikipedia — The Lost Boys
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