The Lost Boys: Now You Know What You Are
Sam portrayed by Corey Haim stands in front of a poster of Rob Lowe
The ’80s conjure up in the mind a certain subculture- leather jackets and mesh, one dangly earring, and righteous mullets. George Michael and nightclubs. It may have seemed strange and frightening to anyone on the outside, even dangerous. In 1987, America was deep into the AIDs crisis, and the underground subculture of gay men was both more taboo and more on display than ever. But its aesthetics remain iconic and are a staple of 80’s horror.
The late Joel Schumacher’s vampire flick, The Lost Boys, exemplifies the queer subculture aesthetic of 80’s horror. From the concert scene, in which the lights of the fictional Santa Carla boardwalk flicker off the sweating, the gyrating body of the male performer, to the pin-up poster of a young Rob Lowe on the protagonist’s closet door. Schumacher, an openly gay man, knew what he was doing- he’s said himself that certain aspects of the film are about the fear of the other, a common theme in queer coding. It’s heavy-handed, though there’s still enough heterosexuality thrown into the plot to distract the average moviegoer.
The plot follows two brothers- Michael, the older, and Sam, the younger, who have just moved to Santa Carla, California with their recently-divorced mother. But the sensuality and homoeroticism of this film center around Michael’s story. He’s initially drawn into danger by the mysterious young woman on the boardwalk, whom he becomes fixated on. It isn’t long, though, before she’s revealed to be an unwilling part of a gang of vampires, led by the enigmatic David. Michael’s infatuation with the young woman, Star, is rivaled by the way Michael seems to haunt him.
Michael is unwittingly initiated into their gang by drinking from a bottle of wine, which is revealed to be David’s blood. He begins to hear David’s voice murmuring his name, his face floating in dreamy shots superimposed over Star’s. The scene becomes a trance, an 80’s rock ballad plays as Michael continues to drink the blood, drawn into revelry among the vampires. They take him to the train tracks to frighten him, and to show off what they are, though it’s still yet to be fully revealed.
Michael (Jason Patric) drinks David’s blood
Michael hears the boys calling his name through the mist below, and when he falls, he rushes through a dream-like sequence of sinking through the fog, only to awaken in his bed.
As the film progresses, Michael struggles with what he is now. David’s voice, calling his name, continues to speak to him through his sweaty sulking as he transforms. David is what ultimately draws him deeper into this new life, and is how he finds out what he and they really are, through a violent party scene. He’s espoused to the benefits of the vampire lifestyle, though he flees from it.
He’s begun dressing differently, acting differently, and actively avoiding his family. His little brother first threatens to tell their mother when his vampirism is revealed, like it’s a secret that can be “outed”. At times, the plot seems to remember that Star exists, and Michael goes to her.
Star and Michael lock eyes
Star is not a love interest- she’s a lure, to draw Michael into the gang. Rather than representing a heterosexual relationship, she represents sex itself. This is plain within the text, but the question is whether she’s necessary to the plot at all. The stakes are already high- Michael may be doomed to be a vampire forever- without her being a part of it. She has little bearing on the plot, almost purposefully. She’s an idea, and an object to, as mentioned, distract from the queer subtext of the film.
And it’s queer until the end when things come to a head, and our protagonists begin killing off the other members of the gang, Michael and David engage in a final battle. David tells Michael, in the climax of their battle, that he doesn’t want to kill him. He still wants Michael to join them. But Michael refuses, and David is killed. He is ultimately cured of his affliction, and all is well and normal.
There’s a lot to be said about The Lost Boys. It’s arguably one of the more blatant of the queer horror canon, both in appearance and subtext that’s more just “text”. To be drawn into a dark, dangerous, and sexual underbelly of society was just as frightening as vampires to those normal members of the populace in the ‘80s. But the movie is made with a love for the subculture, even through its portrayal of the dangers of queerness. Wasn’t that simply the reality Joel Schumacher saw?
Citations
Gonzalez, Alejandra. “Blood Lust: Adolescent Sexuality and Personal Conflict in The Lost Boys (1987).” Talk Film Society, 20 Dec. 2019, talkfilmsociety.com/columns/blood-lust-adolescent-sexuality-and-personal-conflict-in-the-lost-boys-1987.
Kaiser, Vrai. “Boys Beware (of Vampire Punks): Queerness in The Lost Boys.” Fashionable Tinfoil Accessories, 14 July 2019, vraikaiser.com/2019/07/13/boys-beware-of-vampire-punks-queerness-in-the-lost-boys.
Leyva, Alcy. “30 Years Ago, The Lost Boys Introduced Me to Queer Cinema.” Bright Wall/Dark Room, 1 Dec. 2017, www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2017/12/01/30-years-ago-lost-boys-introduced-queer-cinema.
Tensley, Brandon. “The Lost Boys’ Subtly Radical Vision of Family.” The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2017, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/08/the-lost-boys-subtly-radical-vision-of-family/535266.