Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a rewatch.
The Erotic: The Lost Boys
Sucking blood! Get your head out of the gutter, dear reader.
No doubt director Joel Schumacher, the openly gay helmsman behind The Lost Boys, had more than a little homoeroticism on his mind when he called action on this film. A hit in 1987, it helped launch the careers of its stars, Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Alex Winter & Kieffer Sutherland…not to mention landed them in ever teen heartthrob magazine at the time.
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The plot: two teenage brothers move to a small California coastal town following their recently divorced mother. As the pair struggle to fit in their new community, they begin to notice strange happenings on the local pier. Michael (Patric), the older brother, falls for a beautiful young woman that hangs out with a creepy local gang. Sam (Haim), his younger brother, falls in with a pair of occult-obsessed militants (Feldman & Jameson Newlander), who try to convince him that the small town is actually run by vampires.
The Lost Boys plays on many tropes that would become hallmarks of the period: latchkey kid mayhem, teenage horniness, and single moms falling for interloper boyfriends. It also pumps up the volume on the homoeroticism: the vampire gang, as led by Sutherland’s David, revels in their eternal youth and beauty, and seem less interested in women than in hanging out (at times, literally) together, often in unbuttoned shirts. The David-Michael rivalry also has some undertones to it: is David mad that Michael has stolen his girlfriend, or does he just want Michael for himself?
Creepy, sexy and loaded with a lot of tongue in cheek humor, a rewatch of The Lost Boys is a fine way to honor Schumacher, who died earlier this year. It’s also a fun way to welcome the witching season with a movie that knows just how gay it is, even if its characters don’t.
Streams on Amazon, YouTube, iTunes & VUDU.
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wikidBSTN
Loved this movie when I was younger – and still do.
Ricanthony
Still my favorite film to date
barryaksarben
OMG Jason Patric!!!!! enough said. with that chest hair!! If given the chance I know where ID get lost
Dymension
OMG! I didn’t even recognize him!
MISTERJETT
great movie. Corey Haim was adorable.
Josh447
“Gutter”? There’s really a minimum of other places to go to when Jacob Patrick struts into view. Man or boy Jason Patrick can “suck” anytime or anywhere he wants. Looking at his current pics and still looking gorgeous, there’s something about him like a resentment lurking in his eyes, like he didn’t get fully understood for who he was. With that beauty I’d assume being sexually objectified was his normal way of life. I liked seeing the trailer again and might watch it for a good Halloween movie. Sweet memories for sure.
Wheelerman
A local theater just showed The Lost Boys on the big screen for Halloween. It was great seeing it on a movie screen. Great movie with a terrific soundtrack.
missvamp
Always a classic with a great soundtrack.
curiobi
What a classic! I just love this film! Thanks for the memories Q, will be watching again this All Hollows Eve!
David Reddish
It’s my job!
ShowMeGuy
The greatest vampire movie of all time……. in my book.