Some quick thoughts on The Lost Boys (1987) on Blu-ray

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Along with Tom Holland's Fright Night two years prior, The Lost Boys might be the best contemporary horror film of the '80s. With its high profile team of producers and major studio backing, it's obvious this film was knowingly designed by director Joel Schumacher to appeal to a broad spectrum of movie-goers; not just the then-emerging trend of ever younger audiences gravitating towards mainstream horror or older teens looking to neck during generic slashers. The comic book-slathered vampire killin' antics of Corey Haim's Sam and the Frog brothers, Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander, speak to the fledgling popularity left in The Goonies (1985) wake. While the exotic, sexually-charged danger Jason Patric's Michael faces and gaggle of renegade vamps led by Kiefer Sutherland taps into the late John Hughes's incredible run of heartfelt teen comedies in the mid-'80s.

The Lost Boys is simply a fantastic marriage between varying degrees of horror, comedy, and studio-manufactured trend appeal. The broad nature might hurt the potential if played straighter in a horror vein, but everything manages to effortlessly glide while somehow dating well to today like many classics of the Regan years. Special note to Gerard McMann's theme, Cry Little Sister, for still being chillingly effective and strangely incestuous. And of course, the Twilight marketing gristmill isn't going to have nearly the same longevity in twenty years time.

Warner's usual 1080p/VC-1 encoded treatment actually looks better in the first two or so reels before mysteriously becoming less detailed. This flatter appearance begins with the scene in which Sam's mother (Dianne West) is nearly mauled by Max's "hound from hell". Before that, detail is solid with a layer of fine grain. Some posterization is present in the lighthouse motorcycle death race, but that might be caused by my aging display. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio is probably taken from the original Dolby 6-Track as it sounds surprisingly crisp and vibrant for a soundtrack of this vintage. All of the supplements of Warner's 2-DVD set are present. This BD is only $10 at Wal Mart, so yeah, pick up this steal soon if you already haven't.

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