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Why The Lost Boys is Still Relatable and Reliable 30 Years Later

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Vampire Cult-Classic The Lost Boys Turns 30 Today!

Thirty years ago today director Joel Schumacher (The Phantom of the Opera, Phone Booth, 8MM) gave us a fresh take on a beloved monster in his stylish cult-classic, The Lost Boys.

Image courtesy of IMDB

We know about vampires.

They are the undying monarchs of the nocturnal realms suspended between the twilight-hue of mortal imagination and taboo desires. They defy the revered laws of the grave and stand in the veil of eternal night beckoning us to draw nigh to their cold embrace. They are the vampire, the nosferatu, children of darkness and seeds of destruction. They are our death and we can’t help but love them.

Image courtesy of IMDB

Vampire lore has been explored in countless films, and has proven to be just as immortal as the creatures themselves. From the earliest days of the haunting era of silent cinema the Vampire has cast its living shadow over audiences and cunningly bewitched every new generation.

Added to the enormous lore of the Vampire is Joel Schumacher’s generation-defining hit The Lost Boys.

Schumacher did something only a true visionary can pull off – redefine a classic icon for a new era.

Image courtesy of IndieWire

At its heart the movie is a story of two brothers – Michael (Jason Patrick) and Sam (Corey Haim) – who must deal with the trials of resettling to a new area that is now called home. Moving is never easy and neither is fitting in. It isn’t long before Michael is swept away by the beauty of Star (Jami Gertz) a local girl with a bewitching spark he can’t ignore. Through her, Michael soon meets David (Kiefer Sutherland) and his hip coven of vampires. Yup, not only does it suck to be the new kid, but what if the town you just moved to was infested by the undead? Well, personally I’d love it, but I’m a freak.

Meanwhile, Sam befriends the legendary Frog Brothers – the very group all of us 80’s brats aspired to be. Who didn’t want to be friends with Corey Haim and Corey Feldman while spending all day long at local comic book stores, planning how to save the world from vampires? Fighting monsters with your best friends would have been a dream come true! This movie knew how to relate to all of us.

Image courtesy of IndieWire

Even while writing that basic synopsis of the movie it strikes me why the film still works. The older kids could easily relate to the teenage angst Michael was facing. You know, stuff like how to impress a pretty girl, how not to look like a dork in front of the cool crowd, and that overwhelming need to fit in and stop being the new kid. Also the basic trials of accidentally getting wrapped up with the wrong crowd – and not on purpose either.

Michael isn’t a bad kid. He was looking out for his little brother. He was not really that much of a jerk at home to his mom, and sure, he just wanted to make friends. Unfortunately the crowd he befriends just happen to be Hell-spawned vampires. An honest mistake any of us could have made.

Sam spoke to the younger kids in us – the natural face of innocence – who always suspected there were monsters out there in the shadows. Monsters who threatened to upset our family and ruin the stability of our happy-go-lucky lives. The Lost Boys pits both brothers against some very real and identifiable issues we’re all very familiar with.

Image courtesy of IMDB

The movie became an instant classic among fans both young and old. It’s a film that is intimately relatable on nearly every level – and that’s part of its immortal charm. It deals with some very difficult real-life challenges. Moving to a new area. Fitting into a new social group. Single parenting. Peer pressure. Things you and I have to put up with – and not typically the sort of setting you might first consider for a horror movie.

Speaking of unlikely settings, The Lost Boys is filmed around coastal areas of sunny California – Heck, even my backyard is practically in the movie. This film takes its vampires out of the gothic mausoleums we’re so used to and sees them boldly stomping around the Santa Cruz Boardwalk under the silver cast of the risen moon.

That’s right, this is the essential MTV vampire sensation that enchanted my generation. In the glory days of Rock n Roll, punk fashion, video arcades and biker gangs, David and his coven of undead blood-suckers slipped in among society and became one of us.

Image courtesy of IMDB

It made David’s brood of vampires a little more disturbing too. They were just kids, older kids sure, but still they were kids like us. Nothing about them on the outside made us suspect anything out of the ordinary, and what an ingenious idea for a monster. The monster that is more related to our humanity is the very monster you should be most afraid of.

That’s the kind of monster you could be sharing a beer with. Or your bed with. He’s the next-door murderer that you don’t suspect. You’ve been to his barbecues, or as Michael did, had some Chinese noodles and rice with him.

Image courtesy of IMDB

David is the face of modern-day monsters. He’s the one that walks beside us and takes us out before we’re ever the wiser.

Stylish, sexy, and relatable – The Lost Boys still holds up thirty years later. We applaud you.

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Director Louis Leterrier Creating New Sci-Fi Horror Film “11817”

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Louis Leterrier

According to an article from Deadline, Louis Leterrier (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) is about to shake things up with his new Sci-Fi horror film 11817. Leterrier is set to produce and direct the new Movie. 11817 is penned by the glorious Mathew Robinson (The Invention of Lying).

Rocket Science will be taking the film to Cannes in search of a buyer. While we don’t know much about what the film looks like, Deadline offers the following plot synopsis.

“The film watches as inexplicable forces trap a family of four inside their house indefinitely. As both modern luxuries and life or death essentials begin to run out, the family must learn how to be resourceful to survive and outsmart who — or what — is keeping them trapped…”

“Directing projects where the audience gets behind the characters has always been my focus. However complex, flawed, heroic, we identify with them as we live through their journey,” said Leterrier. “It’s what excites me about 11817‘s wholly original concept and the family at the heart of our story. This is an experience that movie audiences won’t forget.”

Leterrier has made a name for himself in the past for working on beloved franchises. His portfolio includes gems such as Now You See Me, The Incredible Hulk, Clash of The Titans, and The Transporter. He is currently attached to create the final Fast and the Furious film. However, it will be interesting to see what Leterrier can do working with some darker subject material.

That’s all the information we have for you at this time. As always, make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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Lists

New to Netflix (U.S.) This Month [May 2024]

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atlas movie Netflix starring Jennifer Lopez

Another month means fresh additions to Netflix. Although there aren’t many new horror titles this month, there are still some notable movies well worth your time. For instance, you can watch Karen Black try to land a 747 jet in Airport 1979, or Casper Van Dien kill giant insects in Paul Verhoeven’s bloody sci-fi opus Starship Troopers.

We are looking forward to the Jennifer Lopez sci-fi action movie Atlas. But let us know what you are going to watch. And if we have missed something, put it in the comments.

May 1:

Airport

A blizzard, a bomb, and a stowaway help create the perfect storm for the manager of a Midwestern airport and a pilot with a messy personal life.

Airport ’75

Airport ’75

When a Boeing 747 loses its pilots in a midair collision, a member of the cabin crew must take control with radio help from a flight instructor.

Airport ’77

A luxury 747 packed with VIPs and priceless art goes down in the Bermuda Triangle after being hijacked by thieves — and time for a rescue is running out.

Jumanji

Two siblings discover an enchanted board game that opens a door to a magical world — and unwittingly release a man who’s been trapped inside for years.

Hellboy

Hellboy

A half-demon paranormal investigator questions his defense of humans when a dismembered sorceress rejoins the living to wreak brutal vengeance.

Starship Troopers

When fire-spitting, brain-sucking bugs attack Earth and obliterate Buenos Aires, an infantry unit heads to the aliens’ planet for a showdown.

May 9

Bodkin

Bodkin

A ragtag crew of podcasters sets out to investigate mysterious disappearances from decades earlier in a charming Irish town with dark, dreadful secrets.

May 15

The Clovehitch Killer

The Clovehitch Killer

A teenager’s picture-perfect family is torn apart when he uncovers unnerving evidence of a serial killer close to home.

May 16

Upgrade

After a violent mugging leaves him paralyzed, a man receives a computer chip implant that allows him to control his body — and get his revenge.

Monster

Monster

After being abducted and taken to a desolate house, a girl sets out to rescue her friend and escape from their malicious kidnapper.

May 24

Atlas

Atlas

A brilliant counterterrorism analyst with a deep distrust of AI discovers it might be her only hope when a mission to capture a renegade robot goes awry.

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory

The Camp Cretaceous gang come together to unravel a mystery when they discover a global conspiracy that brings danger to dinosaurs — and to themselves.

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Movie Reviews

Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Never Hike Alone 2’

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There are fewer icons more recognizable than the slasher. Freddy Krueger. Michael Myers. Victor Crowley. Notorious killers who always seem to come back for more no matter how many times they are slain or their franchises seemingly put to a final chapter or nightmare. And so it seems that even some legal disputes cannot stop one of the most memorable movie murderers of all: Jason Voorhees!

Following the events of the first Never Hike Alone, outdoorsman and YouTuber Kyle McLeod (Drew Leighty) has been hospitalized after his encounter with the long thought dead Jason Voorhees, saved by perhaps the hockey masked killer’s greatest adversary Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) who now currently works as an EMT around Crystal Lake. Still haunted by Jason, Tommy Jarvis struggles to find a sense of stability and this latest encounter is pushing him to end the reign of Voorhees once and for all…

Never Hike Alone made a splash online as a well shot and thoughtful fan film continuation of the classic slasher franchise that was built up with the snowbound follow up Never Hike In The Snow and now climaxing with this direct sequel. It’s not only an incredible Friday The 13th love letter, but a well thought out and entertaining epilogue of sorts to the infamous ‘Tommy Jarvis Trilogy’ from within the franchise that encapsulated Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter, Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning, and Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Even getting some of the original cast back as their characters to continue the tale! Thom Mathews being the most prominent as Tommy Jarvis, but with other series casting like Vincent Guastaferro returning as now Sheriff Rick Cologne and still having a bone to pick with Jarvis and the mess around Jason Voorhees. Even featuring some Friday The 13th alumni like Part III‘s Larry Zerner as the mayor of Crystal Lake!

On top of that, the movie delivers on kills and action. Taking turns that some of the previous fils never got the chance to deliver on. Most prominently, Jason Voorhees going on a rampage through Crystal Lake proper when he slices his way through a hospital! Creating a nice throughline of the mythology of Friday The 13th, Tommy Jarvis and the cast’s trauma, and Jason doing what he does best in the most cinematically gory ways possible.

The Never Hike Alone films from Womp Stomp Films and Vincente DiSanti are a testament to the fanbase of Friday The 13th and the still enduring popularity of those films and of Jason Voorhees. And while officially, no new movie in the franchise is on the horizon for the foreseeable future, at the very least there is some comfort knowing fans are willing to go to these lengths to fill the void.

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