There are a number of vampire books, movies, and TV shows that have had a significant impact on such media as a whole. One such example is The Lost Boys, which started out as a comedic horror movie released in 1987 but has since spawned an entire franchise with a TV show under development at the moment.
Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about The Lost Boys:
Named Thus Because of Peter Pan
Unsurprisingly, Lost Boys is an intentional reference to the Lost Boys from Peter Pan. The reasoning is simple and straightforward. Much like the characters from Peter Pan, the vampires that make up the Lost Boys don’t grow up.
Popularized Younger Vampires
Vampires have been associated with sexual matters for some time. For example, Carmilla had a lesbian attraction between its narrator and the titular vampire, which is notable in that the novella was published from 1871 to 1872. However, The Lost Boys was influential in that it made vampires more appealing to a younger audience.
Original Vampires Were Even Younger
It is interesting to note that the Lost Boys were supposed to have been children in the original screenplay. Fortunately, the director disliked the idea, which is why the movie ended up the way that it is.
Director Wasn’t First Choice
Joel Schumacher was not the first choice to direct the movie. Before him, the first choice passed on the chance, the second choice chose to direct Lethal Weapon instead, and the third choice left over creative differences.
Schumacher Secured INXS
Speaking of which, Schumacher was the one who secured the assistance of INXS for The Lost Boys soundtrack. In exchange, he promised to direct one of the famous band’s music videos, which happened in 1988 with a promotion for Devil Inside.
Mix of Sources of Inspiration
The Lost Boys used a mix of sources of inspiration for the characteristics of its vampires. For example, Dracula featured saving a victim from turning into a vampire by killing the one who victimized them. Likewise, the idea of inviting a vampire into a household being relevant is from traditional folklore, but the exact consequences in the movie seem to be something of its invention.
Filmed in Santa Cruz
While this was not revealed at first, the movie-makers for The Lost Boys chose to film the movie in Santa Cruz because of its reputation as something of a murder capital. At the time, the beach town had a rather unpleasant reputation because of three serial killers who were known to have hunted for victims in the surrounding region.
Had to Rename Setting
Initially, the movie-makers were just going to call the setting of the movie Santa Cruz. However, the people responsible for issuing filming permits had a understandable reluctance to issue them under said circumstances, which is why the setting ended up with the fictional name of Santa Carla.
Had a Novelization
Like a lot of Warner Bros. movies released at the time, The Lost Boys had a novelization which contained a fair amount of information not found in the movie. For example, the novel had scenes that had been cut from the movie as well as bits of information about the special characteristics of the vampires.
Most Cast Members Were Unknowns
Most of the younger members of the cast for the movie were relative unknowns at the time. Unsurprisingly, the movie-makers had to audition an enormous number of candidates before they managed to find people who were perfect for the roles.
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