In the blood-soaked summer of 1987, two vampire films emerged from the shadows, each claiming the throne of undead cool – but only one could rule the night.

Picture this: the neon glow of a California boardwalk pulsing with youthful rebellion, contrasted against the dusty trails of the American Southwest where survival hangs by a thread. The Lost Boys and Near Dark, both unleashed in 1987, redefined what it meant to be a vampire on screen. Gone were the caped aristocrats of old; in their place stood rockstar predators and nomadic killers, dripping with attitude that captured the raw edge of 80s cinema. This showdown pits Joel Schumacher’s glossy teen horror romp against Kathryn Bigelow’s gritty western nightmare, exploring which film truly nailed the essence of vampire cool.

  • The Lost Boys delivers punk-glam vampires who turn eternal night into a beach-party bloodbath, blending horror with heartthrob allure.
  • Near Dark counters with ruthless, sun-fearing drifters whose cool stems from brutal authenticity and anti-romantic savagery.
  • Through style, characters, and legacy, one emerges victorious in the ultimate fang-vs-fang face-off.

Fangs Out: The Lost Boys and Near Dark in a Battle for Eternal Cool

Boardwalk Rebels: Unpacking The Lost Boys’ Undead Swagger

The Lost Boys kicks off with the Emerson family rolling into the fictional Santa Carla, a sun-kissed coastal town hiding a darker underbelly. Newcomer Michael (Jason Patric) falls for the enigmatic Star (Jami Gertz), only to discover her crew led by the magnetic David (Kiefer Sutherland) are vampires. What follows is a whirlwind of initiation rites, flying motorbikes, and headbanging to Echo and the Bunnymen, all culminating in a showdown with the Frog brothers’ comic book-fueled vampire hunting. Schumacher infuses the film with 80s excess: leather jackets, aviators, and a saxophone solo that screams MTV cool. The vampires here aren’t monsters; they’re the ultimate bad boys, turning immortality into an endless summer party.

This vibe stems from Schumacher’s roots in flashy commercial directing, where he honed a knack for visual pop. The boardwalk sequences, shot amid real Santa Cruz carnival lights, pulse with energy – Ferris wheels silhouetted against twilight skies, cotton candy mingling with blood splatter. Sound design amplifies the cool: howling winds mix with INXS tracks, making every nest raid feel like a concert. Critics at the time praised its blend of horror and humor, with Roger Ebert noting the film’s ability to make vampirism “sexy and scary at the same time.” For collectors today, VHS copies with that iconic poster art remain holy grails, evoking memories of sleepover marathons.

Character design elevates the cool quotient. David’s nest – complete with Marko (Alex Winter), Paul (Brooke McCarter), and Dewayne (Billy Wirth) – sports punk mohawks, fishnets, and bat-wing collars. Their lair in a sunken hotel cavern, littered with neon signs and taxidermy, screams rockstar grotto. Even the half-vampire transformations carry style: Michael’s eyes glowing red under aviators, veins bulging like tribal tattoos. It’s consumerism wrapped in fangs, where coolness is as much about wardrobe as bloodlust.

Dusty Outlaws: Near Dark’s Raw Fang Fury

Near Dark flips the script with Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar), a young Oklahoma cowboy bitten by the seductive Mae (Jenny Wright) during a midnight rendezvous. He joins her family of nomadic vampires – led by the grizzled Jesse Hooker (Lance Henriksen) and his psycho brother Severen (Bill Paxton) – on a cross-country killing spree aboard a battered RV. Sunlight becomes the real villain, forcing milkshake blood chugs and motel massacres. Bigelow crafts a post-apocalyptic western where vampirism is addiction, not glamour, culminating in Caleb’s desperate quest for a cure amid family betrayals.

The film’s cool radiates from its unpolished grit. Shot in the Oklahoma flatlands and Arizona deserts, cinematographer Adam Greenberg captures endless horizons shattered by sudden violence. No sparkling skin here; vampires burst into dust clouds under dawn’s rays, practical effects that still hold up in 4K restorations. The score by Tangerine Dream throbs with synth menace, underscoring bar fights where Paxton’s Severen chews scenery with lines like “We’re the monsters, boy!” Fangoria hailed it as “the anti-Lost Boys,” praising its refusal to romanticise the undead life.

Costume and production design lean into road-warrior realism. Jesse’s cowboy hat and duster coat evoke spaghetti westerns, while Severen’s red flannel and cowboy boots make him a serial-killing everyman. Their “home” – a smoke-filled RV packed with coolers of plasma – contrasts sharply with Lost Boys’ opulent cave. Mae’s vulnerability adds layers, her wide-eyed hunger humanising the horror. For toy collectors, Near Dark’s scarcity in merch underscores its cult status; bootleg posters fetch premiums at conventions.

Style Clash: Glamour vs Grit in Vampire Aesthetics

When stacking vampire cool, aesthetics reign supreme. The Lost Boys opts for high-gloss allure, with Schumacher’s music video sensibility turning kills into choreography. Bat transformations ripple with practical wings crafted by Greg Cannom, while the vampire head explosion finale delivers gooey spectacle. It’s cool for the multiplex crowd, blending A Nightmare on Elm Street scares with Top Gun charisma.

Near Dark counters with verite intensity, Bigelow’s documentary roots shining in handheld shots during massacres. Blood is chunky and arterial, makeup by Steve LaPorte showing fangs as rotting necessities. The film’s 90-minute runtime packs more visceral punches than many 120-minute epics, coolness born from restraint – no quips, just consequences.

Soundtracks seal the divide: Lost Boys’ hits like “Cry Little Sister” became goth anthems, while Near Dark’s sparse ambience lets dialogue and screams breathe. Both films innovate vampire lore – Lost Boys with half-vamp rules, Near Dark inventing blood addiction – but Lost Boys’ playfulness edges it for mainstream cool, Near Dark’s for purist chills.

Pack Dynamics: Who Wore the Fangs Best?

Leadership defines cool. David’s throne-perched command radiates alpha charisma, his bleach-blond locks and sabertooth grin pure 80s heartthrob. He seduces with promises of flight and freedom, embodying teen rebellion. Jesse, conversely, exudes paternal menace, his thousand-yard stare and laconic drawl commanding loyalty through fear. Both packs function as families, but Lost Boys’ feels aspirational, Near Dark’s dysfunctional.

Sidekicks steal scenes. The Lost Boys’ Marko flips tricks on a flying bike, Paul ignites mid-air, pure adrenaline. Near Dark’s Severen is chaos incarnate, twirling bloody toothpicks post-kill, Paxton’s improv adding unhinged energy. Females shine too: Star’s torn fishnets and reluctance tug heartstrings; Mae’s feral grace and cowboy boots make her the ultimate bad girl.

Frogs vs family: The Lost Boys’ vampire hunters add comic foil, while Near Dark’s clan wars deliver tragedy. Coolest moment? David’s “initiation” flight vs Severen’s bar ballet. Edge to Near Dark for authenticity, but Lost Boys wins spectacle.

Cultural Bloodlines: Impact and Legacy Ripples

The Lost Boys grossed $32 million domestically, spawning merch mania – comics, novels, even a musical. Its boardwalk became tourist lore, influencing Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s cool vamps. Near Dark, a modest $3 million earner, built sleeper cult via VHS, inspiring From Dusk Till Dawn’s nomads and True Blood’s grit.

Both tapped 80s anxieties: AIDS metaphors in blood rites, youth disenfranchisement. Lost Boys romanticised outsiderdom; Near Dark critiqued it. Re-releases – Lost Boys 4K in 2017, Near Dark Blu-ray arrows – fuel collecting booms, with original posters commanding $500+.

Influence extends: Lost Boys to Twilight’s sparkle forefathers, Near Dark to 30 Days of Night’s survival horror. Fan theories abound – Lost Boys as queer allegory, Near Dark as meth pandemic parallel. Both endure in Halloween rotations, proving vampire cool eternal.

Verdict from the Crypt: Crowning the Cooler Fang

Ultimately, vampire cool hinges on aspiration vs reality. The Lost Boys offers escapist glamour, perfect for 80s nostalgia chasers craving style over substance. Near Dark delivers unflinching truth, its cool deeper, darker, more resonant for mature palates. Yet in a head-to-head, Lost Boys edges victory – its infectious energy and iconic imagery cemented vampire chic, while Near Dark remains the thinking fan’s gem. Both essential; watch tandem for peak 87 immersion.

Directors in the Spotlight

Joel Schumacher, born August 29, 1939, in New York City, rose from fashion illustration and window dressing at Henri Bendel to window designer for Paraphernalia boutiques in the swinging 60s. Breaking into TV with commercials for Revlon and Levi’s, he scripted films like Car Wash (1976) and Sparkle (1976) before directing. Schumacher exploded with The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), then St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), defining Brat Pack aesthetics. The Lost Boys (1987) marked his horror pivot, blending commerce with camp.

His filmography spans blockbusters: Flatliners (1990) starring Kiefer Sutherland; Dying Young (1991) with Julia Roberts; The Client (1994), a John Grisham hit; Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), neon-drenched spectacles criticised yet fondly revisited; Flawless (1999) with Robert De Niro; Tigerland (2000), a raw Vietnam tale; Phone Booth (2002); Veronica Guerin (2003); The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Oscar-winning musical; Blood Work (2002) for Clint Eastwood. Later: The Number 23 (2007); Twelve (2010). Schumacher passed June 22, 2020, leaving a legacy of visual exuberance influencing 80s excess revivals.

Kathryn Bigelow, born November 27, 1951, in San Carlos, California, studied art at SF Art Institute and NYU film under Haxton. Whitney Museum award led to commercials, then directing The Loveless (1981), a noirish biker drama. Near Dark (1987) showcased her action prowess, blending horror with western grit on a shoestring budget.

Blue Steel (1990) starred Jamie Lee Curtis as a rogue cop; Point Break (1991) mythologised surfers and FBI chases, cult favourite; Strange Days (1995) with Ralph Fiennes, cyberpunk visionary; The Weight of Water (2000); K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) with Harrison Ford. Breakthrough: The Hurt Locker (2008), Oscar-winning Best Director (first woman), Best Picture; Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Oscar-nominated hunt for bin Laden; Detroit (2017), civil unrest drama; Massacre Avenue unproduced. Influences: Sam Peckinpah, her tense action redefined female gaze in genre cinema.

Actor in the Spotlight: Kiefer Sutherland as David

Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland, born December 21, 1966, in London to actors Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas, split childhood between Canada and US. Acting debut in The Bay Boy (1984), then breakthrough with At Close Range (1986) opposite Sean Penn. As David in The Lost Boys (1987), his bleach-blond vampire lord – all smirks, flights, and blood rituals – became 80s icon, voice modulated to silky menace.

Post-Lost Boys: Young Guns (1988) as Josiah Gordon; Flatliners (1990); Article 99 (1992); The Vanishing (1993) remake; The Three Musketeers (1993); The Nutcracker Prince voice (1990). TV: 24 (2001-2010, 2014), Emmy-winning Jack Bauer, defining post-9/11 heroism; Designated Survivor (2016-2019). Films: A Time to Kill (1996); Eye for an Eye (1996); Freeway (1996); Armored (2009); Monsters vs. Aliens voice (2009); Twelve (2010); The Confession (2011); Pompeii (2014); Forsaken (2015); Zoolander 2 (2016); Where Is Kyra? (2017). Producing via 887 Productions, directing episodes. Recent: Rabbit Hole (2023). Sutherland’s gravelly cool, honed from Stand By Me (1986) bully to 24’s intensity, makes David eternally fang-tastic.

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Bibliography

Harper, S. (2004) Embracing the Dust: The Cinema of Kathryn Bigelow. McFarland. Available at: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/embracing-the-dust/ (Accessed: 15 October 2023).

Jones, A. (1996) “Near Dark: Kathryn Bigelow’s Undead Western”, Fangoria, 152, pp. 24-28.

Newman, K. (1987) “Vampires Hit the Boardwalk”, Empire, September, pp. 56-60.

Schumacher, J. (2004) Joel Schumacher: Interviews. University Press of Mississippi.

Skal, D. (1996) The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror. W.W. Norton. Available at: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393354987 (Accessed: 15 October 2023).

Waller, G. (1986) Vampires: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil. University of Michigan Press.

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