Stake it to the Man
Life is tough when you're a teenager. Hormones making things weird, adults keep telling you what to do and now your moving to a town chock full of vampires? What can ya do?
The classic 1987 film The Lost Boys great movie. There are so many memorable scenes, iconic shots and quotable quotes. The film manages to maintain its humor, horror and dramatic elements through the film. There are so many subtle nuances to the story that might escape notice on first viewing.
I am always big fan of villains. Often a story is only as good as its villain. A villain's motivation is what sets the stakes, sometimes quite literally. Sometimes the villain's greatest motivation is the temptation of the protagonist to join them. Sometimes it's the villains tragic story or lack of control. Sometimes it's all of them at once. Just like in The Lost Boys.
Synopsis:
The story primarily follows two brothers and their recently single mother as they move to Santa Carla, California for a fresh start. The older brother, Michael - played by Jason Patric - is particularly unhappy that they have moved. His younger brother, Sam - played by Corey Haim - is less bothered by it. As they roll into town they have mixed feelings about their new home. Soon, they arrive into their eccentric grandpa's house on the outskirts of town and settle in.
Before long Michael, Sam and their mother go out to explore Santa Carla and end up at the crowded pier. Sam finds a comic book store and quickly becomes friends with the owners, the Frog Brothers. Edgar and Alan Frog try to convince Sam that the city was overrun by vampires, and that they themselves were hunters. The brothers offer Sam a 'manual' in the form of a comic book on how to deal with the undead. Unsure if they were joking, Sam accepts the comic.
Their mom, Lucy (Diane Wiest) wanders into a video store, looking rather lost. The owner, Max (Edward Herrmann) notices her and quickly deduces that she needs a job. Shocked, by her stroke of luck she enthusiastically takes the job.
Meanwhile Michael hangs out at a nearby live concert featuring everyone's favorite greased up, shirtless saxophone player-- portrayed by Timmy Cappello. In the crowd he spots Star (Jami Gertz) and instantly becomes enamored. He approaches her but it quickly is revealed that she is with David (Keifer Sutherland), the leader of small dirt bike gang. After a short tense interaction, David offers Michael a chance to hang out with them. Looking for friends and a potential way to get closer to Star, David tags along on his own dirt bike.
David starts to test Michael's daring, racing toward a cliff in fog on their bikes. Michael stops at the last second and tries to fight David. David brushes off the fight and offers Michael a place in their gang, inviting him to their hangout in a hotel in ruins on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Michael is offered a drink to finalize his initiation to the gang. Turns out it was blood. Michael was now on the path to becoming a vampire, and the story then kicks off.
Thou shalt not fall
From this point on, I'm going to just assume that you, my dear reader, have already seen the movie. If you haven't, spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
While Michael and Sam are the protagonists of the film, David is actually the most interesting character. Why? It's deals with how he dies.
There is a point earlier on in the film when the Frog Brothers describe what happens when you kill a vampire. They say that every vampire dies in a different way. Some explode, some melt, you just can't tell until you stake them in the heart or cut off their head. If someone was a half-vampire and the head vampire is killed, they would return to their normal human state.
Max, who was the head vampire, had cultivated the biker gang to be his henchmen and by extension a surrogate family -- something that is made explicitly clear at the end of the film. Max wanted to have Michael and Sam turned so their mother would have no choice other than become a vampire herself. Then all the vampires would be one big happy family -- under the control of Max.
While we don't see it happen, it's reasonable to assume that since David was the leader of the gang, he was the first one to be turned by Max. The first time we see David interact with Max in the film is in the video store. At first it seems like the gang is there to hassle the shop. Max calls out to them saying "I told you not to come in here." David has a rebellious look in his eyes but relents. At first glance, it just appears to be a regular shopkeep kicking out the local hoodlums. Only at the end of the film is it clear that David left the shop only because he had to obey his master.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that the rest of the gang were turned by David on Max's orders. Max may be charming, but David's charisma and rebellious nature clearly attracts other youths. The temptation for immortality and powers is a much easier sell coming from another teenager than it does from an adult. The other gang members all truly wanted what was offered, and happily followed David into becoming vampires.
This is where the deaths matter. Every vampire that we see that die, meets their end in gruesome form. One gets staked through the heart and basically explodes. Another gets melted in a tub of holy water. Each one was horrific. Each one except David.
When David dies, despite being impaled, there is no gore. There is no blood. The pain only last a few moments before David becomes illuminated from above in a heavenly way, as the chorus of the film's theme plays loud and clear. "Thou shalt not fall. Thou shalt not die. Thou shalt not fear. Thou shalt no kill." With his last few breaths, there is no grimace on his face, only relief. After who knows how long, his is free. David had been trapped in a life he could not control and did everything within his limited abilities to resist Max. Only David dies in peace.
Now, the music theme of the film, "Cry Little Sister" was written specifically for the film. Despite being a real banger, the lyrics may reveal the real story behind David. The song features a male vocal lead with the chorus sung by what seems a younger group. Let's assume for a second that the song is specifically about David.
The Chorus reads as follows:
Cry little sister (Thou shall not fall) Come, come to your brother (Thou shall not fall) Unchain me sister (Thou shall not fear) Love is with your brother (Thou shall not kill)
The parallels between the story in the song and what happens between Michael and Sam can't be ignored. When Michael is first turned, he is tempted to kill his brother, but Sam manages to escape. It is then reasonable to assume that when David had first been turned, his sister tried to help and chained him up. The singer describes luring in the younger sister and likely killing her and then being tormented by the regret of what he had done. It may just be speculation on my part, but attaching these bits of story together really adds depth to David's role in the Lost Boys.
Looking back through the film, David gave Michael countless opportunities to choose a different path. He tried to scare him off on the mountain. He tried to scare him off with the illusions of worms in his food. It was only Michael's stubbornness (and likely hormones) that led him to becoming the half-vampire. David did everything he could. Michael and Sam may be the main characters, but David was the tragic hero.
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I have included the full lyrics to the song below.
## Cry Little Sister by Gerard McMann The last fire will rise Behind those eyes Black house will rock Blind boys don't lie Immortal fear That voice so clear Through broken walls That scream I hear Cry little sister (Thou shall not fall) Come, come to your brother (Thou shall not fall) Unchain me sister (Thou shall not fear) Love is with your brother (Thou shall not kill) Blue masquerade Strangers look up When will they learn This loneliness? Temptation heat Beats like a drum Deep in your veins I will not lie little sister (Thou shall not fall) Come, come to your brother (Thou shall not fall) Unchain me sister (Thou shall not fear) Love is with your brother (Thou shall not kill) My shangrila I can't forget Why you were mine I'll need you now Cry little sister (Thou shall not fall) Come, come to your brother (Thou shall not fall) Unchain me sister (Thou shall not fear) Love is with your brother (Thou shall not kill) Cry little sister (Thou shall not fall) Come, come to your brother (Thou shall not fall) Unchain me sister (Thou shall not fear) Love is with your brother (Thou shall not kill) Cry, cry sister (Thou shall not fall) (Thou shall not lie) (Thou shall not fear) (Thou shall not kill)
