 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Lost Boys
- Review Date: November 28, 2005
- R
- Genre: Horror
- 1987
Common Sense Media says
Scary '80s vamp film. Older teens only.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie isn't suitable for kids. While not constant, there are some graphic gory moments. One is a vampire feeding frenzy and the other is the climactic scene where the brothers defend themselves and their friends from attacking vampires. Killing of innocents are mostly implied. One notable scene features a hallucination of maggots and rice.
What's the story?
In THE LOST BOYS, the Emerson family has just moved to Santa Carla, self-titled murder capital of the world, and already oldest son Michael (Jason Patric) has fallen in with the wrong crowd. Out one night he meets Star (Jami Gertz), whom he follows and who introduces him to David (Kiefer Sutherland). David is the leader of a gang of vampires and, after a hanging out, Michael unwittingly joins their clan. Meanwhile, David's brother, Sam (Corey Haim) befriends the Frog brothers (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander), a pair of young vampire hunters. When David finds out what is going on, he and the young kids embark on a mission to destroy the head vampire and return their lives to normal. Dianne Weist also stars, as Michael and Sam's mother.
Is it any good?
The Lost Boys is a fun film to watch and is certainly one of the better vampire films to come out in the 1980s. Although he might not have been trying to, Kiefer vamps it up well and is enjoyable to watch. The film works a lot better as camp than as a serious vampire film, however, parents should be warned that there are some scary moments.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about peer pressure. Why did Michael go along with the pack? Even though he later regrets it, what could he have done (if anything) to keep himself from falling into their trap?
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
should not be "R"
I am 13 years old and had a very hard time convincing my parents to let me see this moveie because of it's "R" rating. After seeing this film I was unsure of why it was rated R. There was some language, but nothing worse than the "S" word, which is used in PG-13 movies all the time. There was brief sexual content, involving two characters making out on a bed, the girl didnt have a shirt on, but you could only see her back. This film is quite gory with teenagers violently killing vampires, but with all the gory video games today, this should not be an issue for most kids. I would say this is a great movie that everybody should see, but i might caution children under 12 who want to see this.
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Parent of 4, 6, and 15 year old
November 3, 2010
AGE
Obvious Negatives, Hidden Positives
If you (or your teenage daughter!) are looking for a vampire movie, I think this is a better choice than the less violent but more insidious Twilight series movies, especially for girls. While Lost Boys includes strong graphic violence and implied sex, it disguises positive messages under the disreputable surface; whereas, the Twilight series movies seem benign on the surface but glorify melodrama, suicide, and self-ostracism. Some of the positive themes that can be teased out of the Lost Boys subtext involve the importance of family loyalty, the need to adapt to new circumstances (younger brother who successfully adapts is the hero who saves older brother that gets in trouble trying to fit in with dangerous crowd), and the idea that it's never too late to turn your back on a wrong path or group. After watching this movie with my 15-year-old daughter, we talked about real-life examples of peer pressure and how hard it is to stop participating in something that is wrong once you get started.
What other families should know:
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Teen, 15 years old
December 17, 2009
AGE
the most great of the time
i love this movie it's a awesome movie the one for the Oscars
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Kid, 10 years old
October 28, 2010
AGE
A brilliant, but gory, film.
A good and exciting film. It has a lot of violence and gore though. A vampire's heart is penentrated with a wooden stake. At one point, a vampire falls into a bath of holy water, and sizzles up and the skeleton shows, and it turns into a bath of blood. The sinks explode with blood and body bits and blood are covering the walls. There is some language including ; s**t, p**s or son of a b***h. There is a mention of MTV and some types of cars. It is a very (surprisingly) funny film and it's the kind of movie you can watch over and over and never get bored. The story is just perfect, and I highly reccomend it. It is 100% worth every penny I paid for it, and I'm pretty sure you'll think the same if you buy it.
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Kid, 10 years old
November 28, 2009
AGE
.............Maybe
I think this movie is a little too bloody :/
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Parent of 10 and 13 year old
September 2, 2009
AGE
WE LOVE THIS FILM! nothing is bad except a few violent scene and one second sex scene with no nudity! highly reccomend it!
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Parent of 12 year old
August 31, 2011
AGE
love it!
great movie with the 2 Coreys awesome uh just not for young kids but if 12 and up then its okay!
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Teen, 14 years old
December 25, 2010
AGE
Good Vampire movie for teenagers
It was good. I want them to make a lot of movies. I want different people in the movie.
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Parent of 13 year old
March 14, 2010
AGE
it rocks
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Teen, 13 years old
August 8, 2009
AGE
A Cool Vampire Movie
This movie is pretty great. It's very funny, very cool, and has enough blood to keep horror fans watching. Two favorite kills of mine are a body being thrown on a fire and sizzling, and a head being popped of like the vampires opening a beer.
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| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Joel Schumacher |
| Cast: | Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Jason Patric |
| Genre: | Horror |
| Run time: | 97 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | July 31, 1987 |
| DVD release date: | January 27, 1998 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | language and violence |
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