Overview: When their parents’ divorce, Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam Emerson (Corey Haim) move with their mother to their grandfather’s house in a California town nicknamed, “The Murder Capital of the World.”

Soon after arriving, Michael gets involved with a hell-raising motorcycle gang of vampires with a charismatic leader (Kiefer Sutherland). When Sam becomes involved with the Frog Brothers (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander), who confess to being undercover Vampire hunters, he realizes it’s up to them to save Michael and the rest of the town from the vampire gang.

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the always-beloved The Lost Boys in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this September 20th, 2022.

For my money, this The Lost Boys [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is The Lost Boys presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.40:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable.

For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color; such as the one lovingly referred to as Grandpa To The Rescue has always been my personal favorite! And not because it’s a last-second save by one of the kookiest characters in the movie, but because GRANDPA ALREADY KNEW about the vampires and had been taking precautions against them for years!

There were clues about this matter such as his reluctance to head into town that often, but a lot of people no doubt took this as a sign that Grandpa was kind of an oddball and nothing more. But when he showed up to save the day near the end of the movie and then ached so nonchalantly about the matter it was a hilarious turn; and made even more so now with the darker aspects having been fine tuned and the edges made sharper.

Indeed, the picture enjoys the fruits of the added resolution in terms of bringing out the aforementioned extremely fine facial and some of the yellow graded material. And front and center of most all of that are the Frog brothers, for they are one of the several aspects of this movie that a lot of people remember and are most fond of since they’re goofy as hell but they end up giving the movie a bit of the personality that is needed to shine!

The main character of both the sequels that came along a while after the first movie was Edgar Frog, as Corey Feldman took center stage. Needless to say, however, the sequels weren’t exactly up to the same caliber as the first. The Frog brothers, vampire hunters, and comic book experts were definitely in need of a real education on vampires, but they were needed. And now this meeting has been enhanced, well, the subtle looks on Feldman’s face are made even more profound!

As for the audio, well we have a veritable smorgasbord of choice here: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), French: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192kbps), German: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps), Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192kbps) and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192kbps).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the movie itself, well, and setting the scene, a single mother and her two sons move in to the grandfather’s home in a West Coast town. The younger son (Corey Haim) meets two alleged vampire hunters and comic book collectors (one being Corey Feldman) while the older son (Jason Patric) becomes friends with actual vampires.

And so, and very quickly, family ties become the ties that bind or the start of a civil war!

This film really hits home for me. The creative force behind it took a genre (vampire films) and combined it with that 1980s youth mentality to produce a vampire film that will stand the test of time. Richard Donner was supposed to direct (he had previously worked with Haim/Feldman on Goonies) but handed control over to Joel Schumacher. I have no real love for Schumacher, but he did something wonderful here and I can’t help but commend him for that.

The supporting cast is also great. Kiefer Sutherland (who has gone on to great things) and Alex Winter (who went on to make Freaked and then the Bill & Ted movies), and Edward Herrmann plays Max, the mother, Dianne Wiest’s boyfriend. I have a fond memory of seeing this film for the first time at my friend Jodie’s house and having another friend comment, I bet that guy drives a Lexus (due to Herrmann being a Lexus spokesman at the time). The memory still cracks me up!

Anyhoo, and moving swiftly along, the cast and crew are great, but three things deserve some attention: music, comics and mythology. The music was great, to say the least. The use of the Doors’ People Are Strange was nice. I don’t like The Doors, personally, but that’s okay because Echo and the Bunnymen were kind enough to do a cover! Oh, and there’s even a large Jim Morrison poster in the vampire’s den (which really seems odd, but alright). The best song is what I would call the theme which has children singing Thou shall not... which is played at key moments to tug at the audience emotionally. I was moved, I won’t lie. It’s not even a good song, but it fits!

The comics were a nice touch. Whoever wrote this (and I apologize I can’t recall offhand) loved vampires and loved comic books, because they knew how to balance the two perfectly. Not only is a comic a driving medium for getting the word out on vampires, but there is just a comic book undercurrent that connects the primary protagonists. I was an avid collector in my youth, but I was certainly not as informed as Haim or Feldman on the specific nuances of old school Batman or Superman issues!

Last, the mythology is amazing. Most horror films, and vampire films in particular, can be judged by the way they represent the source material. This movie addresses mirrors, garlic, sunlight, holy water, getting invited into residences and stakes through the heart. In some areas they deviate from the classical traditions, but do so in such a respectful way that this seems all the more perfect (any deviation has a plausible explanation - it’s not just merely thrown out the window). Being traditional and new at the same time is hard, but mastered here.

In closing, ok, sure, if you see only only Haim/Feldman film see Goonies. If you see two, see this one as well. If you see three, see License to Drive or Dream a Little Dream, in my humble opinion. BUT, if you see only one 1980s vampire movie see THIS one. I can think of no other film that appeals to both children and adults alike whilst staying both serious and lighthearted, classic and modern. Besides, you’ll never see Kiefer Sutherland with hair quite like this again!

Ultra HD Blu-ray Elements:
The Lost Boys Ultra HD Blu-ray contains the following previously released special features:

4K UHD Disc
1. Commentary by Joel Schumacher

Blu-ray Disc
1. Commentary by Joel Schumacher
2. The Lost Boys: A Retrospective [RT: 24:00]
3. Inside the Vampire’s Cave: A Director’s Vision [RT: 6:58]
4. Inside the Vampire’s Cave: Comedy vs. Horror [RT: 4:44]
5. Inside the Vampire’s Cave: Fresh Blood-A New Look at Vampires [RT: 4:23]
6. Inside the Vampire’s Cave: The Lost Boys Sequel? [RT: 2:25]
7. Vamping Out: The Undead Creations of Greg Cannon [RT: 14:02]
8. The Return of Sam and the Frog Brothers: Haimster & Feldog - The Story of the 2 Coreys [RT: 4:30]
9. The Return of Sam and the Frog Brothers: Multi-Angle Video Commentary by Corey Haim, Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander [RT: 18:23]
10. The Lost Scenes [RT: 15:16]
11. Lou Gramm - Lost in the Shadows - Music Video [RT: 4:35]
12. Trailer [RT: 1:26]

The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on September 20th, 2022 it was announced today by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Directed by Schumacher, the 1987 film’s screenplay was written by Janice Fischer & James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam from a story by Fischer & Jeremias. The film was produced by Harvey Bernhard. Richard Donner served as executive producer.

The Lost Boys cast also includes Jami Gertz, Edward Herrmann, Barnard Hughes, Dianne Wiest, Jamison Newlander and Alex Winter.

Ultra HD* showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, more lifelike colors for a home entertainment viewing experience like never before.

The Lost Boys will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack for $24.99 ERP and includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the feature film in 4K with HDR and a Digital download of the film. Fans can also own The Lost Boys in 4K Ultra HD via purchase from select digital retailers beginning on September 20th, 2022.