Midnight Madness With The Lost Boys
Life is a funny thing--Like how something that appears to be a just a mundane occurrence turns out to be a life-altering experience. That is what happened to me on a July afternoon back in 1987 when my sister, Karen, and I went to see The Lost Boys. Little did I know that this movie would become one of my absolute all time favorites, or that the "dark haired" vampire would change my life!
Yes, the second this dark haired beauty appeared onscreen, I was transfixed! When the credits rolled, I looked in vain to see who the actor was, but not knowing the character's name (what kind of a vampire name is "Dwayne", anyway?!), I wasn't able to see who the actor was. So, for two years, he was known to me and mine as only "The Dark Haired Vampire In The Lost Boys"! Then, in 1989, I saw War Party and had an epiphany! My "Dark Haired Vampire In The Lost Boys" was an actor named Billy Wirth! It was quite a Divine Ah-Ha, and my family and friends were just as happy as I was for this guy to finally have a real name--listening to me yak on about him with his former moniker got to be tedious for ALL involved! However, as much as I'd like to ramble on about My Billy Experiences Through The Ages, this is about The Lost Boys, so I'll get back on topic....
I didn't see The Lost Boys again until May 1988 when a friend of mine from New York was visiting me. She had fallen in love with the movie back in '87 too, so we decided to rent it. It had been ten months since I had first seen it, and, in seeing it again, I was reminded of just what an incredible movie it was. It had an interesting twist on the vampire mythos, a stellar cast, cinematography that literally gave me chills, was dramatic, tensing, and had some super special f/x. It also contained some wonderful humor and the banter between the characters was priceless. And on top of everything, it had the most classic rock soundtrack of any movie--past or present!
Unfortunately, I had no way of dubbing the movie at the time my friend and I
rented it, so it wasn't until it premiered on Cinemax that I was able to get it on tape. Just how many times I watched that tape, or sat through the hideously edited versions shown on cable I'll never know. But I never miss any opportunity I get to catch it. When it became available to buy on VHS, I shelled out a "whopping" $9.99 in order to have the box art, and, eventually, I added the DVD to my collection, as well. And ah, yes, my Lost Boys collection--something I have painstakingly put together over the years, and cherish mightily!
Okay, so, have I waved my "I am a Lost Boys fanatic" banner enough here? Have I conveyed sufficiently the fact that my life would be utterly worthless (or should that be Wirthless...??) without this movie?! Okay--my devotion is not that bad, but it's close!
I never actually thought about the possibility of seeing it again on the big screen. But then...Enter my friend Lisa in Denver. About two years ago, she mentioned how The Mayan theater in Denver (a beautifully restored "Art House") had begun a Midnight at The Mayan program on the weekends. Since Lisa and her twin sister Monica are fellow Lost Boys f anatics, it was only natural that we immediately thought of it as a perfect choice to show at the Mayan. So, spearheaded by Lisa, we embarked on a two year email campaign to get the movie included in the Mayan's midnight movie series.
The new movie coordinator, Pinky, who took over the duties when the previous coordinator left midway into the email campaign, turned out to be a big fan of the movie, too, and, finally, last October, it appeared as though The Lost Boys would become a reality. And then, for some reason, it all fell through. We were extremely disappointed, but we never gave up hope. And our diligence paid off, when it was finally and officially added to the Mayan's February midnight schedule! Our excitement was beyond words!
The nights were to be February 8 and 9, 2002, and Lisa, Monica and I began to make plans for me to go down that Friday and spend the weekend with them (I live in Boulder). As the weeks went on, our anticipation and excitement grew. I had wanted to do something for the three of us to commemorate this major event, so I decided to make us all Lost Boys tee-shirts. For Monica's and Lisa's I used their favorite cast shot, and for mine I used my fave solo shot of Billy that I had him sign while in St. Louis. The ordeal I had making the shirts is a long, unpleasant story I won't relate here, but I will say this--my mom saved my butt, and the shirts turned out pretty cool. An unpleasant job that I will never attempt again. However, how many times do you get to see The Lost Boys at a midnight showing, on the big screen, with your best friends--twice?!
Then--havoc struck....On the Friday morning I was to leave for Denver, my dad became terribly ill, and had to be rushed to the ER! I didn't know what to do. I was scared for my dad, but I couldn't help being terrified that the weekend--this weekend that was Two Years in the planning--was going to be a disaster! I simply couldn't imagine missing it! As it turned out, my dad had to have emergency gall bladder surgery, bad, but nothing hugely serious. So it was decided that the weekend should go on as planned--which it did, and my dad eventually recovered so it all worked out for the best!
Once in Denver, Monica, Lisa and I had an unplanned "gift exchange", where I
gave them their shirts, and they presented one to me of Corey Haim! I'm not a card-carrying member of the rabid "Coreys" group, but I have always enjoyed Corey Haim, and found him to be a very engaging actor (I highly recommend Lucas and Stephen King's Silver Bullet). So, the shirt was a wonderful surprise, and a great addition to my Lost Boys collection!
The first night was an experience even before the movie. The wind was blowing near 100mph (y'all oughtta try being stuck in Blockbuster with the electricity out!), and it was coooold......So the first night I chose to dress warmly, my clothes layered nicely, with my Corey shirt over my other shirt and overalls--thus having a chic, Puffy Farmer look (hey, at least I was warm!)! Monica and Lisa chose to show their Lost Boys colors, and wore the shirts I gave them. Then there was the fact that I hadn't attended a midnight movie since 1982 when I saw Rocky Horror for the last time, and 38 is a far cry from 18! How would I fare going to a midnight movie two nights in a row...? Old age is NOT kind.......
It is pretty much impossible for me to put into words the feelings I had, and the anticipation I felt, as the movie started. From the little snippet of "Cry Little Sister" that plays during the opening Warner Brothers' logo, to the very end credits, I had goose bumps! I also had to keep reminding myself throughout the movie that I was really there, and that it wasn't just a dream. Joel Shumacher has always been one of my fave directors, simply due to his creation of the boardwalk sequences. To me, the surreal feel of the carousel, and the boardwalk in general, is indelibly etched in my mind forever. And seeing those scenes again, in all their theatrical glory, was an amazing and emotional thrill! It was like experiencing the movie for the first time!
The audience is always an integral part of the midnight movie experience, and this time was no exception. The first night they seemed to be on the younger side, and acted somewhat immaturely--laughing at the "dated" '80s look (to me, it's that '80s charm that endears the film so much to me nowadays), "squealing" at The Coreys, and so on. But even so, none of the reactions were really mean spirited, and it was obvious everyone was there to enjoy the movie on one level or another.
The second night ended up being the better night of the two. The wind wasn't blowing quite as hard, and it wasn't as cold. That night I wore the Billy shirt I made, and Monica and Lisa were in their Goth/Glam mode. The crowd was a lot better the second night, too. There were a lot of hard-core fans who expressed their excitement throughout and, on both nights (the second night in particular), Billy's death scene got the biggest crowd reaction--it was a HOOT! It was also obvious the second night that there were some people there who had never seen the movie, and were totally thrilled by it. It was such a great experience to see how everyone reacted, and it was such a superlative and rare opportunity to see this movie again on the big screen, with a bunch of other diehard fans.
And this experience was special for me for another huge reason....This time I
KNEW who "The Dark Haired Vampire" was! Seeing Billy again, in the movie that turned me into a fan of his almost 15 years ago, was simply unbelievable, and I really can't believe how fortunate I am to have had this opportunity. Something that would not have happened if not for Lisa's tenacity, and the unwavering belief we three had that everything would eventually come to pass!
Yes, life is a funny thing--Like how it took two years to get our dream of having The Lost Boys shown for The Mayan's midnight movie series, and how the two nights were over in a blink of an eye. Two years of waiting, and poof!, it was over. A major letdown, for sure! However, it appeared to be quite a success, so perhaps there's a chance it will show again in the future. As we have found out, anything is possible!
And the very fact that I got a chance to relive that incredible hot July afternoon, 15 years later, on a cold February night, is a testament to the fact that sometimes we, the people, are listened to, and if you want something bad enough, and are willing to go the distance, dreams can come true! We're living proof!
Penny--Lost In The Shadows, 2002
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