One of us

Throughout history the Vampire has always infected some part of story cannon. First surfacing in Eastern Europe around the late 1400’s, when disease was running rampant and the first twinkles of modern science were just being caught in the eyes of scholars, the idea of the sick and dying coming back to life to prey on the living was terrifying. To live by superstition of this degree is such a strange concept to us today, but back then it was the explanation to every aspect of life. Around the same time a group of Eastern European explorers had come to South America and discovered a species of bats who “flew like birds but attacked like beasts”. Once news of these bats had made their way back to Europe, mass hysteria set in. Part folk lore and part natural science the idea of the Vampire has resurrected century after century. It wasn’t until 1897, however, when Bram Stroker wrote his novel Dracula that vampires became these debonair creatures of the night that they are today.

When thinking about the vampire in the cannon of horror history they have often been the display of repressed sexual desire and the other, things we would not dare to partake in or think of! But over the last 30 something years the ideas of the vampire have taken on a whole new life of their own, rose from the grave, if you will, to talk about the other in more empathetic ways. Starting with Joel Schumacher’s 1987 film The Lost Boys we see a distinctive shift from the idea of high aristocrats luring young women from their beds to a more grounded idea of what immortality and to be a misfit is. We often see vampires represented in gothic clothing, high status symbols of wealth. Always adorned with long draping cloaks, high collars, ornate embroidery, and yards of silk tailored suits. But what we get from The Lost Boys is this new vision of what the vampire is.

Designed by Susan Becker, the clothing used in this film is expertly curated to not fear the boys but to want to emulate them, and dare I say be attracted to them. These are our MTV villains, and brought horror into a realm of mainstream that it hadn’t seen prior to this. Taking inspiration from J.M Barries Peter Pan, a story of lost children who when they run away to Neverland never grow up, and the counterculture of the day, what Susan is bringing to us are these everyday characters who we can see ourselves in. Bold prints, a plethora of incredible leather jackets, and some of the most beautiful gypsy skirts I’ve ever seen. But it does ask who are the lost boys? We are to assume that David (Keifer Sutherland) and his band of vamps patrolling the boardwalk with beautiful Star (Jamie Gertz) and Laddie (Chance Michael Corbit) are the ones who are lost. With no parents, no curfew, and no seeming drive, the idea of not “contributing to society” sent shockwaves through 80’s screens. But what if it is Michael (Jason Patric) and younger brother Sam (Corey Haim) who are the lost ones. The idea of a traditional family structure is being challenged, after recently divorced mom Lucy (Dianne Wiest) moves back in with her father (Barnard Hughes) in the fictional town of Santa Carla to restart her life. Which in the 80’s the ideas of traditional “family values” felt threatened by the social progressive movements of the decade prior. What we see however is a mother who loves her sons very much, and two brothers who have each other’s backs no matter the cost. You don’t need a “traditional” family to find love and support. With the rise of the punk movement and threat of Satanic Panic in the late 80’s, the costuming devices add empathy to those attracted to the dark. You do feel the rebellious nature from David and his gang, but there are underlying thoughts of not belonging, and longing for the life that Michael and Sam have. That just because someone wears dark colors, has piercings, and lives a lifestyle different from your own does not devoid them from feeling and wanting to belong.

On the lighter side this film brings some comedic moments that I believe shine even brighter with the use of the costuming choices. Take Edgar and Allen Frogg (Corey Fieldman and Jamison Newlander), two quirky brothers whose parents own the local comic book shop where they work. The solid color tee shirts and camo pants/jackets, with bandana hair ties, reminds me a lot of the trope you see in 80’s films of the man who has served in Nam now older who is a little off his rocker. Sam as well lives in this colorful world of bright prints, and neon trends of the day, and when you see Michael start to become consumed by the gang, he becomes dull when compared next to Sam.

This film set in motion the vampire into a new era of film. Through the Buffy series and What We Do in the Shadows, we see these new incarnations of what it means to be a bloodsucker. No film so perfectly captures the idea of the infiltrating other then Oz Rodriguez’s first feature Vampires vs. the Bronx. Which tells the story of three teen boys who uncover a hoard of vampires who are disguising themselves as a real estate company to take over and gentrify the neighborhood. As a New Yorker this film has tons of hometown heart, but I have firsthand witnessed what gentrification can do to minority majority communities. It destroys cultural establishments and small businesses that families have had through generations and have worked hard to uphold. The vampire narrative is such a clever frame to structure a story about metaphorical “blood sucking” that is done by capitalism.

Jill Bream did an excellent job at very distinctly associating each group of regular people living in the neighborhood and the vampires. She’s using the inspiration from gothic literature, to show the age of the vamps by bringing in those fashion trends into modern cuts. Long sweeping cape coats, perfectly tailored trousers and the use of black and white as this clean other worldly color contrast to the kids and families in the neighborhood. The story takes place in the summer, and if you haven’t been to this part of New York around that time, let me tell you it is stifling. Manhattan, and Long Island are islands, the Bronx is a peninsula, and while we are surrounded by water which makes for some temperate cross breezes, we are in a humid climate zone and the city especially gets little to no relief from it as the buildings trap all the heat in. The kids are in comfy pieces, light and colorful. They are fun and typical of kids today. The adults in their world have homages to pieces that have become cultural staple looks. Like Tony (Joel 'The Kid Mero' Martinez) who is shown wearing a light tank with a cabana style button down on top but kept open. Very much the style and trends on island like the Dominican Republic where it is understood Tony is from. These light pieces are made for hot humid climates and give the wearer movement.  

Because the neighborhood dwellers garments are less structured when they are confronted with the vampires, the vamps become stuffy and very out of place from their world. It is no wonder why when the kids first encounter Vivian (Sarah Gadon) that they ask her if she is lost. One of my favorite pieces is Rita’s (Coco Jones) white cotton eyelet dress we see her in for the remainder of the film. Innocent and light, this piece reminded me of a less elaborate version of the traditional Haitian Karabela dress. While this dress is all white, and not blue and red like the dresses typically are, the cut and fit are taken right from a Haitian celebration. The blend of the different Hispanic and Black cultures in this film, allow the colors in the costumes to come through. While these are typical western garments being worn, we are shown the diversity of the people who live here. By contrast when you gentrify you are getting a lot of the same upscale thing with no room for those colors. I thought this film had a beautiful and subtle way of showing kids, especially because this film is a gateway horror film, the importance of family and community. Working together to keep the community thriving. While this utopian idea of working as a community doesn’t fully stop gentrification, that is something that needs to be explored and dismantled on a lot of different levels, it did bring a new fresh perspective to a horror trope that has lived in our lore for centuries.