We have an interesting debate set up here because we have arrived at Flatliners, but we have not yet listed The Lost Boys. Both star Keifer Sutherland leading a cast of popular, interesting and/or sexy people from their year, both directed by Joel Schumacher, both thought of as very cool and definitive examples of the style of their time period. Lost Boys was west coast 80s vampires and here the look is post-modern gothic. I looked into the data because we’re not too far away from Lost Boys – less than 100 places – and both films carry a lot of nostalgia for a generation. The question becomes which one holds up best today and why?
There’s a lot of love for The Lost Boys, but Flatliners is the more ambitious production. Though it takes place in the real world, the sets are fantastical, and the lighting designed by Jan de Bont may be the best work of his career. (A career that includes Die Hard and Basic Instinct.) Flatliners has a more ambitious idea, though it also tips into silly saved only by the committed performances and the strong amounts of style. I don’t disagree with Flatliners turning up higher, but having grown up in this time period, I’m a bit surprised to see it.
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