Review by Mari Lynne Rupp
I'm sure I've watched worse sequels. I just can't name them right now. If you're going to do a sequel more than five years after the original is released, (especially one with such a cult following) don't try to be serious. Don't even ATTEMPT serious.
Chris (Tad Hildenbrink) and Nicole Emerson(Autumn Reese) move to Luna Bay to see their thier Aunt Jillian, following the demise of thier parents for a fresh start. They meet up with Shane,(Angus Sutherland) a former surf star who Chris has followed throughout his high school career. Shane befriends them, charms them and neglects to tell them, "Oh, by the way, we're vampires. We'd like to take your sister, hope you don't mind." Ugh.
Watch "Bride of Chucky" or "Freddy vs Jason". It seems the filmmakers took a page from the book of "Dirty Dancing II." Bit of a mistake that.
It starts out promising, (albeit showing a bit too much gore at first. The whole premise of the first one was the hints at supernatural violence, in this one, you're lucky you don't get hit in the face with someone's bloody intestine) but kinda goes down from there. There's quite a few nods to the first (Emerson kids, NOT Star and Michael's kids, but cousins of Michael and Sam, the saxophone player busking in the street,) and the thought of a former Surf Star pursuing immortality in more than the figurative sense...So much could've come of that. Angus Sutherland tries very hard to find his own brand of spooky, but it seems the director wanted a copied version of his older brother, Keifer's performance. He was pretty enough, but didn't get his chance to "shine", I thought. The rest of the "tribe" were sociopathic, hedonistic morons in life, and now are sociopathic hedonistic morons in death. And what's WITH that idiot laugh?? That kid just sounded like a Blue Meanie on crack!! However, this film was not without its redeeming qualities. The "pranking" the boys do to one another was amusing to me and my gore-hound husband, and the Lebowski references were tastefully done. As for content, let me warn you: The great Tiffany Shepis said that for a horror actress to "make it" she had to show her tits. These actresses take that piece of advice very seriously. I hope it pays off for them.
Edgar Frog's entrance is not entirely original, but not cringe-worthy. He still uses that stupid, growly-voice he used in the first one, which is no longer cute. In the first one, the purpose for his talking like that is to show his bravado and machismo, which, we learn later in the film, is entirely a show. He's a big boy now, with many vampire kills under his belt and that kind of false front is no longer necessary. Speak properly, please Corey. The vampires are pretty enough, the kids are vapid enough, but again, this sequel falls short, for taking itself too seriously. With the other late-in-coming sequels, they knew it was going to be campy, with only a small cult-following, so it spoke to the fans. The "Pinhead" reference in "Bride of Chucky" is a wonderful example. Who else but die-hard horror fans (~waves~) would get that? If there'd been a bit more camp, and character development, rather than using the Lost Boys name to promote a pretty-boy-vampire movie, this film might've stood a chance. I don't even mention the Aunt Jillian character, because she doesn't bear mentioning. Bitch is retarted. Grampa would've had her gored, treated and stuffed before she even opened her mouth a second time. As for the infamous Corey Haim cameo, now THAT was tight!! That was worth suffering through the first ninety minutes of the movie! It shows a hint of the sequel that should've been, and that killing a vampire isn't always the end of the story. There's more than one head vampire in the world boys.
It's a shame Haimster couldn't straighten out for more than a brief cameo, but thems the brakes. Any chance of another sequel? No, I'm pretty sure that ship not only sailed but got torpedoed and sunk. Four out of ten, and that's with giving an extra point to the ending.