‘The Lost Boys’: The comedy horror soundtrack that was crafted before viewing any film footage
For any horror or Halloween enthusiast, there’s a good chance that The Lost Boys is high on the list of favourites. Describing the profound beauty and brilliance of this film can be a daunting task, however, especially given the multitude of aspects to consider. Its aesthetics, for instance, are utterly mesmerising, as is its soundtrack. In fact, when listening to Gerard McMahon and Michael Mainieri’s iconic soundtrack song, it would be fair to assume they had watched the movie numerous times to capture its essence and tonality, but the truth is quite the opposite.
Released in 1987, The Lost Boys is an American supernatural dark comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Jeffrey Boam. The movie features a talented ensemble cast of 1980s icons, including Corey Haim, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, and many others. Its title is a nod to J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, where the Lost Boys never grow up, taking a darker twist in the context of the plot.
The story revolves around Lucy and her two sons, Michael and Sam, as they relocate to a small Californian town. Shortly after their arrival, the boys find themselves entangled in the enigmatic and perilous world of bikers, vampires, and vampire hunters. When the older son is tricked into joining a bloodsucking cult that preys on the town’s residents, Sam allies with two local teenagers to pursue the vampires in a Van Helsing-inspired fashion.
The soundtrack complements the film perfectly. It flawlessly captures the spirit and mood of the film’s gloomy and gritty 1980s depiction with its well-curated selection of songs that includes a mix of rock, pop, and new wave tracks, all of which were popular during the film’s initial release. The tracks are not only catchy but also enhance the themes of rebellion, youth culture, and the supernatural.
Some tracks on the soundtrack have become iconic in their own right. While Echo & the Bunnymen’s cover of ‘People Are Strange’ and INXS’s ‘Good Times’ remain standouts that have contributed to its lofty status, McMahon’s ‘Cry Little Sister’ is the defining theme song and the one often associated with its lasting legacy.
McMahon crafted the tune in a short space of time, explaining that the idea was “brewing in my head with the choir as a chorus backing me”.
He added: “That all seemed to come within half an hour. [Producer] Mike Mainieri had this hypnotic beat, we refined it together and my melody and chords melted right into it. Then I wrote the lyrics within an hour or two [and] recorded the demo.“
Although featured on The Lost Boys soundtrack, the song’s lyrics do not explicitly allude to vampires, given that it was written before McMahon’s exposure to any film footage. Upon listening to the song, director Joel Schumacher made the following remark: “You nailed my theme song to The Lost Boys! I can’t believe you wrote this without seeing a frame of film!“
Evidently, ignorance was the perfect ingredient in the song’s recipe, as McMahon additionally explained: “I always say that if I’d have seen the film first, I would probably not have written ‘Cry Little Sister’. I didn’t want the song to be specific to the vampire. I wanted it to be about the longing for family from a rejected youth’s perspective, which I went through myself and that many of us have felt.“
