RIP The Lost Boy – Corey Haim: 1971-2010
I am a huge Corey Haim fan. Have been ever since I saw him in Joel Schumacher’s cult classic The Lost Boys (1987) when I was eight years old. Haim’s hilarious portrayal of Jason Patric’s younger brother was, for me, one of the highlights.
The witty banter and palpable chemistry between him and future frequent co-star Corey Feldman proved a massive hit with fans worldwide and helped contribute to Lost Boys’ fanboy status. The duo’s appeal lasted well over 20 years, and for a few heady years seemed unstoppable – the two Coreys would star in no less than eight movies together…
Who can forget the crazy capers of Sam Emerson (Haim) and the Frog Brothers (Feldman and Jamison Newlander) as they teamed up to thwart the threat of Santa Monica’s band of teenage vampires led by Kiefer Sutherland?
The soundtrack to the movie was exceptional. Virtually every song can be recognised as a piece of the jigsaw that made The Lost Boys so good. The dialogue was also top notch; my mates and I are still, to this day, still reeling off classic lines such as Haim’s “Death by stereo” after dispatching one of the vampire crew, or “My own brother, a god damn shit-sucking vampire! You wait til Mom finds out buddy!” after realising Michael (Patric) has no reflection in the mirror. His comic timing, even at this young age, is perfect. There’s too much to be said about why The Lost Boys is brilliant, to the point where I would end up going off topic.
This piece is about Corey Haim, The Haimster, and his tragic death of a drug overdose at 38. So I will mention two other movies that fans of horror Haim will appreciate. Although neither are as good as The Lost Boys, both deserve a nod to mark my respect to Haim and his career.
Watchers (1988) saw Haim play Travis Cornell – a teenager forced to pal up with a super-intelligent dog to destroy a monster created by a government experiment gone awry. Sound bad? Yep. Sound like a cliche? Yep. But is it any good? Yes. It has that unmistakable 80’s flair and sense of self-importance that helps it work. It’s no classic, by any stretch of the imagination, but a bloody good romp that showcases some fun gore, action and the old almost-forgotten classic trick of not seeing the monster until near the end of the movie! Directed by Jon Hess in an adaption of a Dean R Koontz novel, I recommend checking this bad boy out.
Moving on to the far superior Daniel Attias directed Silver Bullet (1985), an adaption of Cycle of the Werewolf, a short story by Dean R Koontz’s rival, Stephen King. For me, Silver Bullet is to werewolf movies what The Lost Boys is to vampire movies. How fitting that both should star my movie idol. Haim is brilliant. Playing wheelchair-bound lad Marty Coslaw, he has the task of convincing his sister Jane and Uncle Red (Gary Busey!) that their small town has fallen prey to a werewolf, before they become the next victims. I love this movie with a burning passion. Haim’s performance is staggering, nailing the cute, vulnerable, but brave and gutsy role perfectly. The relationship with Uncle Red is remarkably conceived – touching to the point where you just couldn’t bear it if anything happened to either. (Did I mention this movie is pretty damn scary in places and super intense?)
If you guys inexplicably don’t have a copy of these Haim classics lying around to watch in honour of my fallen hero – click on the links, grab all three, and join me in a salute to a true 80’s legend.
Corey Haim, an exceptional talent. My childhood and adulthood idol.
RIP Haimster
- morganonyx
Morganonyx is a massive fan of stuff
