The Lost Boys - The Revised Script
I love film scripts. Not transcripts but shooting scripts. A transcript is the movie written down, the shooting script is the script used in production. I also love early drafts. I wish I could get my eyes on more but I love the ones that I have read. It's fascinating to see the difference between the original idea and the finished work. It's a chance to see what was changed, what worked better in the script, what worked better in the movie and gain a new appreciation for a film.
Differences from the Film
There's a fight between Sam and Michael that was rightfully dropped. It wouldn't have played well in the film. A changed version was included in the deleted scenes.
The motorcycle race is longer.
In the hotel scene, the Lost Boys have more dialogue. One effect of the dialogue is it makes them sound slightly younger than they're portrayed in the film with conversation about parents and rules. Another effect is it slows it down and elaborates on points that don't need elaboration.
The railroad trestle scene is moved to the night after Michael goes to the cave. Instead of going to the railroad trestle after drinking the blood, Michael goes home.
A couple small scenes are removed like Michael trying to lift his barbell and Nanook licking salt from his feet.
Star has a backstory in the film script. She tells Michael she ran away from home and joined the Lost Boys. She also pierces Michael's ear.
Star and Laddie have a scene after the Lost Boys take Michael out to the railroad where they discuss Laddie's memories of his family.
Michael visiting Star in the cave is different. There are flashbacks.
Scene 133 where Sam consults with Alan and Edgar is on the beach and not in the comic book shop. Much of the dialogue is the same but it's slightly different because of the setting at the beach.
The individual attack at the car of the "Surf Nazi" and his girlfriend, who in the final film ripped off some comics from the Frog Brothers, isn't in the script. The Surf Nazis all get wiped out on the beach.
Before they enter the collapsed hotel, Michael asks Sam to protect Star instead of asking him to not enter the collapsed hotel. I think the change was good because it's a nice character moment to have Michael worried about his little brother and Sam say he'll protect his big brother.
There's a brief moment during the Frog Brothers and Sam's search for the Lost Boys where they come across a bunch of skeletons of people that died in the earthquake that collapsed the hotel. It both doesn't really make sense and reminds me Goonies where it did make sense so I'm glad they dropped that.
None of the Lost Boys get staked at the hotel.
There are several differences in the conflict with the Lost Boys at the Emerson house. Michael owns a hunting bow and shoots Dwayne in the neck with an arrow. Dwayne isn't described as being staked. He dies with electrical flare but he vanishes and no stereo. Paul "vanishes" into the tub.
Marko, the first to die in the film, works with David to attack Michael and Sam. Michael takes on David. Marko separates Sam by dragging him into the kitchen.
Edgar and Alan decide to kill Star and Laddie. Sam isn't present and the decision is very deliberate. It's a jerk move and undermined them as heroes because they're talking about murdering two people who haven't done anything to them or anyone.
Everything with Marko following the hotel is different because he was killed there in the film. Marko has a long serpent tongue to clean his face. I kind of wish I could have seen that in the style of special fx in the film. It's a really weird mental image.
The garlic works in the script. There's a line in the film where a vampire says it doesn't work. But it's Marko's downfall in the script. He blows up like Thunder in Big Trouble in Little China.
The dynamics of David and Michael's fight is a little weird. But following Marko's death in the kitchen, David flies Sam upstairs and traps him with the Frog Brothers, Star and Laddie in Michael's bathroom using an elaborate power that's not established previously. He creates flames around the doors and windows. David does this to have a one on one fight with Michael. Except, all of his friends have just been killed and he wanted revenge. I'm just rewriting it in my brain but it's because it doesn't ring true in my brain that David would stop the fight after Michael lost consciousness. The scene's set up for Star to embrace her vampire nature to help Michael. But nothing really comes of this because they're cured so soon after.
Max's death is slightly different. Lucy pushes him. Michael isn't involved. Grandpa still "drives" the stake.
There's a post credits scene making it clear there are other vampires. The ending line was perfect in the final film.
Thoughts
There are parts that were streamlined for the film and work very well. I think the majority of those changes were for the betterment of the film.
Little details like Star resisting tasting a drop of Michael's blood while piercing his ear makes sense but they're not missed. It would actually be a little outside the style of the film. It would have required very close shots to communicate the idea.
The changes to Star's role in the events puts the relationship between Sam and Michael at the center of the film. Michael overcomes David through his sense of self and not because of a girl he likes. It's an improvement.
The script is good, the film is better. The script is worth the read.
There are a few sections that made me laugh especially at the end with the way the vampires died. I do not know how the special effects artists would have pulled some of them off. But it's easier to write something than execute. They did fantastic work the way the explosions went.
Max disappears into a vortex that sucks things in and the theorist and troper and writing part of my brain can't help but think about the implications of that on the rules of their universe.
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