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Keep in mind that the original "Lost Boys" was released over twenty years ago. Why on Earth would anyone feel the need to film a sequel to a moderately successful horror film that last saw movie screens two decades ago? Beats the hell out of me. I really think the only reason the film was made was to capitalize on the recent re-emergence of both Corey Feldman and Corey Haim. I cannot think of another explanation. Whatever the reason, the result is the latest in a long line of high profile direct-to-DVD releases, "Lost Boys: The Tribe".
The film opens with a group of surf bums on the beach. They are greeted by the owner of a large mansion, and he is played by Tom Savini. I don't really understand what happens next, i.e. who's a vampire and why some people are killing others. It didn't make much sense. Then, we see our two lead characters, Chris (Tad Hilgenbrink) and Nicole (Autumn Reeser), brother and sister who have moved in with their aunt because they are broke and still reeling from the death of their parents. At a party, Nicole is lured by Shane (Angus Sutherland), a former professional surfer turned bloodsucker. He turns Nicole into a half vampire. When Chris realizes this, he enlists the assistance of Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman), who knows his way around a stake and some garlic. They concoct a plan for Chris to blend in with the group of vampire surfers and then spring their trap. Why? Because the only way to save his sister is to kill the head vampire before she has a chance to kill.
Believe it or not -- this film was not as awful as it should have been. What made the original film so memorable was the sly sense of humor that was creeping underneath the surface throughout. It also helped to have amazing comedic and dramatic actors like Barnard Hughes, Dianne Wiest and Edward Hermann. "The Tribe" wears its humor on its sleeve. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not. The gore level is also amped up quite a bit here, with guts and heads and all sorts of gooey depravity. I suppose this was done to keep the film in step with all the other torture porn and ridiculous schlock that is out there these days. The opening sequence with Tom Savini was pretty neat, but I don't know what purpose it had in the film. The sequence that comes during the end credits was also neat, but I don't know what the significance of that was either. I guess I just had a problem that all of this backstory that had occurred between the first film and this one was just casually mentioned and then passed like it didn't mean anything. To a huge fan of the original film, it definitely meant something to me.
As for performances, oddly enough, the most entertaining one comes from Corey Feldman. He actually makes the whole movie worthwhile. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed watching him on screen. He was such an intricate part of my childhood -- and lots of other childhoods -- it's nice to see him back working solid again. Tad Hilgenbrink is woefully miscast here. He's not a strong actor, and although he's pretty to look at, you just can't shake the feeling that he's a little out of his element. Angus Sutherland was stunt casting, through and through. He's not a strong actor either and he just kind of broods his way through everything. He certainly doesn't have the charisma his brother had from the first film. And, yes, as you can already tell from the credits, Corey Haim does appear in the film, but I am not going to tell you where or why.
So, "The Tribe" was bad? Yes. But it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I think the intentions were good and I think they did try something...they just didn't succeed. There are some humorous parts to the film, and Corey Feldman is the only reason I am giving it as high a score as I am. It would be worth watching just to see him reprise one of his most entertaining roles. Otherwise, this one bites. 5/10.
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![Lost Boys: The Tribe [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ugg92qiZL._SL75_.jpg "Lost Boys: The Tribe [Blu-ray]")
