Lost Boys: The Thirst

LOST BOYS: THE THIRST

Released in 2010, this third entry in the Lost Boys franchise finds vampire hunter Edgar Frog facing eviction from his modest trailer in California.  A best-selling author (Gwen) offers him a high-paying gig rescuing her brother (Peter) from a vampire pack led by a rave-thrower named DJ X.  She claims that DJ X is the true “head” vampire, the original Alpha bloodsucker.  She also says that DJ X has been distributing an alleged drug (actually vampire blood) called The Thirst at his raves in order to create a massive army of vampires.  With the help of an ally named Zoe and a reality TV star known for wrestling a grizzly bear, Edgar sets out to crash the latest rave thrown by DJ X in an abandoned slaughterhouse.  Edgar hopes that slaying the Alpha vampire will turn his brother Alan back into a normal human (in a prologue set five years before the main action, Alan becomes one of the undead).  This rather short movie runs 77 minutes before the end credits roll.

In terms of special effects, plotting, and overall quality, this film is the best entry in the Lost Boys series thus far.  There are a couple of leaps in logic (Edgar somehow jumps to the conclusion that the vampires plan a sacrifice under a blood moon without any real clues indicating that this is the case).  Despite some minor flaws, The Thirst is a rollicking fun ride with innovative vampire death scenes, plenty of dry humor (the reality TV star continuously refers to Edgar as Toad rather than Frog), and a couple of fight scenes in the climax that rival the best action fare generated by Hollywood in recent years.  My main complaint is that the tale has one twist ending too many, but this is a minor quibble.  I recommend skipping over the first two films in the series and checking out Lost Boys: The Thirst at once.  It’s a stand-alone story with some passing references to incidents and characters from the first two films, but you really don’t need to understand the backstory to enjoy this fine adventure in which a band of eccentric vampire hunters triumph against all odds.  Here’s hoping that future sequels equal or surpass the quality of this movie.