30 years ago in 1987, a movie was released that now enjoys cult status; The Lost Boys.

Partly due to the story, largely now due to the cast. By 1987, Kiefer Sutherland had done only 6 films prior, and this was the first of many movies to feature ‘the Two Coreys’, Haim and Feldmen. Dianne Wiest as the mum, and veteran actor Barnard Hughes as the hippy weirdo grandpa. I think it also holds a world record for the amount of times ‘Michael’ is said in any movie. Need proof?

What’s often overlooked, or perhaps missed, is the outstanding soundtrack that accompanies this Joel Schumacher vampire comedy.

It peaked at #15 on the US Billboard charts in 1987 and features some well known, and surprise appearances worthy of note.

Let’s start with our home town heroes, INXS, and Jimmy Barnes. Originally they recorded their version of The Easybeats "Good Times" as a way to promote a national tour, but it was so damn good, it took off everywhere and found it’s way onto this soundtrack, and featured in a couple of spots, but this is by far the best cheesy moment in the film.

INXS and Jimmy Barnes team up again to provide the background tunes in a scene where we see the two Corey’s together for the first time, in a comic book store where Corey Haim’s character, Sam, meets the Frog brothers. "Laying Down The Law", written by INXS and Jimmy Barnes, only appeared on the Lost Boys Soundtrack, but it’s a cracker.

Another excellent cover song that’s featured in the opening and closing credits, is Echo and The Bunnymen’s version of The Doors' "People Are Strange". Staying true to the original, it’s a great cover and perfectly fits the vibe of the movie, being a great scene setter for the fictional town of Santa Carla (actually Santa Cruz) and its population of weird looking youths, and, as we will learn - vampires.

Lou Gramm, known for his work in Foreigner and an excellent solo career including the tune "Midnight Blue", also contributed to The Lost Boys soundtrack with a song that is so perfectly ‘80’s hero movie song’ it’s hurts. Check out this fan made clip containing the moments in the movie where the song was featured. If you close your eyes, you can visualise people in stonewash jeans, shoulder pads and perms dancing to this in a discotheque. Beautiful stuff.

The theme song for The Lost Boys is a song called "Cry Little Sister", and it’s orchestration, choir parts, and eerie synth sounds create a dark goth mood that only add to the whole experience. Those that have contributed to the cult status of this film will recognise this in an instant, such is the power and importance of this song to the film. Written by Gerard MacMahon under the pseudonym Gerard McCann, McMahon has said that he "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."

I think these few songs mentioned should whet your appetite for now, and you can check out the soundtrack on Spotify in the player below. But, I should probably mention one more. I remember when I saw this movie, there’s a scene in which an oiled up muscle bound guy is playin his sax and singing a song, I put it down to being a ‘movie band’ like I did when I saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Tough Guys, but ohhhh no no no.. This ain’t no two bit pretend movie person. This oiled up sax playin, dancing, singin, gym junkie is in fact, Tim Capello. A Santa Cruz local (where the film was shot) multi-instrumentalist, composer and vocalist, primarily know for his work in the 80’s and 90’s backing up Tina Turner!
You remember this, right?

He obviously made an impression on the Saturday Night Live writers in an ‘SNL Digital Short’ in which Andy Samberg’s character is cursed by a homeless man on the street, and well, I think you’ll be able to predict the end.. it’s so brilliant.

This is the impact that this movie soundtrack has had, it’s one of the classics from the 80’s, and will instantly transport you back in time, to a simpler time, of no smart phones or world wide web, back to a time when no one thought it was weird that an oiled up muscular shirtless dude in leather pants playing the saxophone and thrusting at a crowd of teenagers was weird.

Get it on iTunes here, or stream on Spotify below...

- Higgo