Michael Emerson (character)

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For the actor, see Michael Emerson.
Michael Emerson
The Lost Boys character
Jason Patric as Michael Emerson in The Lost Boys
First appearanceThe Lost Boys
Created byJanice Fischer
James Jeremias
Portrayed byJason Patric
In-universe information
OccupationHalf-Vampire
FamilyLucy Emerson (mother)
Sam Emerson (brother)
Chris Emerson (cousin; film sequel only)
Nicole Emerson (cousin; film sequel only)

Michael Emerson is a fictional character and main protagonist of the 1987 film The Lost Boys portrayed by Jason Patric. Michael moves to Santa Carla, California from Phoenix, Arizona with his mother Lucy and brother Sam. During his time in Santa Carla, he becomes involved with a biker gang who are revealed to have been vampires and is turned by their charismatic leader, David Powers.[1][2][3]

Fictional character biography[edit]

Michael Emerson is the son of Lucy Emerson (Dianne Wiest) and the older brother to Sam (Corey Haim). He is seen as being a relatively quiet teenager interested in fitness and motorcycles. He moves from his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona to Santa Carla, California after his mother's divorce. While there, Michael becomes infatuated with a girl named Star (Jami Gertz), who appears to be in a relationship with David Powers (Kiefer Sutherland). David challenges Michael to a deadly motorcycle race, which Michael loses, and invites him back to their hangout. While at their hangout, David taunts Michael before eventually offering him wine, which was really blood, turning him into a half-vampire. David and his gang hang off of the underside of an elevated train before each individually falling off. Eventually, Michael loses his grip and falls, waking up in his own bed.

Michael's newfound abilities eventually manifest themselves when he begins reacting negatively to sunlight, constantly wearing sunglasses and one night begins flying around the house. He confides in his brother Sam to help him, as Sam had recently befriended self-proclaimed vampire hunters, Edgar and Alan Frog (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander). Michael has another encounter with David where David attempts to persuade Michael into killing. Michael instead watches in horror and fear as David and his gang massacre a group of Surf Nazis. Michael returns home where he comes across Star, who reveals that she too is a half-vampire and Michael was intended to be her first victim, turning her into a fully-fledged vampire. After this, Michael leads Sam, Edgar and Alan to David's lair, where they rescue Star and another half-vampire Laddie (Chance Michael Corbitt), and end up successfully killing one vampire in Marko (Alex Winter). The group barely escape with their lives and only do so due to David's hand coming into contact with sunlight.

That evening, Michael, Sam, Edgar and Alan prepare to defend themselves, Star and Laddie from David and the other two remaining vampires. This results in the deaths of the other two vampires (Brooke McCarter and Billy Wirth) leading to a final confrontation between Michael and David, which ends with Michael impaling David on a set of deer antlers. After seemingly killing David, Michael and Star notice that their vampiric abilities are still present. It is then revealed that Max (Edward Herrmann), a seemingly innocent video store owner who was romantically interested in Lucy, is the true head vampire who had David turn Michael in hopes of getting Lucy to become a mother to the vampires. Michael's grandfather (Barnard Hughes) then stakes Max with his tractor, freeing Michael, Star and Laddie from their vampirism.[4][5][6]

Other appearances[edit]

Film[edit]

Television[edit]

  • In 2019, The CW began work on a reboot television series based on The Lost Boys. Michael was set to appear, this time played by Tyler Posey and the series would follow he and his brother Sam (played by Rio Mangini) moving to their Mother's childhood home Santa Carla after the sudden death of their father.[7] A pilot was filmed however the project was not picked up. In 2020, development of the project continued however Michael was written out and replaced by the character Garrett, played by Branden Cook. This new series synopsis removed references to the original film such as the seaside town name of Santa Carla and the lead vampire being David.[8] Again, a pilot was filmed but the series was not picked up.

Literature[edit]

  • Michael appears in the comic book series Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs which is intended to be a prelude to Lost Boys: The Tribe. Here, Michael and Star are being hunted by a resurrected David for revenge on killing his brothers.
  • Michael reappears in the comic book sequel The Lost Boys which disregards the straight to DVD sequels and Reign of Frogs as canon. Instead, it picks up directly after the first film and follows Michael protecting Star from her vampiric sisters - The Blood Belles.[9]

Development[edit]

In the original screenplay of the film, written by James Jeremias and Janice Fischer, the story was originally meant to be modelled after initial director Richard Donner's recent hit, The Goonies. This was later changed when Joel Schumacher and Jeffrey Boam came aboard. According to Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric had a hand in changing the film's tone. Sutherland elaborated on this at a convention stating: "Jason had a large part to do with that, [he] was really instrumental in kind of, changing, working with Joel on the script, sometimes in a nice way, sometimes not so nice."[10] Ben Stiller had also auditioned for a role in the movie, but while Stiller hasn't explicitly stated which role, many fans have been led to believe that Stiller was up for the role of Michael, before it went to Jason Patric, who had initially turned the role down.[11][12] Patric was cast early on in production, and eventually convinced Schumacher to cast Jami Gertz as Star, having worked together previously in Solarbabies.[13]

Reception[edit]

While not much is known about his personality, Michael's encounters with David and the character's restrained and vulnerable portrayal by Jason Patric were highly praised. The dynamic and tension between actors Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland were also a point of critical acclaim.[14][15][16][17][18][19] The character has also been interpreted to have carried homoerotic themes throughout the screenplay, due to the attraction he carried toward David and the vampire gang. Kiefer Sutherland, who played David, has commented on the possible homoeroticism in the film, describing an encounter between David and Michael as "sensual".[17] Cat LaFuente from The List commented on the undertones stating, "Then there are the vampire boys, who all sleep in the same room and do everything together. Could it be, perhaps, that their leather-forward outfits hint at an interest in the underground gay culture of the 1980s? They all drank David's bodily fluids, after all, so it's not out of the realm of possibility. And why are none of them hooking up with Star, the only woman who's ever around? That would certainly explain the dramatic tension between David and Michael."[20] Some viewers have interpreted that the undertones included in the film were a result of director Joel Schumacher, who is an openly gay man in real life.[21][22][23][24][25]

In popular culture[edit]

The character has been referenced multiple times in popular culture. The scene in the film featuring the character's initiation by David where he turns noodles into worms was parodied in the Taika Waititi's 2014 parody film What We Do In The Shadows.[26] The character has also gotten a "Funko Pop!" figurine based on the character, as well as an action figure by the National Entertainment Collectables Association.[27][28][29][30] The character's notability has also been recognised as one of the most memorable things from the film, with some fans even mocking the fact that the character's name is said a grand total of 114 times throughout the film's 98 minute runtime.[31] Michael also re-appears in the 2016 The Lost Boys sequel comic series of the same name published by Vertigo Comics.[32]

Comparisons to Billy Hargrove from Stranger Things[edit]

There are many references and homages to Michael Emerson throughout the hit Netflix streaming show Stranger Things through the character of Billy Hargrove, played by Australian actor Dacre Montgomery. The character was modelled after Jason Patric's look in the film, to the extent of adopting the lone earring Michael wore in the film. Hargrove has also been noted for the similarity between him and Michael, both being new punk kids in a small town, as well as Billy's struggle not to become consumed by The Mind Flayer, noting similarities between Michael's fight against his newly discovered vampirism. Ironically, Billy Hargrove has also been compared to that of Kiefer Sutherland as well, notably the characters of David and Ace Merrill from Stand by Me. In the comparisons to David, the character of Steve Harrington (portrayed by Joe Keery) is instead used as the example of Michael, due in parts to Billy's attitude and Steve's reluctance to give in to Billy. The adversary relationship between Billy and Steve played a prominent role in the show's second season, which led to many fans noticing the similarities between the relationship of David and Michael to that of Billy and Steve.[33][34][35][36][37][38][39]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "How The Lost Boys Made Vampires Cool Again". CBR. 2019-08-25. Archived from the original on 2019-09-14. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  2. ^ "The Lost Boys 30 Years Later: It's Still Fun To Be A Vampire". BirthMoviesDeath. 2017-07-28. Archived from the original on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2019-09-21.
  3. ^ "'The Lost Boys' turns 25: a list of 25 great things about the vampire flick". The Washington Post. 2012-07-31. Archived from the original on 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2019-09-21.
  4. ^ Wilson, Amy Williams (September 18, 2018). The Bite, the Breast and the Blood: Why Modern Vampire Stories Suck Us In. McFarland. ISBN 9781476666136 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Phd, Jay Stevenson (2009-01-21). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vampires: Fascinating Vampire Lore from Eastern Europe, Greece, Italy, and the Middle East. ISBN 9781101020012.
  6. ^ Bacon, Simon (2011). "Lost Boys: The Infernal Youth of the Cinematic Teenage Vampire". Thymos: Journal of Boyhood Studies. 5 (2). doi:10.3149/thy.0501.138.
  7. ^ "'Lost Boys': Tyler Posey, Kiele Sanchez, Medalion Rahimi & Dakota Shapiro Star, Catherine Hardwicke to Direct CW Pilot". 21 February 2019.
  8. ^ "'The Lost Boys': Branden Cook, Lincoln Younes & Ruby Cruz to Star in the CW Reboot Pilot". 27 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Lost Boys Comic Plot Gives Fans a Proper Sequel". Screen Rant. 15 July 2019.
  10. ^ "The Lost Boys Panel - Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland" – via www.youtube.com.
  11. ^ "20 Crazy Details Behind The Making Of The Lost Boys". Screen Rant. 2018-08-07. Archived from the original on 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  12. ^ Oliver Lyttelton (2012-08-01). "5 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Lost Boys' On Its 25th Anniversary". indiewire.com. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  13. ^ The Lost Boys: A Retrospective (dvd). Warner Home Videos. 2004.
  14. ^ "'Lost Boys' Stars Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland & Corey Feldman 32 Years After Teen Horror Classic". Inquisitr. 2019-05-06. Archived from the original on 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  15. ^ "How The Lost Boys Brought Goth Out Of The Shadows". Kerrang. 2019-07-31. Archived from the original on 2019-08-23. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  16. ^ "'The Lost Boys' Had A Significant Impact On The Vampire Genre". Hypable. 2018-08-31. Archived from the original on 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  17. ^ a b "The Lost Boys' Subtly Radical Vision Of Family". The Atlantic. 2017-08-02. Archived from the original on 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  18. ^ "20 Crazy Details Behind The Making Of The Lost Boys". ScreenRant. 2018-08-07. Archived from the original on 2019-09-21. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  19. ^ "Looking Back At 'The Lost Boys,' The Best Comedy-Horror Vampire Film 1987 Had To Offer". Tech Times. 2015-10-30. Archived from the original on 2018-08-11. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  20. ^ LaFuente, Cat (9 November 2017). "Things about The Lost Boys you only notice as an adult". The List. Archived from the original on 2019-12-24. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  21. ^ Eloise, Marianne (2017-08-07). "The Camp, Creepy Appeal of 'The Lost Boys'". Vice. Archived from the original on 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  22. ^ Benshoff, Harry M. (September 30, 1997). Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9780719044724 – via Google Books.
  23. ^ Fhlainn, Sorcha Ní (September 30, 2019). Postmodern Vampires: Film, Fiction, and Popular Culture. Springer. ISBN 9781137583772 – via Google Books.
  24. ^ Baker, David; Green, Stephanie; Stasiewicz-Bieńkowska, Agnieszka (November 14, 2017). Hospitality, Rape and Consent in Vampire Popular Culture: Letting the Wrong One In. Springer. ISBN 9783319627823 – via Google Books.
  25. ^ Pollard, Tom (February 25, 2016). Loving Vampires: Our Undead Obsession. McFarland. ISBN 9780786497782 – via Google Books.
  26. ^ Rob Hunter (July 20, 2015). "32 Things We Learned From the What We Do In the Shadows Commentary". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  27. ^ "Funko 2019 Pop! lineup to add 'The Lost Boys'". UPI. 2018-06-12. Archived from the original on 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  28. ^ "The Lost Boys Get the Funko Pop! Treatment". MovieWeb. 2018-06-15. Archived from the original on 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  29. ^ "Michael - The Lost Boys Figure - Neca - Cult Classics 6". Archived from the original on 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2019-12-31 – via Amazon.
  30. ^ Earth, Entertainment. "The Lost Boys Action Figure Set - NECA - Lost Boys - Action Figures at Entertainment Earth Item Archive". entertainmentearth.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  31. ^ "Ever Notice How Many Times They Say "Michael" In 'The Lost Boys'?!". Bloody Disgusting. 2016-08-28. Archived from the original on 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  32. ^ Seeley, Tim (October 12, 2016). "The Lost Boys (2016-) #1". Vertigo – via Google Books.
  33. ^ "Everything to Watch After Bingeing 'Stranger Things' Season 3". Moviefone. 2019-07-04. Archived from the original on 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  34. ^ "Stranger Things' Billy is a Kiefer Sutherland riddle wrapped in a Rob Lowe enigma". The AV Club. 2017-10-30. Archived from the original on 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  35. ^ "The 11 Most Important Pop Culture References in 'Stranger Things 3'". Thrillist. 2019-07-08. Archived from the original on 2019-08-03. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  36. ^ "How 'Stranger Things 3' Humanizes Billy, According To Dacre Montgomery". Bustle. 2019-07-08. Archived from the original on 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  37. ^ "We're watching the new season of 'Stranger Things'". The AV Club. 2017-10-27. Archived from the original on 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  38. ^ "15 films to help cure your post 'Stranger Things' blues". KUTV. 2019-07-07. Archived from the original on 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  39. ^ "All the '80s references you might've missed in 'Stranger Things 2'". Mashable. 2017-11-01. Archived from the original on 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
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