Michael Emerson (character)

Last updated
Michael Emerson
The Lost Boys character
Michael (Lost Boys).jpeg
Jason Patric as Michael Emerson in The Lost Boys
First appearance The Lost Boys
Created byJanice Fischer
James Jeremias
Portrayed by Jason Patric
In-universe information
Occupation Half-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]

Contents

Fictional character biography

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

Film

Television

Literature

Development

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

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]

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

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]

Related Research Articles

<i>24</i> (TV series) American television series (2001–2010, 2014)

24 is an American action drama television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for Fox. The series stars Kiefer Sutherland as US counter-terrorist federal agent Jack Bauer. Each season covers 24 consecutive hours in Bauer's life using the real time method of narration. Multiple interrelated plots are featured in each episode, which often include Bauer's contacts in perilous crises. The show premiered on November 6, 2001, and spanned 204 episodes over nine seasons, with the series finale broadcast on July 14, 2014. In addition, the television film 24: Redemption aired between seasons six and seven, on November 23, 2008. 24 is a joint production by Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Sutherland</span> Canadian actor (born 1935)

Donald McNichol Sutherland is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Critics Choice Award. He has been cited as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination. In 2017, he received an Academy Honorary Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiefer Sutherland</span> Canadian actor (born 1966)

Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland is a Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox drama series 24, for which he won an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Satellite Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mullet (haircut)</span> Hairstyle

The mullet is a hairstyle in which the hair is cut shorter at the front, top and sides, but is longer at the back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Patric</span> American actor

Jason Patric is an American film, television and stage actor. He is known for his roles in films such as The Lost Boys, Rush, Sleepers, Geronimo: An American Legend, Your Friends & Neighbors, Narc, The Losers, The Alamo, and Speed 2: Cruise Control. His father was actor/playwright Jason Miller and his maternal grandfather was actor Jackie Gleason.

<i>Flatliners</i> 1990 film by Joel Schumacher

Flatliners is a 1990 American science fiction psychological horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Michael Douglas and Rick Bieber, and written by Peter Filardi. It stars Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon. The film is about five medical students who attempt to find out what lies beyond death by conducting clandestine experiments that produce near-death experiences. The film was shot on the campus of Loyola University Chicago between October 1989 and January 1990, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing in 1990. The film was theatrically released on August 10, 1990, by Columbia Pictures. It grossed $61 million at the box office.

<i>The Lost Boys</i> 1987 American horror film

The Lost Boys is a 1987 American supernatural comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jeremias. The film's ensemble cast includes Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz, Corey Haim, Edward Herrmann, Barnard Hughes, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland and Dianne Wiest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jami Gertz</span> American actress (born 1965)

Jami Beth Gertz is an American actress. Gertz is known for her early roles in the films Crossroads, The Lost Boys, Less than Zero, and Quicksilver, the 1980s TV series Square Pegs and 1996's Twister, as well as for her roles as Judy Miller in the CBS sitcom Still Standing and as Debbie Weaver in the ABC sitcom The Neighbors. Along with her husband Tony Ressler, she is a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association.

Greg Ellis is an English actor.

That Championship Season is a 1972 play by Jason Miller. It was the recipient of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1973 Tony Award for Best Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Miller (playwright)</span> American actor and playwright (1939–2001)

Jason Miller was an American playwright and actor. He won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play for his play That Championship Season, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Father Damien Karras in the 1973 horror film The Exorcist, a role he reprised in The Exorcist III. He later became artistic director of the Scranton Public Theatre in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where That Championship Season was set.

<i>Max Dugan Returns</i> 1983 film by Herbert Ross

Max Dugan Returns is a 1983 American comedy drama film written by Neil Simon and directed by Herbert Ross. It stars Marsha Mason, Jason Robards in the title role, Donald Sutherland, and Matthew Broderick. This also features Donald’s son, Kiefer Sutherland, in his debut.

<i>Lost Boys: The Tribe</i> 2008 film by P. J. Pesce

Lost Boys: The Tribe is a 2008 American black comedy horror film directed by P. J. Pesce, which serves as a sequel to the 1987 film, The Lost Boys. The film stars Tad Hilgenbrink, Angus Sutherland, Autumn Reeser and Corey Feldman.

<i>Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs</i>

Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs is a four-issue comic book mini-series that was released from May to August 2008. It was published by Wildstorm and the story is set between The Lost Boys and Lost Boys: The Tribe.

<i>The Killing Time</i> (film) 1987 American film

The Killing Time is a 1987 American thriller film directed by Rick King, starring Beau Bridges and Kiefer Sutherland. It was Sutherland's first role as a central character in an American film. It also features Kiefer's first wife, Camelia Kath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finn Wolfhard</span> Canadian actor and musician (born 2002)

Finn Wolfhard is a Canadian actor and musician. He is known for playing Mike Wheeler on the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–present). He also played the roles of Richie Tozier in the horror film It (2017) and its sequel It Chapter Two (2019), and has starred in the supernatural film Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). Wolfhard has since made his directorial debut with the comedy short film Night Shifts (2020).

<i>The Lost Boys</i> (franchise) Horror film franchise

The Lost Boys is an American multimedia franchise that began with the 1987 Warner Bros. film The Lost Boys, written by Janice Fischer, James Jeremias, and Jeffrey Boam. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Harvey Bernhard. Starring Corey Haim, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Alex Winter, Jamison Newlander, and Barnard Hughes, the story revolves around two brothers who move to a new town and end up fighting a gang of young vampires. The film was followed by two direct-to-DVD sequels, Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008) and Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010).

David (<i>The Lost Boys</i>) Fictional character

David Powers is a fictional character from the 1987 film The Lost Boys portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland. In the film David is the head of a gang of vampires in the fictional town of Santa Carla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For the Love of Horror</span> Horror fan convention

For the Love of Horror is a fan convention crossed with a haunted attraction held annually in Manchester, UK that celebrates the horror genre in various formats such as horror films, horror fiction, horror comics, horror video games, and horror cosplay which is organised by UK Events company Monopoly Events.

References

  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. 1 2 "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.