Santa Cruz Good Times

Corey Feldman opens up about the late Corey Haim, ‘The Lost Boys’ and connecting with fans
If there is one movie made in or associated with Santa Cruz that is probably the most universally recognized and beloved at the same time, it is the 1987 cult classic The Lost Boys. Having sunk its fangs into fans new and old over the course of more than two decades, the film seems to grow in popularity with each passing year and successive generation that grows up watching it.

Three years ago, marking the occasion of the 20th anniversary of its release, the movie was screened on the beach in front of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, two locations that are featured prominently in the course of events in the story—and thousands of people showed up to join the party.

Fans will again be able to celebrate and re-live the slogan “Sleep All Day, Party All Night, It’s Fun To Be A Vampire” on Wednesday night as the Boardwalk presents both a showing of The Lost Boys and a concert featuring actor Corey Feldman’s band Truth Movement.

Feldman, who memorably portrayed Edgar Frog, half of a vampire-hunting pair of brothers in the film, looks back fondly on the making of the movie.

“We loved hanging out at the Boardwalk, we went to the arcade almost every day, we were on the beach almost every day, and the whole experience of being there, every day was a party,” Feldman says.

Feldman was coming off of a string of appearances in hit films such as Gremlins, The Goonies, and Stand By Me, when he starred in The Lost Boys, the first movie in which he worked with the late Corey Haim. The two young actors became life-long friends, and made another seven pictures together—and though they would both later struggle with addiction in their adult lives, Feldman recalls a happy, carefree time when they were working in Santa Cruz.

During downtime between takes, the two would ride their bikes around town, and catch up on some comic book reading while shooting at Atlantis Fantasyworld, which was moonlighting as the comic shop that the Frog Brothers worked at.

When Haim passed away earlier this year, Feldman had planned on helping put together a public memorial for his friend, but that idea was nixed after Haim’s mother requested that it not take place, saying that she couldn’t emotionally deal with it at the time. In some ways, fans have been looking to the event this week as an informal tribute to the actor that they grew up watching, and Feldman is fine with that.

“Corey and I obviously were brothers and it’s been a very difficult year for me,” Feldman says. “That said, doing this event in particular in Santa Cruz, I feel is kind of a fair retribution because of the fact that the public really had a large outcry for a memorial service after he died.

“I think in some way it will organically turn into a very natural memorial for Haim. I even called his mom to see what she thought, so if it does turn into a memorial, I think we’ll all be pleased with that.”

Feldman has been on the road for the last month with his band Truth Movement (which features a Pink Floyd-inspired sound), with the tour including a stop in Astoria, Ore., for a 25th anniversary celebration of The Goonies. The singer and actor says that it’s a unique opportunity to return to some of the places that played a large part in his early career.

“It’s going to be exciting to reconnect with the fans, to be able to experience the town, and bring my music to these people for the first time, and I’m really hoping that I see some old familiar faces in the different stops, people that I remember from my childhood, because that makes it that much more fun,” Feldman says. “To be in a familiar setting with people that you know whose families have grown up for generations following the film, and following the work, it’s kind of going back in time.”

Not content to dwell solely on the successes of the past, however, Feldman says he is always looking forward as well, be it with his band, or with new film roles.

“As you get older, and those films become memories, you focus on the new stuff, and you hope that it’s as successful—so you’re kind of always just chasing the next big dream. That’s what life is about, it’s constantly struggling towards being yourself, or making yourself work harder than you had prior, and getting the results. You can never rest on your laurels and kind of relish in the success of your earlier career; you always have to keep striving to move forward.”

One such new project is the just completed Lost Boys 3, the follow-up to the poorly received straight-to-DVD sequel that was released by Warner Bros. in 2008. Feldman, who was also an executive producer on the film, assures fans that this movie is much better than its predecessor.

“I can’t say too much about what happens, but I will say it is the official return of the Frog Brothers, and certainly it’s a far cry from the last film, where it was pretty much a whole new cast and I popped in for a few minutes here and there,” Feldman says. “It should be exciting, it’s fun, I think people will like it.”

Having starred in a film that has so firmly staked its claim in the hearts of fans in Santa Cruz, Feldman is clearly looking forward to being here, and offers a gracious tone when sharing his recollections.

“While I can’t ever make it my stronghold, I’m grateful that people still remember these films, and I love to take part in the celebrations. It’s an honor.”

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