Some horror comedies take a long time before they get their due, criticized upon their initial release only to grow into cult classics. This was not the case with “The Lost Boys,” however. Audiences knew pretty much immediately that they had a quirky little gem on their hands. It stars Corey Haim and Corey Feldman as Sam and Edgar, a pair of teenage would-be vampire hunters who have to act fast to prevent Sam’s older brother from turning into a vampire himself. With a broody nighttime aesthetic and lusty legacy that serves as a perfect counterpoint to the film’s inherent sense of humor, “The Lost Boys” is now regarded as a light-hearted vampire classic, bringing the aristocratic children of the night into a bit of California sunshine.

Advertisement

In the nearly 40 years since its release (sorry if that makes anyone feel like their own bones are turning into dust, but math is math), some of the actors from “The Lost Boys” have gone on to have impressive careers in Hollywood, while others have moved on from acting and a few have, unfortunately, passed away. Here’s where the cast of “The Lost Boys” is now, and what they’ve been doing since they appeared in the spooky teen hit.

Corey Haim was one of the biggest teen stars of the late 1980s, and his leading role in “The Lost Boys” came at the peak of his fame. In it, he plays Sam, whose world is turned upside when, shortly after moving to a beach town with his family, his brother begins exhibiting the unmistakable hallmarks of a vampiric transformation. Together with his new friends, the Frog brothers, he has to destroy the head vampire to have any chance of saving his brother.

Advertisement

Haim and his costar Corey Feldman were a popular duo, and the two appeared in several films together, including the 1988 hit “License to Drive.” Unfortunately, like many teen stars of the ’80s, Haim struggled with drug addiction and went to rehab in 1989. He continued to act sporadically throughout the ’90s and 2000s, although he never again reached the heights of his former stardom. 

In 2007, he and Corey Feldman appeared in the reality series “The Two Coreys,” which gave audiences insight into the lives of the two friends and costars. He also reprised his role as Sam in a direct-to-video follow-up of “The Lost Boys,” “Lost Boys: The Tribe.” In 2010, Corey Haim passed away at the age of 38 — although his cause of death was officially attributed to pulmonary edema, it was also generally considered to be linked to his addiction to prescription pain medication.

Advertisement

Jason Patric and his perfect ’80s hair starred alongside Corey Haim as Michael, the older brother in “The Lost Boys” who finds himself turning into a vampire after hanging out with a crew of bikers. This was only his second film role, after appearing in “Solarbabies” the year before, but he made an impression on audiences, continuing to act to the present day. In the ’90s, he starred alongside Sandra Bullock in “Speed 2: Cruise Control,” taking over from Keanu Reeves in the original film, as well as “Sleepers,” a crime drama from Barry Levinson that also featured Kevin Bacon, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, and Brad Pitt. 

Advertisement

Although he has mainly focused on movies, Patric has also appeared on television several times over the years. In 2016, he played Dr. Theo Yedlin on the sci-fi drama “Wayward Pines,” and in 2025, he took on the recurring role of Detective Tim McKenna on “Law & Order: Organized Crime.” He was seen most recently on the big screen in 2024, first in the slasher film “Terrifier 3” and then in the Sylvester Stallone-led action thriller “Armor.”

Corey Feldman was the other half of the Corey duo, in “The Lost Boys” playing vampire expert Edgar Frog. He meets Sam in a comic book store, and is later the first person Sam turns to when he suspects his big brother of turning into a vampire. By the time he appeared in “The Lost Boys,” he’d already developed a thriving career as a performer, with performances in “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter,” “Gremlins,” “The Goonies,” and “Stand By Me.” From there, he found mutual fame with his frequent costar Corey Haim; the two remained close throughout their lives, although they had their ups and downs along the way.

Advertisement

Feldman has worked steadily over the years, but none of his films as an adult matched the success of his early projects. These days, he’s best known as a vocal advocate for child actors in Hollywood, and has spoken publicly about his experiences with sexual assault within the industry. In 2020, he produced a documentary, “My Truth: The Rape of 2 Coreys,” detailing the sexual abused faced by himself and Corey Haim as teenage actors, although some members of Haim’s family have disputed the claims put forward by the film.

Looking back, it’s kind of wild that Dianne Wiest is in this movie at all. She had just won an Academy Award for her performance in “Hannah and Her Sisters” the year earlier, and then she signed on to play the mom in a vampire horror comedy? But her questionable career decision is our incredible gain, because she’s a delight here as the mother of Sam and Michael, recovering from a divorce and dating a new guy who may or may not be an evil vampire.

Advertisement

Dianne Wiest has had an illustrious career in both film and television since the ’80s. In 1990, she starred alongside Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands,” playing the kind-hearted suburban housewife who invites Edward into her home, as well as getting an Oscar nom for her work in “Parenthood.” Four years later, she earned her second Academy Award for her performance in “Bullets Over Broadway.” Wiest won two Emmy Awards over the course of her career — first for “Avonlea” in 1997, and then for “In Treatment” in 2008. She also acted in popular films such as “The Birdcage,” “Practical Magic,” and “I Am Sam.” Most recently, Wiest had a recurring role on “Mayor of Kingstown” from 2021 to 2023, and starred in the dull psychological thriller “Apartment 7A” opposite Julia Garner.

Advertisement

Kiefer Sutherland is one of the biggest stars to come out of “The Lost Boys,” and its clear why — even in an objectively goofy horror movie where he has limited dialogue, his screen presence makes it obvious that he’s one to watch. He plays David, the malevolent leader of the vampire crew, who almost succeeds in luring Michael into joining his ranks. Sutherland had his breakthrough role the year earlier, when he played the villainous Ace in “Stand By Me,” who torments the central troupe of boys throughout the entire film. 

Advertisement

Some of his most prominent performances in the years that followed came in “A Few Good Men,” “Melancholia,” “Juror #2,” and of course, the lead role of Jack Bauer on 192 episodes of “24.” Coming out in the years of peak anti-terrorist paranoia after September 11th, “24” caught on with audiences both for its subject matter and unique storytelling structure, where each episode covered one high-octane hour in the life of a CTU agent. For this performance, he was nominated for 11 Emmys, winning twice. Sutherland currently has three projects in various stages of production: The comedy “Tinsel Town,” action thriller “Sierra Madre,” and “Stone Cold Fox,” which co-stars Kiernan Shipka.

Although Alex Winter plays Marko, one of the vampire gang in “The Lost Boys,” he’s much more famous for his other massive ’80s hit, “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” where he played aspiring rocker Bill S. Preston. He reprised his role in “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey” (and much later in “Bill and Ted Face the Music”). In 1993, he took a swing at directing with the criminally underrated “Freaked,” an absurdist comedy with an environmentalist message. Although he acted periodically throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he also developed his directorial career, beginning with music videos and eventually branching out into both narrative and documentary films. In recent years, he directed films such as “The Panama Papers,” “Showbiz Kids,” “Zappa,” and “The YouTube Effect.”

Advertisement

Winter has three acting projects currently in production, including a new “Smurfs” film. (And if you were ever wondering if Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are still buds, they’re starring together in a Broadway production of “Waiting for Godot” in Fall 2025.)

Jami Gertz plays Star, the girl who Michael immediately falls for in “The Lost Boys,” only to discover that she’s part of the vampire gang. If you’re a child of the ’90s, you’ll likely recognize her from “Twister,” where she plays Bill Paxton’s fiancé and arguably the only sane person in the entire movie (she’s a therapist, and not someone who chases tornadoes for fun and profit). Her career since then has largely unfolded on television, with starring and recurring turns in shows like “ER,” “Standing Still,” “Ally McBeal,” and “The Neighbors.” Her most recent film appearance came in 2022, when she acted in the Charlie Day/Jenny Slate romantic comedy “I Want You Back.” 

Advertisement

These days, it seems like Gertz is focused on full-time philanthropy and wealth management: She and her husband Tony Ressler have a massive net worth and are co-owners of the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Hawks. Gertz has also lent her name to worthy charities, becoming a member of the board of directors for the Melanoma Research Alliance.

As Dwayne, one of the vampire clique who entrances Michael in “The Lost Boys,” Billy Wirth put in arguably the most memorable performance of his career. He got his start a few years before appearing in the vampire flick with a guest role on the television series “The Equalizer,” and has worked as an actor in the years since. Wirth has had many one-off performances on TV, including apperances on “Tales From the Crypt,” “Charmed,” “Sex and the City,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” and “Godfather of Harlem.” 

Advertisement

Although his career has been more as a working actor than a particularly famous one, you can also find him in films like “Boys on the Side” and “The Ghost Trap.” He’s kept busy: Wirth currently has four projects in production at the moment, and has not just acted but also directed and produced throughout his career. In fact, one of the films he directed, “MacArthur Park,” was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001.

In “The Lost Boys,” Edward Herrmann played Max, the local business owner who starts courting Sam and Michael’s mother — although he may have a few secrets hidden up his sleeve that could make their match a little complicated.  When it comes to Herrmann, the question isn’t “What was he in?” — it’s “What wasn’t he in?” To list his filmography would take more space than we have here, so we’ll limit ourselves to just a few of his most famous projects, which include “Annie,” “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” “Overboard,” “The Aviator,” and “Wonder Woman.” (Although Millennial audiences will likely be most familiar with him from “Gilmore Girls,” where he played Richard Gilmore, Lorelei’s patrician father.) In 1999, he earned an Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his work on “The Practice.”

Advertisement

Sadly, in 2014, he died from brain cancer at the age of 71. His New York Times obituary summed up his range as a performer, writing of him, “Mr. Herrmann could be formidable or friendly, authoritative or milquetoast, insistent or obsequious.”

Barnard Hughes plays Sam and Michael’s grandfather, and he may not have the biggest part, but without a doubt he gets to deliver the best line of “The Lost Boys.” At the end of the film, after the vampires have been vanquished, Grandpa deadpans, “One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach – all the damn vampires.” By the time he appeared in “The Lost Boys,” he was already a veteran of screen and stage, acting in films such as “Midnight Cowboy” and “Tron.” During the ’90s in the wake of his “The Lost Boys” success, his most prominent roles were as Father Maurice in “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit” and Buzz Richman on “Blossom,” a character he played for 52 episodes between 1991 and 1994.

Advertisement

Hughes retired from acting in 2000, with his last performances in the musical fantasy “The Fantasticks” and an episode of the Dick Wolf TV drama “Deadline.” He passed away in 2006, just before his 91st birthday.

When Jamison Newlander was cast in “The Lost Boys” as Alan Frog, the older brother of Corey Feldman’s Edgar Frog, he was about to embark on his first ever feature film performance. He acted in two other projects in quick succession — an episode of “ABC Afterschool Specials” and the 1988 remake of “The Blob,” respectively — and then didn’t have another on-screen credit until 2003. In the interim period, Newlander was obtaining his BFA at New York University and cultivating a career in theater, where he acted on stage and wrote an award-winning play in 1996 called “Remember This.” 

Advertisement

A lifelong friend of Corey Haim and Corey Feldman after their work together on “The Lost Boys,” Newlander collaborated with them in the 2000s, appearing on their reality show “The Two Coreys” as well as the Lifetime film “A Tale of Two Coreys.” In 2008, he reprised his role as Alan Frog for “The Lost Boys: The Tribe,” although his scenes were ultimately cut from the final product. He got the another chance at the role in 2010, when he acted opposite Corey Feldman in “The Lost Boys: The Thirst,” and this time his performance wasn’t scrapped. In 2024, he appeared in the holiday film “Get Him Back for Christmas” as well as “Mr. Manhattan,” both of which aired on the Great American Family network and starred Alexa and Carlos PenaVega.

Advertisement

Brooke McCarter makes quite an impression in “The Lost Boys” as Paul, one of the smirking, mullet-having members of the vampire gang, so it’s a shame that he didn’t have a longer career in Hollywood. Aside from a few music videos and short films, McCarter appeared in just five films and television series between 1986 — when he made his on-screen debut in “Thrashin'” — and his final performance in the 2011 direct-to-video horror film “Emerging Past.” While “The Lost Boys” is without a doubt the star player in his filmography, he was also featured in a 1987 episode of “The Twilight Zone” and a John Belushi biopic, “Wired.”

Advertisement

But although he only acted sporadically, McCarter worked within the industry for many years. An avid musician, he composed scores for “Fast Getaway” — a film that starred his “Lost Boys” co-star Corey Haim — and “Leaves of Green.” As he and Haim became friends on the set of the 1987 vampire film, McCarter ultimately ended up working as his manager in the ’90s. Sadly, McCarter was just 52 when he died of complications from a rare genetic liver disorder in 2015.

Laddie’s not the most formidable member of the vampire gang, but he’s certainly memorable nonetheless. Chance Michael Corbitt was cast in the role as his on-screen debut at the age of 11, and went on to have a thriving career as a child actor in the late ’80s and early ’90s. He was featured in the horror comedy “Pumpkinhead” in 1988 and “The Rocketeer” in 1991. After a three-episode stint on “Baywatch” that ended in 1994, he largely disappeared from Hollywood. 

Advertisement

In 2005, he was seen on the big screen in “Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School,” although his performance was pulled from archival footage of the 1990 short of the same name, which the feature length film was expanding upon. His most recent film appearance was in the 2013 horror film “Hallows’ Eve.” Corbitt hasn’t acted in over a decade, but he occasionally turns up at fan conventions, including the 2024 New Jersey Horror Con, where he confirmed in an interview that he didn’t have any projects in the works.