Interview: Author Paul Davis on Celebrating 30 Years of THE LOST BOYS in His New Retrospective Book LOST IN THE SHADOWS

The first time I ever met Paul Davis was at a HorrorHound convention back in 2007. He was there presenting some footage from his amazing documentary, Beware The Moon, a celebration of all things An American Werewolf in London. His passion and enthusiasm for John Landis’ film, as well as for the horror genre as a whole, immediately struck me, and I’ve been following his career in the realms of filmmaking and writing ever since.

His latest literary endeavor, Lost in the Shadows: The Story of The Lost Boys, is currently available for pre-order HERE, and arrives just in time for the 30th anniversary of Joel Schumacher’s landmark horror comedy. Daily Dead recently caught up with Davis to hear more about how Lost in the Shadows came together, his progression from werewolves to vampires, his experiences catching up with the cast and crew of The Lost Boys, and more.

Doing the An American Werewolf in London book seemed like a natural progression for you after doing the Beware The Moon documentary, so I was wondering if there was something in particular about The Lost Boys that you felt was the right movie to dig into for your second book?

Paul Davis: I really didn’t intend to do a second book, if I’m being honest. As you mentioned, regarding the progression from documentary to book with Beware The Moon, there was a convenience element to that. I had already done 80% of the work in 2007. In addition, one of the main reasons I adapted BTM in the first place was to dedicate a book to my late father. He had tried for a long time to get a book published, but didn’t get to do so before he passed away in 2010, so I used BTM as a way of carrying out his dream.

Once I had accomplished that, I really felt no desire to do another one. However, because Beware The Moon did so well, the publishers (Cult Screenings UK) and my fiancée wouldn’t let me rest on my laurels. After months of deliberating, I finally decided that I would do a second book – but originally it was going to be another movie entirely.

It wasn’t until my buddy Tim Anderson invited my fiancée and I to a screening of The Lost Boys that he programmed at the Enzian Theater in Orlando. When the movie started, the sold-out crowd just erupted like a rock show! I got goosebumps, and my fiancée Lydia nudged me and said, “This is your next book.” I had no argument. I was sold on The Lost Boys—a movie that I’ve grown up with and knew I could give the same passion, love, and attention that I did with An American Werewolf in London. Plus, it made sense to jump from werewolves to vampires.

How long was the process for you, from conducting interviews to getting the manuscript itself wrapped up?

Paul Davis: Once I got back to London and told the publishers that they were getting a book on the making-of The Lost Boys (which they were thrilled with), it suddenly dawned on me just how huge this was going to be. In fact, it terrified the crap out of me. BTM was easier because I had established relationships with pretty much everyone over the past ten years, however, on The Lost Boys, no one knew me from Adam.

I started by seeking out contact info for key cast and crew, but purposely didn’t go out to several people until I’d built a foundation—what that really means is that I was putting off starting. That was until I got a phone call, out of the blue, from James Jeremias, the original screenwriter and the guy who came up with the very idea for The Lost Boys back in 1984. I figured it was a good omen that he would be my first interview, and from there I managed to bag over forty interviews with cast and crew members.

Were there challenges along the way that you had to contend with, in terms of getting your materials and interview subjects together?

Paul Davis: There were a couple of people that I had to convince before getting on the phone with them. I think there was probably a genuine concern for my motivations when I first reached out, due to some of the history surrounding key cast members. I made a point of declaring that my interest was solely on the making of the film and that I wasn’t interested in printing trash about anyone 30 years after the fact. In a lot of cases, what happens on set stays on set, and as a filmmaker myself, I can respect that.

Also, in putting together a project like this, I feel as though I have a responsibility not to tarnish people’s memories or enjoyment for these films. Once folks understood that I was genuine, I had no issues at all. Everybody was so kind and accommodating with their time, resulting in some of the best interviews I’ve conducted in my fifteen years of (on and off) movie journalism.

What was the most surprising part of the interview process for this project?

Paul Davis: There wasn’t anything particularly surprising, only that, like BTM, we’ve been able to turn this whole thing around in a crazy short time. My first interview with James Jeremias was on November 1st, 2016, and the last was two days before I handed in the manuscript to the publishers last month. I didn’t actually start writing until February, so to have a finished 255-page book written and designed in that time is just insane to me.

To be fair, I did have to turn into a bit of a vampire while writing. I would start writing every day for five days at 8:00am, work through until 5:00pm, and then do interviews all night. Of course, being in London, all of my interview subjects were in Los Angeles, except for a couple that were in New York, so there were a lot of long days and many late nights.

Unfortunately, there are a few folks involved with The Lost Boys who are no longer with us. How do you plan on commemorating and honoring their legacies in the book?

Paul Davis: I wanted to make sure that key personnel such as Corey Haim, Brooke McCarter, and Ed Herrmann consistently had a voice throughout the story. To do so, I was able to track down many archive interviews from various time periods to include each and every one of them. I even had a couple of old recordings that I had done with Brooke and Corey from 2006 that I was able to use.

For screenwriter Jeffrey Boam (who we lost in 2000), my buddy and fellow author Pat Jankiewicz, had two interviews with him that he kindly let me quote from regarding The Lost Boys. In terms of legacy, I have a tribute to the fallen "lost boys & lost girls" in the acknowledgements, and the book itself is dedicated to Corey Haim. No disrespect to anyone else, but his presence was missed the most on this.

Was there an interview in particular that ended up being your favorite or maybe the most memorable?

Paul Davis: They were all great, but two that really stand out for me are Joel Schumacher and Jason Patric. Joel was just so accommodating (we talked a total of SIX hours) and generous with answering anything that I wanted to know about. Plus, he’s just so funny and witty and a natural storyteller.

Jason was great because I went into his interview expecting to talk to someone who, by his own admission, didn’t even want to do the movie in the first place. However, other than the moments he outright expresses that, I was talking to someone that, regardless of that fact, was so passionate and articulate in every answer he gave me. His insights to his acting process for the role of Michael are fascinating, and I’m sure will please not only fans of The Lost Boys, but aspiring actors who want to learn technique. Jami Gertz was also great, and so was Kiefer [Sutherland].

Corey Feldman was the only interview I did in person. I went to his house in L.A. and he actually gave me a really nice compliment when we wrapped. He told me that in the 30 years he’s been telling Lost Boys stories, our interview was the first time he’d spoken to someone who made him feel like I was there with them.

Can you share your favorite story you heard about from the production on The Lost Boys (or maybe a fun anecdote that doesn’t give things away too much for potential readers)?

Paul Davis: Oh, man. Well, there are tons of fun stories in this. And I mean tons! A few people are pretty open about what they got up to in their downtime at the Holiday Inn they took over in Santa Cruz, and there’s one Tim Cappello story that I’m sure will just enhance his scene in the movie for everyone who reads it. As a filmmaker, I really dig a lot of the technical stuff—shooting the flying scenes and the special effects. Learning how they did the stunt on the rail trestle. That’s all in there and in great detail.

I also loved learning about the dogs from animal trainer William Grisco, who worked on the movie with his dad, Dennis. Someone once said, “You can’t learn anything new about a 30-year-old movie,” and I’m defying that statement with this book.

I know you’re digging into the production, etc. on The Lost Boys for this, but I was wondering if you’re also planning on going into the impact the film had on pop culture as well?

Paul Davis: Oh, absolutely. Not only do some of the cast and crew talk about their experiences after the movie came out, but I also got comments from fans of the movie who went on to do some pretty awesome things themselves, including Eryn Krueger Mekash [makeup designer on American Horror Story], Corin Hardy [director of the forthcoming Conjuring spinoff The Nun], and UK comedian Leigh Francis [best known to Brits as Keith Lemon]. Not only that, but the awesome Matt Bomer (American Horror Story: Hotel, White Collar, Magic Mike) was kind enough to contribute a foreword for the book. As it turns out, The Lost Boys is his favorite movie, so it wasn’t a hard sell to get him to do it.

The cultural impact of The Lost Boys is undeniable, and not just the movie, but the music, too. There’s an entire chapter on the soundtrack alone in which I interviewed G Tom Mac [“Cry Little Sister”] and Timmy Cappello [The Sexy Sax Man]. There’s never been anything like this on the making of The Lost Boys, so I feel proud to be the person to finally get these stories out there for the first time, and give the movie a 30th anniversary celebration that I feel it truly deserves.