The final trailer for Sony's marvelous Morbius has risen from its coffin, and from the looks of it, the movie is set to sink its teeth into the superhero movie genre as fans know it. Featuring a living vampire with a hunger for blood, Morbius seems to skew closer to the horror genre. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without a reference to other vampire movies but said homage isn't to the flick that most would expect.
Toward the end of the trailer, there's a direct reference to the Joel Schumacher classic The Lost Boys. The choice of referencing this film over something more obvious is interesting, and it could tie more into the movie's tone. Here's the fang-in-cheek allusion Morbius makes, and what it could mean in the grand scope of the film.
The Lost Boys Is an '80s Vampire Classic
Releasing in 1987, The Lost Boys focuses on the teenager Michael and his younger brother Sam as they and their mom move to California to live with their grandfather. Upon trying to fit in within their new town, Michael inadvertently becomes involved with a gang of rowdy local vampires. Led by the devilish David, these eternal teens wreak havoc on the town unabated, causing several people to go missing without a trace.
Concerned for his brother and mother, Sam decides to take the advice of local vampire hunting comic book shop owners. Unfortunately, his plans to protect his family continue to go awry, leading to an all-out bloodbath at the family home as the town's vampire coven descends upon their prey. A big-time hit in its day, The Lost Boys would launch two sequels, as well as comic book continuations. Given its place as a "modern" vampire franchise, it's no surprise that the film would also be an influence on Morbius.
How Morbius May Draw From The Lost Boys
Toward the end of the latest and last trailer for Sony's upcoming Morbius, Michael Morbius is being interrogated by FBI agents Simon Stroud and Alberto Rodriguez. One of them presents holy water on the table, commenting that his actions were inspired by The Lost Boys. In that film, the young boys taking on the vampire coven arm themselves with water guns filled with the divine liquid and even kill a vampire by knocking him into a holy water-filled bathtub. Of course, it wasn't the first vampire movie to involve holy water as a weakness to the bloodsuckers, but it certainly made it more weaponized than ever.
The Lost Boys was touted as a "comedy," but it was much more of a horror movie with some light subversive and comedic elements. Still, this level of pointing out genre conventions made it something of an early meta-horror movie, and it seems to be a tone and scope that Morbius will also adopt. This might be why the film references it instead of a more obvious film or villainous vampire role like Dracula. Ironically, as a scientific "living vampire" with an origin not dissimilar to The Lizard, holy water and other mystical weapons have zero effect on Jared Leto's Michael Morbius, taking the bite out of anyone trying to stop him with conventional means.
To see what the Sony film takes from The Lost Boys, Morbius will hit theaters on April 1.