Hang With The Lost Boys and Walk on Santa Cruz’s Dark Side
The 1987 teen horror film was shot on location in the laid back coastal town.
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CategoryArts + Culture, Film + TV, Hidden Gems, Sights + Stays
More than three decades after Joel Schumacher’s hit ’80’s flick The Lost Boys made household names of actors Corey Haim, Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland, fans still make the pilgrimage to Santa Cruz, one of the movie’s major shooting locations. Now with the new movie Us, also set in Santa Cruz, generating plenty of buzz, visitors have a new reason to stalk the boardwalk. While we can’t promise any run-ins with teenage vampires, you can still visit many recognizable sites featured prominently on film. Visit California gathered a handful of the most memorable settings:
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
“Extending along the coast of Monterey Bay, this famous oceanfront walkway is home to amusement park rides, shops, and music venues—and it also provided the backdrop for countless scenes in The Lost Boys. The historic Looff Carousel is featured prominently in one of the film’s earliest scenes, when Sutherland’s character and his vampire gang are introduced, while the massive Giant Dipper roller coaster looms large in the background of many nighttime scenes.”
Atlantis Fantasyworld Comic Book Shop
“Haim’s character meets the eccentric Frog Brothers, played by Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander, at this shop, which is actually located in downtown Santa Cruz—not on the boardwalk, as it appears to be in the film. A fixture in Santa Cruz for more than 40 years, Atlantis Fantasyworld relocated after the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 destroyed the original shop, but shop owner Joe Ferrara—who appeared as an extra in The Lost Boys—still runs the store at its Cedar Street location.”
Pogonip Clubhouse
“Exterior shots of the rustic house where Patric and Haim’s characters live with their mother and grandfather actually feature the clubhouse for the Pogonip Country Club. The unique property, located high in the hills above Santa Cruz, was the home of a social club, golf course, and polo club at various points over the years. Although the structure has been unoccupied for decades, it remains a popular landmark for hikers (but hopefully not vampires).”
Get the full tour here.
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