There are no “end credits” at a Broadway show. The credits are in your hand when you enter the theater, often in a playbill. But in a world where Marvel and DC love to tease film fans with surprise scenes at the end of their movie, we can think of no better phrase than “end credits scene” for what happens in the new Broadway musical, The Lost Boys.
What follows is an absolutely massive spoiler for the show, so if you plan to see it—and we highly recommend you do—don’t read any further. Just be sure not to leave the theater before the curtain call ends. But if we’ve piqued your curiosity, and we’re guessing we have, let’s head to Santa Carla and the world of The Lost Boys.
The Lost Boys on Broadway ends very similarly to the 1987 film it’s based on. Michael Emerson kills the vampire David but then realizes he’s not the head vampire. Lucy’s boyfriend, Max, then comes in, and despite the fact that he passed early test, it’s now revealed he is, in fact, the head vampire. Grandpa isn’t in the play, so Max meets his end in a less flashy but more emotionally charged moment, and younger brother Sam gets to say a (slight variation, I think?) on the big final line, “One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach. All the damn vampires.”
There’s a bit more after that here, including a powerful image featuring David and Max, but then the curtain drops. As one might expect, if you’ve ever been to a stage show of any kind, that’s followed by a curtain call. The cast comes out one by one; they bow and gesture to the orchestra. It’s all very by the book. But then, with the entire cast on stage and the audience potentially standing on their feet, all the lights in the theater suddenly go out.
Last chance to avoid spoilers…
Here’s where we have to circle back. The first scene of The Lost Boys is a police officer exploring a dark, creepy underground lair. Eventually, we see the silhouette of a vampire descend upon him before the title of the show is projected onto the curtain to kick things off. It’s an awesome moment.
Then, throughout the show, that officer’s wife pops up from time to time. She’s posting “Missing” posters around the Santa Carla boardwalk and even asks Lucy Emerson if she’s seen her husband. Lucy has not.
And so, when the lights come back up after the curtain call, we see this same woman one more time. She’s now exploring the underground lair from the beginning of the show, which, now having watched the show, we know is the vampire hideout. She’s still looking for her husband, doesn’t find him, but does find an ornate wine bottle and a glass. One we saw earlier in the show. The one that David gives Michael. The woman cautiously picks it up. Thinks about it. And as the curtain comes down again, we see her take a sip of what we know from the show is the blood of David, the vampire.
All the vampires in the show might be dead, but that doesn’t mean vampires are going extinct. They’ll live on forever, and this woman has just become one.
Now, would you drink a glass of wine in an underground lair that could’ve been sitting there for years? Probably not. Do we care? Most definitely not. It’s such a fun, unexpected add-on, not just for the story but also the horror genre itself. Just because the Emersons and Santa Carla are now safe, that doesn’t mean the world is. Vampires are still out there, leaving the show on such a unique, complex note. One that happened with such excitement and surprise, it only elevated the already wonderful show.
And no, we don’t think this is necessarily a setup for The Lost Boys 2: The Musical, following the woman who was looking for her husband. But, if the show becomes a massive hit, never say never, right?
Oh, and we aren’t even sure if the team behind the Broadway show realized this, but The Lost Boys film almost had an end-credit scene in it, too. Ultimately, it didn’t, but a book about the making of the film did reveal that an early iteration of the film teased the immortality of Max the head vampire in a final, post-credit scene. You can read about that here.
The Lost Boys is now playing on Broadway. You can read our full review here and learn more about the show here.
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