David Powers is a fictional character from the 1987 film ''

The Lost Boys ''The Lost Boys'' is a 1987 American supernatural black comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jeremia ...

'' portrayed by

Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a British-Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox drama series '' 24'' (2001–2010, 2014), for which he won an Emmy Award, a Golden Glo ...

. In the film David is the head of a gang of vampires in the fictional town of Santa Carla. The character and Sutherland's performance were well received upon the film's release, and David has gone on to become regarded as an iconic villain in popular culture, having inspired the depiction of vampires both in style as well as characterization since. Analysis of his personality and psychology range from focus on his status as an eternal youth, gang leader, and murderer, and his implied homoerotic tendencies.

Appearances

Film

David is the head of a gang of vampires in the fictional town of Santa Carla. Max, the head vampire of Santa Carla, tries to find a "mother" for David and the rest of the gang in order to curb their wayward behavior. Sutherland has stated that David's hairstyle was inspired by British punk rock icon

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

Literature

David appears in the same role in the 1980s

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of the film.

Comics

David appears in the comic '' Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs'' and in 2016's ''

''.

Television

In 2020 it was announced that a television series based on the character and the rest of the vampire gang is in production at

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, focusing on the gang of vampires at different points in history. Dakota Shapiro was cast in the role for the first pilot, but was replaced with

Lincoln Younes Lincoln Younes (born 31 January 1992) is an Australian actor. He made his debut in an episode of ''City Homicide'' in 2009, before playing Romeo Kovac in Showcase drama series ''Tangle'' until 2012. He received the ASTRA Award for Most Outstand ...

and the character renamed "Benjamin" for the second pilot.

Fictional character biography

Not much is known about David's life before becoming a vampire. He was sired by Max and went on to create his own gang of subordinates (Paul Harris, Dwayne Stephens, and Marko Thompson). They take up residence in the underground remnants of a long-destroyed luxury hotel. The audience is introduced to David through the eyes of

Michael Emerson Michael Emerson (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor who is best known for his roles as serial killer William Hinks on ''The Practice'', Benjamin Linus on ''Lost'', Zep Hindle in the first ''Saw'' film, Cayden James on ''Arrow'', and H ...

, and Michael's fascination with a half-vampire named Star, whom David appears to be in a relationship with. Michael is provoked by David into participating in a dangerous motorcycle race. Michael is then lured back to David's lair where he undergoes an initiation, unknowingly drinks blood, and becomes a vampire. David takes Michael to a group of Surf Nazis at a bonfire, hoping to prompt him into killing. Michael however returns home to his brother, Sam, who has become friends with a pair of vampire hunters, Edgar and Alan Frog. Michael leads Sam, Edgar, and Alan to the vampire lair during the daytime while they are sleeping, and kill Marko. The group escapes. The vampires attack the vampire hunters at Sam's house, leading to the deaths of Paul and Dwayne. David and Michael face off, which ends with David being impaled on deer antlers.

Reception

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'' described David's appearance as stereotypical of late-1980s

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. Film critic Colin Houlson stated that Sutherland "is moody and seductively scary as David". Tori Danielle wrote in ''iHorror'' that David is both edgy and sympathetic, since the essential evils he commits are forced on him by his nature.

Analysis

Jeffrey Weinstock expressed in his book ''The Vampire Film: Undead Cinema'' that David (much like many male vampire characters) is a gender stereotype of a male, always performing and trying to "

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" as a human, and in David's case almost to the point of parody.

Homoerotic interpretation

David, and particularly his interactions with the character Michael, has been read as homoerotic. Sutherland has nodded to these themes, remarking that the "whole scene where I catch ichaelin the fog coming off the bridge ... I mean, it's a very sensual moment!" Harry Benshoff in his book ''Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film'' states that with his bleach-blond hair, stubble, earrings and leather attire David appears as a gay pin-up model. He interprets the film as the story of the "normal" teen Michael being seduced by David's lifestyle. Psychoanalyst Trevor C. Pederson describes David's attempts at recruiting Michael as "obsessive", noting that David even requests that Michael join him even after Michael and his friends have killed all of David's fellow vampires.

Legacy

The image of David showing his fangs for the first time was used for the cover of John Kenneth Muir's ''Horror Films of the 1980s'' and ''The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead'' by J Gordon Melton.

Joss Whedon Joseph Hill Whedon (; born June 23, 1964) is an American filmmaker, composer, and comic book writer. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions, co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of several television series: ...

has expressed that the character

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on the television series ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

'' was inspired by David. The character became the eponymous vampire to people of the generation the film came out. This can be observed in a meme where he is seen killing the character

Edward Cullen Edward Cullen (né Edward Anthony Masen, Jr.) is a character in the ''Twilight'' book series by Stephenie Meyer. He is featured in the novels ''Twilight'', ''New Moon'', ''Eclipse'' and ''Breaking Dawn'', and their corresponding film adaptat ...

from the ''

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'' series, reflecting the

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of vampire fans who feel characters like Edward have "ruined" what was once cool about vampires to audiences, which David stood for.Jess Peacock; ''Such a Dark Thing: Theology of the Vampire Narrative in Popular Culture'' - page: 91

In popular culture

David's character was spoofed on the television show ''

Bloopers A blooper is a short clip from a film or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or news report, usually in terms o ...

'' after the release of the film.Television Horror Movie Hosts: 68 Vampires, Mad Scientists and Other Denizens of the Late-Night Airwaves Examined and Interviewed
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