Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 comedy film about a "Valley Girl" cheerleader (Kristy Swanson) chosen by fate to fight and kill vampires. The film is a light parody which plays on the clichés of typical horror movies. The film also led to a much more popular TV series of the same name, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, which was created and executive produced by screenwriter Joss Whedon. Whedon often detailed how the TV series was a much closer rendering of his vision than the movie, which was compromised by commercial concerns and differences in interpretation. Though the film is now considered a relatively minor chapter in the broader Buffy legacy, it was moderately successful and generally well received at the time of its release.
Cast
- Kristy Swanson as Buffy Summers
- Luke Perry as Oliver Pike
- Donald Sutherland as Merrick Jamison-Smythe
- Rutger Hauer as Lothos
- Paul Reubens as Amilyn
- David Arquette as Benny
- Hilary Swank as Kimberly
Plot
In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.
Blonde, bouncy Buffy Summers (Kristy Swanson) is your typical popular cheerleader at Hemery High School in Los Angeles - her goal is to "marry Christian Slater and die". She is a care-free popular girl whose main concerns are shopping and spending time with her friends. But all that changes when she is approached by a stange man named Merrick, who informs her that she is The Slayer who has been choosen by fate to kill the vampires. Acting as her Watcher, he has been sent to train and guide her. At first she refuses to accept her duties, but eventually sees there is no other way. She admits that she has dreams of past Slayers and reluctantly acknowledges that she is the Chosen One. She runs into Pike (Luke Perry), who is seen as a loser in her school. He becomes the "damsel in distress", being rescued by Buffy many times.
After brief training, she is drawn into conflict with a local vampire king called Lothos (Rutger Hauer), who has killed a number of past Slayers, his sidekick, "Lefty" Amilyn (Paul Reubens), and their determined gang of bloodsuckers. Lothos kills Merrick, giving Buffy the motivation she needs. In a climactic battle set at the senior dance in her high school, Buffy defeats Lothos and his minions by being true to her own contemporary style and ignoring the conventions and limitations of previous Slayers.
Contrary to popular belief Buffy does not burn down the gym at the climax of the film. That element existed in Joss Whedon's original script but was not incorporated into the final production. In the Buffyverse it is his script, not the film, that is considered canon; thus the references in the television program to Buffy having burnt it down.
See Also
The Origin, a "Year One" style comic adaptation bringing it closer into line with the Buffyverse established by the TV series.
Trivia
- Pike, despite being a major character in the film, does not ever appear in the TV series.
- Besides Buffy herself, characters from the film who do go on to appear in the TV series include Merrick, who appears in a flashback in "Becoming", and Buffy's Mom (Candy Clark) & Dad (James Paradise), who both remain nameless in the film. Lothos could also be seen as a possible counterpart to The Master.
- Seth Green appeared as a vampire victim in a deleted scene which nonetheless featured on the original video cover; he would have been the only actor from the movie to appear in the TV series.
- Ben Affleck and Ricky Lake appear in uncredited cameo roles.