Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 action-comedy-horror film about "valley girl" cheerleader Buffy (Kristy Swanson) chosen by fate to fight and kill vampires. The movie is a light parody which plays on the clichés of typical horror films. It also led to the darker and much more popular TV series of the same name, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and 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.
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Quotations
Don't think of me as Gary Murray, administrator. Think of me as Gary Murray — party guy.
Hey, you missed practice again today. I think you better sit down and think about how that made me feel.
I have detention slips here, and I'm not afraid to use them!
to horde of vampires attacking the school gym
I think I'll just hang out here. Make sure the sun comes up and everything.
I'm the Chosen One, and I choose to be shopping.
Look — air!
distracting dull-witted vampire henchmen
Encyclopedia
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 action-comedy-horror film about "valley girl" cheerleader Buffy (Kristy Swanson) chosen by fate to fight and kill vampires. The movie is a light parody which plays on the clichés of typical horror films. It also led to the darker and much more popular TV series of the same name, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and 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. The film is now considered a relatively minor chapter in the broader Buffy legacy. When the film was first released, it was moderately successful and received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot
Buffy (Kristy Swanson) is a popular cheerleader at Hemery High School in Los Angeles. She is a care-free popular girl whose main concerns are shopping and spending time with her friends. She is soon approached by a man named Merrick Jamison-Smythe (Donald Sutherland). He informs her that she is The Slayer and he is a Watcher that 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 the male version of the stereotypical "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. 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.
Cast
Continuity
Many of the details given in the film differ from the continuity of the later television series. For example, Buffy's history is dissimilar, and both vampires' and the Slayer's abilities are depicted differently. Joss Whedon has also expressed disapproval with the movie's interpretation of the script, stating "I finally sat down and had written it and somebody had made it into a movie, and I felt like -- well, that's not quite her. It's a start, but it's not quite the girl."
VHS and DVD releases
The movie was released on VHS in the U.S. in 1993 from Fox Video and re-released in 1995 under the "Twentieth Century Fox Selections" banner from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The movie was released on DVD in the U.S. in 2001.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on July 28, 1992.
Track listing
- C+C Music Factory featuring Deborah Cooper and Q-Unique – "Keep It Comin' (Dance Till You Can't Dance No More)"
- Dream Warriors – "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)"
- Matthew Sweet – "Silent City"
- Susanna Hoffs – "We Close Our Eyes" (originally by Oingo Boingo)
- Toad the Wet Sprocket – "Little Heaven"
- The Divinyls – "Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore"
- Ozzy Osbourne – "Party with the Animals"
- The Cult – "Zap City"
- Mary's Danish – "I Fought the Law"
- Rob Halford and Pantera – "Light Comes Out of Black"
The soundtrack does not include every song played in the film. Lothos plays the theme from the 2nd part of Schumann's Piano Quintet Es-dur op. 44, and Buffy sings "Feelings", whilst slaying.
Other songs not on the soundtrack album include:
See also
- The Origin, a comic book reinterpretation of movie script
External links
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