Buffy the Vampire Slayer
(I have also written about “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for In Their Own League’s “31 Days of Horror” series for 2019. You can read that here.)
“Well, that’s not quite her. It’s a start, but it’s not quite the girl.”
So sayeth Joss Whedon, the writer of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” in reference to the 1992 film of his creation. Five years later, he found his girl when he brought Buffy to the TV screen with actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, and for seven wonderful seasons on the WB and UPM, the legacy of “Buffy” was restored, and Joss Whedon became a modern day George Lucas, only with fewer death threats from fanboys.
As hard as it is to believe that “Buffy” the show debuted 15 years ago, it’s harder to believe that the movie is 20. It’s very much an artifact of its time, with loopy teen comedy; a teen hearttrob named Luke Perry (from “Beverly Hills 90210”) in a key supporting role; and cult favorite Paul Reubens (aka, Pee Wee Herman) as a vampire. The film was moderately successful and, in a way, paved the way for both the Valley Girl chic of “Clueless” and the self-deprecating horror of “Scream.” Folks, that was all Whedon, and he perfected his formula on television, a formula still finding success in the “Buffy” comic book line, especially the official Seasons Eight and Nine that have picked up where the TV series left off.
All that being said, the “Buffy” movie, directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui (who was a producer on the series, but had little input), has found its place within loyal Whedonites, and watching it for the first time in years, I have to admit…it’s not without its charms. As Buffy, Kristy Swanson finds a way to dig a bit deeper into this shallow character than she’s usually given credit for. I had a chance to listen to her talk about working on the movie a couple of years ago at Dragon*Con, and it gave me a real appreciation for her devotion to the material. And while Whedon is on record about his displeasure with Donald Sutherland’s work as Buffy’s watcher, Merrick, I actually liked his performance, although no one can touch Anthony Stewart Head’s Giles on the stuffy, stuck-up mentor front. And I can’t lie, Luke Perry as Pike, the perpetually in-distress male lead, is enjoyable, and Paul Reubens cracks me up as the vampire minion to Lothos, the humorless vampire played by Rutger Hauer, a FAR cry from Season One’s priceless The Master, played by Mark Metcalf.
Unfortunately, the film is a lackluster effort compared to the peerless TV show it led to. It’s tone is all over the place, and it just doesn’t have the timeless feel of the show, feeling very much as being from a specific time in pop culture history. Still, all the pieces were there for greatness; all it required was a singular artistic vision, and a creator with the confidence of his convictions in executing said vision. It’s funny to think that 20 years after this misstep in the right direction, the film’s writer would have the clout to direct the biggest superhero blockbuster of all-time, and the road to that accomplishment started with one ditzy California girl who found out she could slay vampires. I buy it.
Read my review of TV’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” here.
Read my review of TV’s “Angel,” a spin-off of “Buffy,” here.
