Before the Cult TV Show, the Buffy Movie Proved How Fun Slaying Monsters Can Be

Buffy the Vampire Slayer may soon make a TV comeback with Sarah Michelle Gellar—and the cult-classic series will always be the most beloved version of Buffy’s story. But in 1992, five years prior to fans becoming obsessed with Sunnydale and the Scoobies, a different version of Buffy’s story hit the big screen. The same broad strokes are there; the script is by (now-disgraced) Buffy series creator Joss Whedon, and it follows a chipper blonde named Buffy saving the world from monsters. But it’s got a flavor all its own, and it remains both a time capsule of 1990s teen culture as well as a surprisingly timeless story. You already know from the perfectly descriptive title, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer has more than a few elements of satire stuffed into its storytelling. It opens with a preface set during “Europe: The Dark Ages” that establishes the mythology we’ll be working with here: throughout history, watchers train slayers uniquely equipped to battle the blood-sucking forces of evil— ... Read full article.