Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)
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| Buffy The Vampire Slayer | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Fran Rubel Kuzui |
| Produced by | Kaz Kuzui, Howard Rosenman |
| Written by | Joss Whedon |
| Starring | Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens, with Rutger Hauer, and Luke Perry |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | July 31, 1992 |
| Running time | 86 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$7,000,000 |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
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 darker and 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. The film is now considered a relatively minor chapter in the broader Buffy legacy. When the film was first released, it was moderately successful[citation needed] and received mixed reviews from critics.[1]
Tagline: Homework. Cheerleading practice. Killing vampires. No one said high school would be easy.
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[edit] Plot synopsis
Buffy Summers is a popular cheerleader at Hemery High School when she is approached by a man named Merrick. He informs her that she is The Slayer - a young woman born with special strength and skill and a destiny to fight vampires. She admits that she has dreams of past Slayers and eventually accepts that she is one.
After a brief training, she is drawn into conflict with a local vampire king called Lothos, who has killed a number of past Slayers. Lothos kills Merrick. In a climactic battle set at the senior prom, Buffy defeats the vampire and his minions, primarily by being true to her own contemporary style and ignoring the conventions and limitations of previous Slayers. This is an early version of the allegory of female empowerment which would form the cornerstone of later versions of Buffy.
[edit] Cast and crew
- Written by Joss Whedon and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui
- It stars Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Luke Perry, David Arquette and Randall Batinkoff.
- It also features Paul Reubens in a departure from his better known role as Pee-Wee Herman as well as a young Hilary Swank.
- Ben Affleck has a one-line role as a basketball player.
- Ricki Lake has a role as Charlotte the waitress.
[edit] Trivia
- 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.
- The film was adapted into comic format bringing it closer into line with the Buffyverse established by the TV series in The Origin.
- Kristine Sutherland, who plays Buffy's mother in the TV series, ironically took her screen name from Donald Sutherland, star of this movie.
[edit] Continuity
[edit] Canonical issues
The film is not considered Buffyverse canon as built by the later television series. In fact, many of the details given in the film directly contradict canon that would later be established by Whedon's television series. Buffy's history is changed, and both vampires' and the Slayer's abilities are depicted differently. Instead "The Origin", a reinterpretation of the script for this movie, brought in line with continuity from the series is largely regarded as canon. Whedon stated "The origin comic, though I have issues with it, CAN pretty much be accepted as canonical. They did a cool job of combining the movie script (the SCRIPT) with the series, that was nice, and using the series Merrick.." [1]
[edit] Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) |
Buffyverse chronology: Spring 1996 - Spring 1997 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles, summer 1996 | Film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
| Los Angeles, summer 1996 | Buffy graphic novel: The Origin |
| Los Angeles, summer 1996 | Buffy graphic novel: Viva Las Buffy |
| Los Angeles, summer 1996 | Buffy graphic novel: Slayer Interrupted |
| Los Angeles, summer 1996 | Buffy graphic novel: A Stake to the Heart |
| Sunnydale, fall 1996 | B1.00 Unaired Buffy pilot |
| Sunnydale, fall 1996 | B1.01 Welcome to the Hellmouth |
| Sunnydale, fall 1996 | B1.02 The Harvest |
| Sunnydale, fall 1996 | WB Buffy promo: History of the Slayer |
| Sunnydale, fall 1996 | B1.03 Witch |
| Sunnydale, fall 1996 | B1.04 Teacher's Pet |
| Sunnydale, Halloween 1996 | Buffy book: Halloween Rain |
| Sunnydale, 1996/7 | Buffy book: Night of the Living Rerun |
| Sunnydale, 1996/7 | B1.05 Never Kill a Boy on the First Date |
| Sunnydale, 1996/7 | B1.06 The Pack |
| Sunnydale, 1996/7 | B1.07 Angel |
| Sunnydale, 1996/7 | Buffy the Animated Series unaired four-minute pilot |
| Sunnydale, 1996/7 | B1.08 I, Robot... You, Jane |
| Sunnydale, 1996/7 | B1.09 The Puppet Show |
| Sunnydale, 1996/7 | B1.10 Nightmares |
| Sunnydale, 1996/7 | B1.11 Out of Mind, Out of Sight |
| Sunnydale, spring 1997 | B1.12 Prophecy Girl |
| Sunnydale, summer 1997 | Buffy book: Coyote Moon |
| Sunnydale, & L.A., summer 1997 | Buffy anthology book: How I Survived My Summer Vacation |
[edit] VHS and DVD releases
The movie was released on VHS in the U.S. in 1992 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.
[edit] Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on July 28, 1992. Tracklisting follows:
- C&C Music Factory/Deborah Cooper/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"
- 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 - "Light Comes Out of Black"
Additionally, Lothos plays on his violin the theme from 2nd part of Schumann's Piano quintet Es-dur op. 44
[edit] References
- ^ Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992). Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on February 6, 2007.
- Janet Maslin. "She's Hunting Vampires, And on a School Night." The New York Times. July 31, 1992. C8.
