Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)
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| Buffy The Vampire Slayer | |
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Fran Rubel Kuzui |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Howard Rosenman |
| Written by | Joss Whedon |
| Starring | Kristy Swanson Donald Sutherland Paul Reubens with Rutger Hauer and Luke Perry |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
| Cinematography | James Hayman |
| Editing by | Jill Savitt |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | July 31, 1992 |
| Running time | 86 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7 million |
| Gross revenue | $16,624,456 |
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 American action/comedy/horror film about a "valley girl" cheerleader named Buffy (Kristy Swanson) who was guided by fate to fight and kill vampires. The movie is a light parody which plays on the clichés of typical horror films. The film was written by Joss Whedon who later created the darker and more acclaimed TV series of the same name starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Whedon often detailed how the TV series was truer to his vision than the movie, which was compromised by commercial interests and differences in interpretation. The film is now considered a relatively minor chapter in the broader Buffy legacy. The film was moderately successful[1] and received mixed reviews from critics.[2]
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[edit] 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 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.
[edit] Casting
- Kristy Swanson as Buffy Summers
- Donald Sutherland as Merrick Jamison-Smythe
- Paul Reubens as Amilyn
- Rutger Hauer as Lothos
- Luke Perry as Oliver Pike
- Hilary Swank as Kimberly Hannah
- David Arquette as Benny Jacks
- Stephen Root as Gary Murray
- Natasha Gregson Wagner as Cassandra
- Tom Jane as Zeph
- Candy Clark as Mrs. Summers
- Randall Batinkoff as Jeffrey
- Ben Affleck (uncredited) as Basketball Player #10
- Ricki Lake (uncredited) as Charlotte
[edit] 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[3], 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."[4]
[edit] 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.
[edit] Soundtrack
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The soundtrack was released on July 28, 1992.
[edit] 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:
- "In The Wind" by War Babies
- "Inner Mind" by Eon
[edit] Remake
On May 25, 2009, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment were working with Fran Rubel Kuzui and Kaz Kuzui on a re-envisioning or relaunch of the Buffy movie for the big screen. The movie would not be a sequel or prequel to the existing movie or television franchise and Joss Whedon would have no involvement in the project. None of the cast or characters from the television series would be featured. [5]
[edit] See also
- List of American films of 1992
- The Origin, a comic book reinterpretation of the movie script
[edit] References
- ^ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=buffythevampireslayer.htm. Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
- ^ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buffy_the_vampire_slayer/. Retrieved on February 6 2007.
- ^ Bronze VIP Archive - January 17, 1999
- ^ Ervin-Gore, Shawna, "Dark Horse; Joss Whedon" darkhorse.com (2001).
- ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i666afabc28491e6a2f12dfb80c0f7098
[edit] External links
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