Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Fran Rubel Kuzui
Produced by	Howard Rosenman
Written by	Joss Whedon
Starring	Kristy Swanson Donald Sutherland Paul Reubens Rutger Hauer Luke Perry
Music by	Carter Burwell
Cinematography	James Hayman
Editing by	Jill Savitt
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	July 31, 1992 (1992-07-31)
Running time	86 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$7 million
Box office	$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 learns that it is her fate to hunt vampires. The film starred Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer and Luke Perry. The original script for 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 as Buffy. It was a moderate success at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics..

Plot

Buffy Summers (Kristy Swanson) is a stereotypical cheerleader at Hemery High School in Los Angeles. She is a carefree popular girl whose main concerns are shopping and spending time with her friends. While at school one day, she is approached by a man named Merrick Jamison-Smythe (Donald Sutherland). He informs her that she is The Slayer, or chosen one, and he is a Watcher whose duty it is to guide and train her. She initially refuses to believe his claims, but becomes convinced when he is able to describe a recurring dream of hers in great detail. Over the course of her training, she befriends Oliver Pike (Luke Perry), whose best friend has recently become a vampire. Oliver becomes the male equivalent of the traditional "damsel in distress", being rescued by Buffy or Merrick on several occasions. However, their relationship gradually becomes romantic and Oliver becomes her partner in fighting the undead.

After several successful outings, Buffy is drawn into conflict with a local vampire king named Lothos (Rutger Hauer), who has killed a number of past Slayers. Lothos then kills Merrick as well, giving her the motivation she needs to face him in battle. They eventually clash during the middle of the senior dance at Buffy's high school. Through the use of her own unconventional methods, she is able to defeat Lothos and his minions.

Cast

• 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

Continuity with the television show

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 the vampires' and Slayer's abilities are depicted differently. Another good example would be that the signature death of the vampires in the series changed, for in the movie, they simply died like a human, but on the show they would turn to dust. Joss Whedon has expressed his 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."

According to the Official Buffy Watcher's Guide, Whedon wrote the pilot to the TV series as a sequel to his original script, which is why the show makes references to events not occurred in the film. In 1999, Dark Horse Comics released a graphic novel adaptation of Whedon's original script under the title, The Origin. 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 with the series, that was nice, and using the series Merrick and not a certain OTHER thespian who shall remain hated."

Box office

The film debuted at #5 at the box office. The film came to gross a modest $16,624,456 in the North American box office.

Home releases

The film 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. It was released on DVD in the US in 2001 and on BluRay in 2011.

Soundtrack

The cover of the soundtrack of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The soundtrack was released on July 28, 1992.

1. C+C Music Factory featuring Deborah Cooper and Q-Unique – "Keep It Comin' (Dance Till You Can't Dance No More)"
2. Dream Warriors – "Man Smart, Woman Smarter"
3. Matthew Sweet – "Silent City"
4. Susanna Hoffs – "We Close Our Eyes" (originally by Oingo Boingo)
5. Toad the Wet Sprocket – "Little Heaven"
6. diVINYLS – "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore"
7. Ozzy Osbourne – "Party with the Animals"
8. The Cult – "Zap City"
9. Mary's Danish – "I Fought the Law"
10. Rob Halford and Pantera – "Light Comes Out of Black"

The soundtrack does not include every song played in the film, which also included "In the Wind" by War Babies and "Inner Mind" by Eon.

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 film for the big screen. The film would not be a sequel or prequel to the existing film or television franchise and Joss Whedon would have no involvement in the project. None of the characters, cast, or crew from the television series would be featured. Television series executive producer Marti Noxon later reflected that this story might have been produced by the studio in order to frighten Whedon into taking the reins of the project. On November 22, 2010, Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Warner Bros. has picked up the movie rights to the remake. The film is set for release sometime in 2012. 20th Century Fox, who usually holds rights to the more successful Buffy/Angel television franchise, will retain merchandising and some distribution rights.^{[citation needed]}

The idea of the remake caused wrath among fans of the TV series, since Whedon is not involved and the project does not have any connection with the show and will not conform to the continuity maintained with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight and Season Nine comic book titles. Not only the fandom, but the main cast of both Buffy and Angel series expressed disagreement to the report on Twitter and in recent interviews.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2010, it was announced Glee actress Heather Morris is in talks for the lead role in the upcoming film. However, Whit Anderson, screenwriter on the film, indicated that casting hadn't begun. When asked about the rumor during the launch of her endorsement of FLIRT! cosmetics, Morris told Access Hollywood that she was aware of the rumored Buffy role consideration and was excited about it. Though she did not categorically confirm that she was approached to do the reboot, Morris is not opposed to the idea provided that production would not interfere with her Glee duties.^{[citation needed]} The Vampire Diaries cast member Candice Accola also expressed interest, according to an E! Online interview. As a fan of the original film, Accola said she never watched the show, but thinks that the Buffy film is a "fun girl-power thing".^{[citation needed]}

In December 2011, more than a year after the official reboot announcement, the Los Angeles Times site reported that Whit Anderson, the writer picked for the new Buffy movie, had her script rejected by the producers behind the project, and that "a new writer is being sought". Sources also stated that “If you’re going to bring it back, you have to do it right. [Anderson] came in with some great ideas and she had reinvented some of the lore and it was pretty cool but in the end there just wasn’t enough on the page.”

See also

• The Origin, a comic book reinterpretation of the movie script

External links

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer at the Internet Movie Database
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer at AllRovi
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer at Box Office Mojo
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer at Rotten Tomatoes