Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie was quite something else

Kristy Swanson as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) movie was quite something else. I’m honestly at a loss for words when trying to describe this early ’90s popcorn flick that has not aged well at all. Haha… Yes, the lead actress, Kristy Swanson, who played Buffy, is beautiful; she had a promising career ahead of her, but beyond her classic early ’90s looks, there’s not much for her to do if the material she was given wasn’t what she wanted, as she revealed in interviews years later.

But that was how things were in the ’90s; if you starred in a promising film from a major studio, you would take the role and do what was asked as a professional. But that’s neither here nor there now, because if a movie has little to redeem it, the best approach is to try to appreciate it for what it’s worth.

Speaking of which, the reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (series) is currently under active development, with Sarah Michelle Gellar and other original cast members making a return. That got me thinking about the 1992 movie—I’ve never seen it all the way through, only bits and pieces when it aired on a movie channel when I was a kid. So, yesterday, I finally watched it, and, boy, let me tell you, it sucks! Haha….

And since I’m from the ’90s, for me to say that about a film from that decade, under the pop culture umbrella, means I’m not taking sides but being honest and real with you. Honestly, don’t try to watch this in one sitting because the campiness is overwhelming, and it’s cheesy as hell. It’s best to watch it every 30 minutes, take a break, then resume—call it a viewing marathon, I guess. Haha…

If something’s this bad, at least try to have fun with it instead of getting upset. On the bright side, what Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the 1992 movie, really shows is a glimpse into the past—the era of flannel, big hair, and grunge. You also had a resurgence of vampire movies in Hollywood at that time. Logically, the movie should have done well at the box office and with viewers, but it flopped and didn’t make much of a strong impression at all.

You might wonder if it was timing, but that probably wasn’t it—the vampire craze was still alive then. The casting was decent, too—Kristy Swanson, Luke Perry (from Beverly Hills, 90210), Donald Sutherland (multi-awarded actor), and Paul Reubens (yes, Pee-wee Herman himself)—but it still wasn’t enough to save it at the box office. Visually, the film looked sleek and polished, comparable to other big-budget popcorn movies from that era, but the acting was merely “so-so.”

It was hard to really dive into the scenes, dialogue, or story when the performances seemed rehearsed rather than natural. Still, given the movie’s supernatural theme, you can’t blame the actors too much for that—they likely didn’t take it too seriously, considering what they were a part of. Personally, I prefer the ‘Valley Girl’ style depiction of Buffy here more than the one in the TV series that came five years later. Atmosphere-wise, it matched Buffy’s origins before she became the Slayer.

That’s because the writer of the 1992 film, Joss Whedon, is the same guy who went on to create the series and, eventually, became involved in the MCU. His imagination, creativity, and writing as a comic book writer at the time made the Buffy television series what it was, but it’s also true that the movie depiction of Buffy that he wrote five years earlier was nearly unbearable to watch straight through. Haha…. I guess he learned from his mistakes and made the necessary changes to bring Buffy the Vampire Slayer back to life on the small screen, which did happen five years after the film’s release.

The only qualities Whedon kept from the film for the series were the banter, dialogue, and humor—though toned down—giving the series a darker, more serious, and more fleshed-out tone. To clarify: if it weren’t for the movie, there would be no television series. In a way, the 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer film was a prototype—an initial attempt to see if Buffy could work as a movie property and possibly spawn sequels. We know how that turned out.

The key point is, if there had been no 1992 film, there wouldn’t be Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy on television, and certainly no reboot coming. The film was a test—taking risks and trying to gauge potential. Almost like a “crash test dummy”! Haha…. Despite failing to impress critics and moviegoers, what executives saw was potential—something better could come from this, and once they ironed out the flaws, they could develop it into a multi-season television property. And you know what? We all know how that turned out: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (series), starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, became a pop culture hit and now an iconic series.

Although I still wish they had gotten Kristy Swanson again to reprise Buffy because this could have, should have, and most likely should have been the kind wherein she could have excelled, given that they got things in order and the potential unleashed. Then, the history of pop culture when it comes to Buffy the Vampire Slayer would have been the best it could have been.

Oh, by the way, before I forget, try to watch the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) movie in one sitting if you dare! Haha….