Even in 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer seemed like a ridiculous way to cash in on the vampire craze that has been so up and down in American pop culture. A teenage cheerleader being selected to kill vampires and stop the worst of them from killing her and taking control of her town was a plot device that seemed to inspire a great many people and actually became a popular TV show. It seemed like something that a hyped-up teenager might conceive over a massive bong hit or while on a serious drunken binge. But it was made, it was marketed, and somehow it gained a following despite everything. But as hardcore as some of the fans might get there are still a few things were bound to go unknown in favor the mainstream information that’s so readily available.
So here are just a few things to consider about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
10. Rutger Hauer and Donald Sutherland were brought in to give the film some credibility.
Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry were already gaining their own level of fame, but their names weren’t going to sell this type of film all by themselves. So Hauer and Sutherland were brought in to give the film some serious star power.
9. Hillary Swank and Ben Affleck had minor roles in the film.
Swank is one of the ditzy friends of Buffy and Affleck is there and gone after a few seconds. Despite this it was a mark on their resume that gave their careers another needed lift.
8. The director and Sutherland clashed quite a bit.
Donald and the director were constantly at one another suggesting rewrites, trying to sort out what should happen, and finally grating on each other so badly that they had to walk away. Somehow they still got along.
7. Buffy was Joss Whedon’s first screenplay.
Aside from doing a few stints for TV this was Whedon’s first real attempt at a screenplay. It wasn’t horrible, but it could have used a little work.
6. Luke Perry willingly took a supporting role.
This was more out of the desire to not have to shoulder the entire movie and risk it falling apart because he wasn’t fit to hold it up. So really it was more to keep him from looking like a fool.
5. Thanks to Perry’s continued involvement in 90210 the filming had to be extremely rushed.
He was in-between seasons and so cameras had to start rolling within five weeks and be done six weeks later. If it seems a little rushed, this is why.
4. Rutger Hauer’s sidekick was supposed to be female.
Unfortunately no one else could be found so Paul Reubens got the job. I’m sure that little fact made him feel wanted.
3. Seth Green was actually in the film for a few seconds but his part got cut.
Considering that his part was seconds long and he went on to star in the TV show anyway it’s nothing to get too bent out of shape about.
2. Whedon thought the film was too “sunny” and “cheery”.
Whedon actually walked off the set he was so disgusted with the direction. Joss, it was a teenager in high school battling vampires buddy. It wasn’t bound to be like a classic Dracula movie.
1. The movie only made a little under $17 million while it cost $9 million to make.
That definitely puts it at cult status, but no higher. People remember the movie as a basis for the show and that’s about as far as it goes except for diehard fans.
Really, it’s kind of a wonder that this film got made, and even more so that it attracted such a huge fan base when it came to TV. But it was a hit, there’s no doubt of that.
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