I am going to write about something near and dear to my heart, Buffy. I don't know about you but I tend to move from one obsession to another and for several years I turned my attention to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Joss Whedon in general. If, goodness forbid, you are unfamiliar with Buffy allow me to enlighten you: Regular California teenager Buffy Summers discovers she is the chosen one, destined to bring about the end of vampires and evil in general. Now obviously, there is a lot going on outside that short summary but you get the idea, lots of big bad guys, fighting, conflict, love, etc.
My attention was first caught by the original 1992 movie staring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. Although, I wasn't aware of the movie when it was originally released, I love a good cheesy action movie and Buffy was the best! A sweet mix of kung-fu, cheer-leading and witty banter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the epitome of vampire movies (no sparkling allowed). Probably my favorite line and what best sums up the feel of the movie is:
Buffy: I have something that the other girls didn't have.
Merrick (her watcher and teacher): And what might that be, pray?
Buffy: My keen fashion sense!
Merrick: Oh, vampires of the world beware!
Doesn't get better than that. Or so I thought. Until in 1997 Joss Whedon (who wrote the screen play for the 1992 movie) turned Buffy into a TV show! For seven wonderful seasons I laughed, I cried and I screamed with the Scooby Gang (a group of friends that help Buffy battle the evil threatening to destroy Sunnydale). The TV show is definitely darker and less campy than the original movie but it kept a lot of the humor (see the musical episode in the six season). Joss Whedon wrote many of the episodes for the first couple of seasons and then stayed with the show as a producer. He was never afraid to kill a main character (or rip out their eyes, don't even get me started). And the show was so successful it even spawned a spin-off show, Angel, about Buffy's vampire ex-boyfriend with a soul.
Well, the reason I am telling you about the wonderfulness that is Buffy, is that they are remaking the movie. There aren't many details available, except that Joss Whedon, arguably the father of all that is Buffy, will not be involved. This saddens me, and him apparently, and I worry for one of my favorite shows. However, this may be an opportunity for new generations and new watchers to fall in love with Buffy the way I did, and realize that vampires are not all soft and cuddly. If I have enticed you to check out the awesomeness that is Buffy the Vampire Slayer please check out my Buffy list as a place to start!