Before he created Buffy the Vampire Slayer the TV series (starring Sarah Michelle Gellar), Joss Whedon’s idea of a young girl who is chosen to slay vampires was a film script that was made into this 1992 movie. It’s not as good as the series by any means (it co-stars Luke Perry for a start), but there’s still fun to be had as young cheerleader Buffy (Swanson) finds she has to ditch all things vacuous and discover her inner tough girl when she is visited by Merrick (Sutherland). He reveals to her that she is the chosen one, destined to fight the forces of evil, so soon she’s missing cheerleading practice so she can drive stakes through the hearts of fanged creatures of the night.
Desperately silly and lacking in scares (no wonder Whedon made his TV series darker and wittier) but nonetheless tons of fun, this features a tongue-in-cheek performance from Sutherland and a slightly hammy one from Rutger Hauer as the main vampire villain.
Is Buffy The Vampire Slayer suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
This is a teen horror movie, but there is nothing here that should scare the over-15s. There is some violence and staking of vampires, though!
If you like this, why not try: The Lost Boys, The Craft, The Faculty, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Clueless,