In 1992, I saw this movie twice at the theater, bought the VHS, and later added it to my DVD collection. As a freshman in high school, I was first merely infatuated with the beautiful Kristy Swanson. I went on to tirelessly rent all of her other mediocre at-best, and more often horrid, flicks (The Chase being the one exception. I stand beside it as a decent movie as well). Now some eleven years later looking back, having an M.A. in English with a thesis containing a large section devoted to vampires, I don't have that same adolescent preoccupation with Swanson, but I do still defend my position that this movie is a lot deeper than the initial surface look.
I did try to watch the series that it spawned, but--and I know I will anger some close friends, including the director of my blessed Master's thesis, in saying this--it just doesn't compare to the original movie. What I've seen of the wildly popular TV series tries to take the subject at hand far too seriously. I mean, come on, how serious can a show be when the heroine is named Buffy. The reason the movie works is because it is supposed to be viewed tongue-in-cheek.
Aside from hosting later Oscar-winners Hillary Swank and Ben Affleck, it also serves as a very effective parody of the vampire and overall horror movie genre. There are some genuinely funny moments in the movie, and if one delves just a bit below the surface, he/she will see that there is a deeper message at work. Vampirism in this movie serves as a metaphor to all the ills of society, and, not unlike the culture of 1992, and even today, many people, especially the "popular crowd" and budding debutantes refuse to acknowledge that there is any larger issue in the world than their own little meaningless concerns of fashion and popularity. Just as the planners of the dance have no clue as to what a socially conscious theme should ensconce, they also take little notice of the current trend of classmates being found mutilated with drained blood (refer to the "Yellow leather jacket" scene for a good dose of dark humor and to further my point).
As for the performances, Swanson really takes the spotlight away from Luke Perry, who at the time was sizzling with his role of Dylan on 90210. She is well cast as a ditzy slayer, though I doubt she could do much more. Her less-than-stellar follow up career has been disgusting as best, though I once thought she might actually have the talent to become a budding Hollywood starlet. Sutherland shines in his brief role as Merrick, slayer trainer. Rip Torn is initially funny as the guidance counselor (love the whole "it's drugs, isn't it?" routine), though at the end his role delivers of the most unfunny lines of the script (the horrible "detention" gag and the "Well, I saw Platoon" line as the credits scroll). And, of course, I cannot forget Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman) in his first role, I believe, after the whole "Adult Theater" scandal. His character provides some of the greatest humor, and I must admit his death scene still makes me chuckle after all these years.
At any rate, the long of the short of it is, the TV show has corrupted most people's initial view of the movie. One has to remember when approaching this that it is not meant to be a serious drama like the series. It is a parody, an over-the-top spoof of the vacuousness and self-absorbed malady that was sweeping over the youth of 1992. Many of the TV fans were not yet ripe enough to remember just how Reagan-esque we still were in this era. As a child coming of age in this time, I related, and I understood. Those of my generation will, no doubt, also. Times have changed drastically, but remembering that turbid time in my life, when puberty, raging hormones, and the incessant search for acceptance were my all-consuming motives, I can look back at this movie and appreciate it. Sure, it is a product of its time and the later generation might not fully understand it, but I do not know off-hand of another movie that means quite as much to me at the ripe old age of 26 as this one did. It is more than a movie; it is a Rosetta Stone with which I can measure my formative years, and, for that reason among others, I have developed an appreciation for this much-maligned flick.
I did try to watch the series that it spawned, but--and I know I will anger some close friends, including the director of my blessed Master's thesis, in saying this--it just doesn't compare to the original movie. What I've seen of the wildly popular TV series tries to take the subject at hand far too seriously. I mean, come on, how serious can a show be when the heroine is named Buffy. The reason the movie works is because it is supposed to be viewed tongue-in-cheek.
Aside from hosting later Oscar-winners Hillary Swank and Ben Affleck, it also serves as a very effective parody of the vampire and overall horror movie genre. There are some genuinely funny moments in the movie, and if one delves just a bit below the surface, he/she will see that there is a deeper message at work. Vampirism in this movie serves as a metaphor to all the ills of society, and, not unlike the culture of 1992, and even today, many people, especially the "popular crowd" and budding debutantes refuse to acknowledge that there is any larger issue in the world than their own little meaningless concerns of fashion and popularity. Just as the planners of the dance have no clue as to what a socially conscious theme should ensconce, they also take little notice of the current trend of classmates being found mutilated with drained blood (refer to the "Yellow leather jacket" scene for a good dose of dark humor and to further my point).
As for the performances, Swanson really takes the spotlight away from Luke Perry, who at the time was sizzling with his role of Dylan on 90210. She is well cast as a ditzy slayer, though I doubt she could do much more. Her less-than-stellar follow up career has been disgusting as best, though I once thought she might actually have the talent to become a budding Hollywood starlet. Sutherland shines in his brief role as Merrick, slayer trainer. Rip Torn is initially funny as the guidance counselor (love the whole "it's drugs, isn't it?" routine), though at the end his role delivers of the most unfunny lines of the script (the horrible "detention" gag and the "Well, I saw Platoon" line as the credits scroll). And, of course, I cannot forget Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman) in his first role, I believe, after the whole "Adult Theater" scandal. His character provides some of the greatest humor, and I must admit his death scene still makes me chuckle after all these years.
At any rate, the long of the short of it is, the TV show has corrupted most people's initial view of the movie. One has to remember when approaching this that it is not meant to be a serious drama like the series. It is a parody, an over-the-top spoof of the vacuousness and self-absorbed malady that was sweeping over the youth of 1992. Many of the TV fans were not yet ripe enough to remember just how Reagan-esque we still were in this era. As a child coming of age in this time, I related, and I understood. Those of my generation will, no doubt, also. Times have changed drastically, but remembering that turbid time in my life, when puberty, raging hormones, and the incessant search for acceptance were my all-consuming motives, I can look back at this movie and appreciate it. Sure, it is a product of its time and the later generation might not fully understand it, but I do not know off-hand of another movie that means quite as much to me at the ripe old age of 26 as this one did. It is more than a movie; it is a Rosetta Stone with which I can measure my formative years, and, for that reason among others, I have developed an appreciation for this much-maligned flick.