Buffy the Vampire Slayer may soon make a TV comeback with Sarah Michelle Gellarand the cult-classic series will always be the most beloved version of Buffys story. But in 1992, five years prior to fans becoming obsessed with Sunnydale and the Scoobies, a different version of Buffys story hit the big screen. The same broad strokes are there; the script is by (now-disgraced) Buffy series creator Joss Whedon, and it follows a chipper blonde named Buffy saving the world from monsters. But its got a flavor all its own, and it remains both a time capsule of 1990s teen culture as well as a surprisingly timeless story. You already know from the perfectly descriptive title, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer has more than a few elements of satire stuffed into its storytelling. It opens with a preface set during Europe: The Dark Ages that establishes the mythology well be working with here: throughout history, watchers train slayers uniquely equipped to battle the blood-sucking forces of eviluntil the slayer dies, and the next is chosen, and the process starts anew. A close-up of the slayers wooden stake cuts to a shot of a cheerleader shaking her pom-poms at a high-school basketball game, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer is off. We probably dont need it, but its amusing anyway to be informed that this is Southern California: The Lite Ages. Whedon may have penned the screenplay, but Buffy was directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, and its not hard to imagine that having a woman behind the camera helped inform the movies approach to its central character, as well as her friend group. When we first meet them, the girls (Kristy Swanson as Buffy; Michele Abrams as Jennifer; Paris Vaughan as Nicki; and a pre-fame Hilary Swank as Kimberly) come across as superficial airheads, shopping together at the mall and using slang that still fits even a decade after Valley Girl, a movie that Buffy tips its hat to in multiple ways. But we soon see theres a ruthless competitiveness lurking just below the surface; their interactions are often catty to the point of being mean-spirited, and you can sense early on theres not much loyalty in this little tribe. That theme becomes even more overt when Buffy meets Merrick (Donald Sutherland), the watcher to her slayera man who couldnt be more out of place in the Lite Ages, and who squelches his very reasonable doubts about Buffy being capable of fulfilling her destiny and devotes himself to helping her succeed. 20th Century Studios Merrick has no choice but to stay on his missionits his destiny too, a fact we learn in a heartbreaking speech that makes you glad Sutherland signed on for this one and brought all his gravitas alongand Buffy soon warms to his strange man. The fact that her friends are toxic, her boyfriend is a giant jock stereotype, and her parents couldnt be more checked-out (Stay away from the jag is how her dad bids farewell when they scamper off on their latest getaway), means that shes secretly grateful someone is taking her seriously for once. Buffys self-actualization expands when she meets Pike (Luke Perry, delightfully cast against type as a burnout at the height of his hunky Beverly Hills, 90210 fame), who puts aside his own mixed feelings about Buffy once he gets to know her. (That he witnesses her incredible vampire-staking reflexes only increases his admiration.) In turn, Buffy puts aside her own initial judgment of Pike as a grimy loser, and realizes how refreshing it is to be noticed for more than just her good looks. You want this odd couplethe popular cheerleader and the weirdoto get together, but the movie doesnt rush into getting there. Their relationship does cement itself after subverting two high-school movie tropes, however: a makeover sequence (his), and a high-school dance (hers, overrun by a plague of hungry fang-bangers). And speaking of vampires, Buffy the Vampire Slayers most campy delights come with Rutger Hauer as big bad Lothos, and Paul Reubens (post-Pee-wees Playhouse, and just post his tabloid-sensation arrest) as his oily underling. The biggest problem Buffy has are the plot holes surrounding its confusing and underbaked loreLothos meets the slayer and its no big deal, but its game over if he learns her name? Why doesnt he just kill her on his first opportunity rather than holding back because she is not ready?but if you dont think about it too much, its easy enough to put those aside and simply enjoy the performances. 20th Century Studios Though Buffy the Vampire Slayer is very much a product of 1992the fashions, the music, the lack of cell phonesits a story that could fit into nearly any decade. The TV show, which ran from 1997-2003 and is poised for a comeback over 20 years later, made that clear, but these are evergreen themes: an unlikely hero who rises from an even more unlikely place, a supernatural threat that only this chosen one can vanquish. A mismatched romance that works in spite of itself. A mentor and a student drawing strength and knowledge from each other. While Swansons political views have become more notable than her acting roles lately, and Perry, Reubens, Hauer, and Sutherland have all passed on, the main factor that makes Buffy feel dated are the faces you see pop up in the smaller parts: Hilary Swank, already mentioned, laying down perfect bimbo insults (Get out of my facial!) years before her Oscar wins. David Arquette (pre-Scream) is Pikes buddy, Benny, who has a funny scene in which he emerges from a photo booth and all the pictures show up blank because hes a vampire. Thomas Jane (The Expanse) is credited as Tom Janes in a bit part as Pikes mechanic friend. Stephen Root (pre-News Radio and Office Space) flexes his awkward-guy persona as Buffys school principal. There are also cameos (or blink-and-youll-miss-them appearances) by Ben Affleck, Ricki Lake, Seth Green, Alexis Arquette, and probably more, frankly. Plus, Buffy is still funny as hellthe lines are zippy, as much as it makes a person cringe to hat-tip Whedon, and the physical comedy is still there too. Reubens endless death scene is one for the ages, and surely nobody realized in 1992 how ruefully humorous that young Republicans joke that comes during the films end-credits reel would hit all the way in 2025. 20th Century Studios Buffy the Vampire Slayer is streaming on Prime Video. You can also stream the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series on Disney+. Want more io9 news? 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