A pseudo-prequel to the TV show, 1992’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an onslaught of dated camp, valley girl accents, and hammy vampires. In short: it’s a weird bit of fun, but fans of the series be warned: This isn’t the Buffy Summers you remember (not necessarily in a good way). It’s a cinematic harbinger that doesn’t hold a match to its successor. Joss Whedon left production early on—which seems to be part of the problem—but it’s also just missing a little something. While it may seem unfair to compare it to the show, there are too many similarities to not (I even found myself filling in the mythos with what I knew from the show as the film glosses over it a bit). If you miss the 90s or specifically this movie, it’s worth revisiting but outside of that very specific audience I find it hard to justify.
