Buffy the Vampire Slayer in popular culture explained

A popular American TV show from the late 1990s through early 2000s, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has had a tremendous influence on popular culture that has attracted serious scholarly attention. Even the language used on the show has affected modern colloquial expressions.[1]

References in other works of fiction

Buffy and its spinoff, Angel which employed pop culture references as a frequent humorous device, have themselves also become a frequent pop culture reference in video games, comics and television shows, and has been frequently parodied and spoofed. Sarah Michelle Gellar, the actress who played Buffy, has herself participated in several parody sketches, including a Saturday Night Live sketch in which the Slayer is relocated to the Seinfeld universe,[2] and adding her voice to an episode of Robot Chicken that parodied a would-be eighth season of Buffy.[3] There are also several adult parodies of Buffy, web comics, and music.

Television

Sketch shows

There have been a number of spoofs of Buffy on notable TV comedy sketch shows. In chronological order:

Series television

Film

In the international release of the 2004 Russian film Night Watch, a major character is seen watching television which is airing a scene from the show where Buffy meets Dracula in the cemetery – dubbed into Russian. On the DVD version when the movie is dubbed into English the original audio for the episode is used.

In the 2004 family comedy Johnson Family Vacation one of the main characters is seen watching the episode "Chosen" where Buffy is seen fighting ubervamps during the climactic battle seen within the Hellmouth.

In the 2004 American comedy White Chicks, Marcus refers to the self-racist, black, football player Latrell as "Buffy the White Girl Slayer".

The 2005 Australian film Hating Alison Ashley also briefly refers to Buffy. When brainstorming plots for a school play, two girls talk about "a normal girl, who's beautiful..." and "one day as she is walking through the cemetery she realises she's...BUFFY!" Their idea is knocked back immediately.

In the 2007 film The Jane Austen Book Club, directed by Robin Swicord, also starring Marc Blucas who played Riley Finn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jocelyn finds herself surrounded by Buffy fans as to she is around a "Buffy convention" called the "Buffy Contingency."

In the 2010 American vampire spoof Vampires Suck, based in most part on Twilight film series, Buffy is portrayed by Krystal Mayo. She uses an outfit similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight No. 1 cover.

In 2011 film remake Fright Night vampire hunter Peter Vincent (David Tennant) refers to Charley (Anton Yelchin) and his girlfriend Amy (Imogen Poots) as their "little Scooby Gang" because of their desire to kill a vampire.

At the end of My Name Is Bruce, Bruce Campbell tells Jeff and Kelly to call Buffy the next time they unleash a demon from Hell.

In 2012, adult entertainment company, Adam & Eve Pictures, released a pornographic parody film based on the show starring Lexi Belle as Buffy.

In 2014, the character Stosh "Piz" Piznarski in Veronica Mars refers to the main setting of Neptune, California as sitting on top of a Hellmouth.

Fan films

See main article: Unofficial Buffy the Vampire Slayer productions. Fan films parodying or paying tribute to Buffy have become more common, as computer and digital technology has advanced and become affordable, and distribution over the internet has become easier.

Books

In the French fantasy novel "Mattew Whiter et la dague de Midas" (2009) by Alexis Pichard, Mattew, a young sorcerer who just discovered he is a sorcerer, is appalled at the magical community's knowing who he is. Trying to comfort him, his talking cat then ironically asks him whether he wants to change names, saying: "do you think Buffy and Harry changed names? Well, they didn't! You are who you are."

Comics

DC Comics' Young Justice title made numerous references to a television series called Wendy the Werewolf Stalker, including a two-part story, during #33–34 where several of the book's heroines actually go to Hollywood to take part in an episode.[16] WtWS is a pretty straightforward "homage" to BtVS, with the twist that show creator "Joe Westin" is revealed to himself be a vampire.

Archie Comics character, Betty Cooper, dresses up as Bunny the Vampire Slayer for a Halloween costume party.

In the webcomic by Megan Gedris, the Cheese Man, from the Season Four BTVS episode "Restless", makes a cameo.[17]

Buffy is parodied in an issue of Bart Simpsons Comics titled "Lisa the Vampire Croaker", in which Lisa Simpson is trained by janitor Willy to fight vampires.

In the webcomic Little Alice, the creator frequently mentions Buffy as one of his most prominent influences. Buffy is credited as the creative outlet for the story, characters, and many of the panels.[18]

Buffy is referenced throughout issue #11 of the Marvel Comics series The Unbelievable Gwenpool, in which the titular Gwen Poole is hired by the Mayor of Doodkill to defend his village from a vampire (who turns out to be the dhampir Blade, who nicknames Gwen "Pink Slayer"), mentioning the television he has watched (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) to indicate the best vampire slayers to be teenage girls, to which Gwen thanks him in agreement, stating that they have "seen the same television".

Video games

Anarchy Online (June 27, 2001) features a decorative statue called the "Marble Statue of the Goddess Buffy Summers".

In the video games (March 14, 2004) and Max Payne (July 25, 2001), a secret room contains a staked corpse with "Buffy" smeared on the wall in blood.[19]

The English version of Secret of Mana, a video game for the SNES which appeared shortly after the original movie came out, contains a boss named Buffy the Vampire.

In The Burning Crusade, the first expansion to the World of Warcraft video game, after defeating one of the raid bosses named The Lurker Below the player can obtain The Seal of Danzalar – an epic quality ring with the "From beneath you it devours" sentence engraved on it.

Also in World of Warcraft during the "Brewfest" world event, a human NPC with the name "Anne Summers" can be found as a Cheese Vendor in the event area outside of Ironforge. "Anne" being Buffy's middle name and the name she went by during her summer in Los Angeles and the NPC's status as a cheese vendor referencing when Willow tells Riley "She likes cheese... I'm not saying it's the key to her heart, but Buffy... she likes cheese."

In the video game Fable II, one of the optional quests the Hero can undertake consists of helping a farmer in Brightwood Farm called Giles take revenge upon a bandit called Ripper, or helping Ripper expand his operations by killing Giles. This may be a reference to Rupert 'Ripper' Giles (Farmer Giles' son is called Rupert).

A replica of Spike's crypt can be found in .

In Transformice, there is a non-player character called Buffy, who was a vampire slayer. There is also a Halloween achievement title called "Vampire Slayer".

Other

In 2005, a Trans-Neptunian object was unofficially named "Buffy", after the main character of the series.[20]

Buffy Summers is number 13 on Bravo's "100 Greatest TV Characters".[21] The show hits #3 on TV Guide's list of the "25 Top Cult Shows Ever!" (May 30, 2004, Issue) "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276/trivia?tr=tr0723530"

Entertainment Weekly named the show No. 10 on its list of best TV shows in the past 25 years.[22] It also named the season 2 episode "Halloween" #11 on its list of top 25 Holiday Themed Episodes.[23] It also named Joyce Summers's exit on "Buffy" No. 20 on its list of top 25 Farewells. In 2012, the show was listed as No. 1 in the "25 Best Cult TV Shows from the Past 25 Years," with a remark on "the show's fierce following."[24]

In Dave Barry's 1999 novel "Big Trouble", main character Elliot Arnold is watching Buffy and eating Cheeze-its. When he receives urgent news and leaves the house, the narrative focuses on Buffy struggling against a vampire..."things didn't look very good for Buffy."

In the 2004 novel, Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris, Sookie Stackhouse has season one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on tape, which was originally given to her as a gag gift from her friend Tara Thornton. She lets Eric Northman, a vampire, watch the show.

Sam, the heroine of Meg Cabot's "All American Girl (novel) novel, claimed Buffy as her inspiration, and makes frequent remarks about the franchise.

In January 2010, Sideshow Collectibles released Throne of the Slayer.[25]

The Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio drama Minuet in Hell parodies Buffy in the form of a vapid American teenage girl named Becky Lee Kowalcyzk (Helen Goldwyn) who fights demons.

In November 2011 was announced that Facebook tapped Taiwanese cellphone maker HTC to build a smartphone that has the social network integrated at the core of its being. The phone is code-named "Buffy", after the television vampire slayer.[26]

English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is a declared fan of the series and reportedly has drawn inspiration from the show for his compositions, and has sampled some of its background music.[27] [28]

British YouTuber Phil Lester is a notable fan of the series. He stated that his favorite episodes are Once More, With Feeling and Hush during a fan Q&A.<ref>Web site: live. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/GYt4tlmsTMU. 2021-12-05. which is your favourite buffy episode . YouTube. He also mentioned Buffy Summers as his favorite fictional character.[29]

In Jennifer Estep's first book in the Mythos Academy teen series, Touch of Frost, the main character says "I wondered if I was stuck in an insane asylum somewhere, just dreaming all this. Like Buffy." alluding to the episode in the sixth season where Buffy has flashes of being in an insane asylum and is not able to tell which world is real.

In honor of Syfy’s 25th anniversary in 2017, Syfy did "25 greatest" lists, celebrating the last 25 years of all science fiction, fantasy, and horror:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Susan Clerc, "Review of Slayer Slang: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lexicon," Journal of Popular Culture 38.2 (Nov 2004): 427–428.
  2. [Saturday Night Live|SNL]
  3. "Buffy Season 8" from Robot Chicken Season 1, episode 4 (aired March 13, 2005). See: IMDb entry, Whedonesque.com .
  4. "Buffy the Umpire Slayer" on MADtv Season 3, episode 8, aired November 1997:Madtv.com entry, Restlessbtvs.com entry
  5. [Saturday Night Live|SNL]
  6. "Bunny the Vampire Slayer" on MADtv Season 7, episode 7, aired November 24, 2001: IMDb entry, Madtv.com
  7. "Poofy the Vampire Slayer" on "Graham Norton's Bigger Picture" Season 2, Episode 8, aired February 27, 2006: IMDb entry
  8. Buffy Season 8 from Robot Chicken Season 1, episode 4, aired March 13, 2005: IMDb entry, Whedonesque.com
  9. Various authors, Friends: "The One Where Chandler Can't Cry"; allusions TV.com (episode aired February 10, 2000).
  10. The Play's the Thing. Xena: Warrior Princess. Xena: Warrior Princess. March 15, 1999.
  11. Spaced, series 2 episode 4: "Help"
  12. Spaced, series 2 episode 5: "Gone"
  13. Web site: Alison Brie as Muffy the Vampire Slayer. August 16, 2014.
  14. News: The Big Bang Theory finale includes the perfect Buffy reference with an amazing Sarah Michelle Gellar appearance . Metro . May 20, 2019.
  15. Web site: Bucksbaum. Sydney. 'The Flash' Season 4 Villain Won't Be a Speedster. The Hollywood Reporter. March 18, 2017. July 25, 2017.
  16. "Series Index: Young Justice " Titanstower.com (2003).
  17. Web site: Archived copy . December 15, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120821051620/http://rosalarian.com/yume/?p=1147 . August 21, 2012 . dead .
  18. https://web.archive.org/web/20120111080748/http://littlealicecomic.com/ Little Alice comic
  19. Web site: The X Files: Resist or Serve (Video Game 2004) - Quotes - IMDb. March 23, 2024. www.imdb.com.
  20. "Strange new object found at edge of Solar System" New Scientist (December 13, 2005).
  21. Web site: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Series 1997–2003) - IMDb. IMDb.
  22. The New Classics: TV EW 1000: TV TV The EW 1000. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080828204024/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207076_20207387_20207339,00.html. 2008-08-28. Entertainment Weekly.
  23. TV: 25 New Classic Holiday Episodes Friends EW 1000: TV TV The EW 1000. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080830024032/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207076_20207387_20207390,00.html. 2008-08-30. Entertainment Weekly.
  24. "25 Best Cult TV Shows from the Past 25 Years." Entertainment Weekly. August 3, 2012, pp. 36–37.
  25. Web site: Twilight Fan Tragically Killed at Comic-Con. Steve. Barton. July 10, 2012. Dread Central. March 23, 2024.
  26. Web site: The Facebook Phone: It's Finally Real and its Name is Buffy.
  27. Web site: Ed Sheeran Draws Inspiration from Buffy the Vampire Slayer for New Song. July 23, 2013.
  28. Web site: Ed Sheeran Recalls Some of His Worst Shows and Clears up Buffy Theme Song Rumours.
  29. Web site: Dan & Phil. October 2, 2015 .
  30. Web site: 25 of the Greatest Screenwriters in Genre Storytelling . www.syfy.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170930220750/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/25-of-the-greatest-screenwriters-in-genre-storytelling . 2017-09-30.
  31. Web site: The 25 best fantasy series of the past 25 years . www.syfy.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170928021514/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-25-best-fantasy-series-of-the-past-25-years . 2017-09-28.
  32. Web site: The 25 best female characters of the past 25 years . www.syfy.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170927221154/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-25-best-female-characters-of-the-past-25-years . 2017-09-27.
  33. http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/25-villains-we-love-to-hate-from-the-last-25-years.
  34. Web site: The 25 best sidekicks in film, TV, games and comics . www.syfy.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170916033042/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-25-best-sidekicks-in-film-tv-games-and-comics . 2017-09-16.
  35. http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-25-best-action-sequences-maybe-ever-but-definitely-of-the-past-25-years.
  36. Web site: The 25 greatest speeches from the past 25 years . www.syfy.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170928123847/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-25-greatest-speeches-from-the-past-25-years . 2017-09-28.
  37. Web site: The 25 greatest standalone episodes of sci-fi TV of the past 25 years . www.syfy.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170913012734/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-25-greatest-stand-alone-episodes-of-sci-fi-tv-of-the-past-25-years . 2017-09-13.
  38. Web site: The 25 most magical moments in film and TV from the last 25 years . www.syfy.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170914174815/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-25-most-magical-moments-in-film-and-tv-from-the-last-25-years . 2017-09-14.