ince the dawn of man, vampires have walked among humankind, feeding and killing and lurking in the shadows. But since the Dark Ages in Europe, a slayer has existed to balance the forces of good and evil, always bearing the mark of the coven, which designates supernatural powers. Even in present day, someone will possess that sign – whether she knows it or not.

And so, in Southern California (during what is considered the Lite Ages), ditzy young Buffy (Kristy Swanson), a typical Hemery High School cheerleader, just might be forced into saving the world. But she’s primarily preoccupied with fashionable clothing, the senior dance, and various jocks, including her current boyfriend Jeffrey (Randall Batinkoff), rather than the spooky things that occur in the dead of night – such as a string of serial killer slayings that feature extensive tissue damage and tearing around the necks and shoulders of victims. However, when a strangely dressed man (Donald Sutherland) seems to follow her around, and she becomes plagued by nightmares about fighting a horde of the undead, led by the floating vampire Lothos (Rutger Hauer), it steadily becomes evident that the universe has bigger plans for this bubble-headed blonde. “I was looking for you, actually.”

Without preparation – and exhibiting a sensible disbelief – Buffy ends up at a graveyard stakeout at night, where she finds herself quite naturally dispatching the neck-biters by stabbing them through their hearts with wooden stakes. Curiously, instead of approaching the encroaching vampire onslaught with sincerity, this is very much a lighthearted, goofy, comical, almost childish vision of combating supernatural evils. And though it employs fairly standard rules about the bloodsuckers, it goes overboard with the floating and the posing, further separating Buffy’s misadventures from earnest thrillers. “I don’t want to be the chosen one!”

With frivolous dialogue, intermittent action, sexual innuendo, and teen romance – with rebel kid Pike (Luke Perry) – this cheesy, low-budget picture clearly struck a chord with audiences of the era, since it spawned a popular television series, lots of merchandise, and an extensive media franchise (and propelled writer Joss Whedon toward considerable success). Since it doesn’t take itself seriously, it’s certainly an unusual take on teenagers combating monsters, which isn’t without a bit of entertainment value, even if much of it is incongruous and nonsensical. Yet with its continual levity, the eventual showdowns and all of the violent confrontations are decidedly toothless. “Kill him a lot!”

The story isn’t particularly original, since plenty of fantasy films before it have utilized a grizzled elder training a skeptical, naive pupil to do extraordinary feats (while perpetually appearing as if in over her head). What is somewhat amusing is Buffy’s realization that normal activities no longer have significance once her existence and her role among nape-nibbling warriors is apparent; there’s just not much point in attending cheerleading practice when fellow students are getting murdered every evening by gore-lusting immortals. By the end, hokey as it is, with no one behaving as if they’re in genuine danger, it’s a little too uneventful and uninspired to stand out; it’s essentially the equivalent of “Batman: The Movie” in terms of vampire flicks, making jokes and mocking reality in a bizarre enough manners that it’s never fully evident when it’s trying to be exciting versus humorous (not unlike the comparable vibes of “Night of the Comet”). It does, however, boast a recognizable cast, including Paul Reubens, Hilary Swank, David Arquette, and even an uncredited Ben Affleck in a bit part.

– Mike Massie