The Ultimate List Of 100 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Facts

Despite originally being released back in March 1997, Buffy The Vampire Slayer is still one of the most talked about teenage drama series to come out of America today.

It focuses on Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a rebellious yet otherwise ordinary high schooler, who at 16-years-old is chosen by fate as the next Vampire Slayer. Buffy and her friends, the bookish Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) and well-meaning Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon), try to navigate their adolescent emotions while saving Sunnydale from demons but end up finding out that good and evil aren’t as clearly defined as one may think.

Showrunner Joss Whedon led Buffy The Vampire’s success and amassed a total of 144 episodes across 7 successful seasons ending in 2003. Whedon was also responsible for carrying on the "Buffy Universe" with 5 seasons of Angel, the spin off series focussing on Buffy's first love interest and vampire with a soul looking for redemption Angel played by David Boreanaz.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer has a huge following of loyal fans who know the show inside out, however here is the ultimate list of 100 Buffy The Vampire Slayer facts that you may not have seen before and ones to use to impress fellow fans of the Hellmouth!

1. Mini Golf Bookends The Whole 7 Seasons Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

In the final ever episode ‘Chosen’ Buffy asks what the group want to do tomorrow and Xander says "Well, mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind”.

This is the same suggestion that he gave in the Season 1 finale ‘Prophecy Girl’ after the Scoobies beat the Master.

2. A Halloween Episode Is Written For Every Other Season Of Buffy

In the Season 4 episode ‘Fear Itself’ the Scoobies carve pumpkins for Halloween. It is the second of three Halloween episodes in Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Giles said the reason why demons and vampires avoid going out on Halloween is because it is “too crass”.

A Halloween episode is written in every other season of Buffy, S2 has ‘Halloween’ and S6 has ‘All the Way’.

3. David Boreanaz As Angelus Actually Scared Joss Whedon

The first time it was planned that Angel would lose his soul; the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon was unsure how well David Boreanaz could play the darker and nasty Angelus vampire.

However Whedon has stated in interviews that Boreanaz scared him in ‘Becoming, Part Two.’ He was even more impressed when Boreanaz played Angelus possessed by the spirit of teacher Grace Newman that he was given his own show.

4. By Season 5 There Have Been 6 Apocalypses

The Gift is the finale of Season 5 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and is the 100th episode of the series. In the episode Buffy asks Giles how many apocalypses they've been through, he replies "at least six".

They have been:

• Prophecy Girl

• Becoming, Part Two

• The Zeppo

• Graduation Day, Part Two

• Doomed

• Primeval

5. Willow Was Described As Dressed By Her Mother In The Script

In the shooting script for the first ever Buffy episode, Willow Rosenberg was described by Joss Whedon as...

“She is shy, bookish, and very possibly dressed by her mother. The intelligence in her eyes and the sweetness of her smile belie a genuine charm that is lost on the unsubtle high school mind. It's certainly lost on Xander, though he brightens considerably to see her. The new face forgotten, at least for now."

6. Buffy’s 3 Boyfriends Only Feature Together In Two Episodes

Pangs is the eighth episode of the fourth season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and is the first of only two episodes to feature Buffy's three boyfriends, Angel, Spike, and Riley.

The other is ‘The Yoko Factor’ and ‘Fool for Love’ but Angel only appears in Spike's flashbacks.

7. Hell’s Bells Was Nominated For The Most Emmy Awards

Hell’s Bells is episode 16 of Season 6 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and we nearly see two Scoobies Xander and Anya tie the knot. The episode was nominated for three Emmy awards which is the most in the show’s history.

These included:

• Outstanding hairstyling for a series

• Outstanding make up for a series (prosthetic)

• Outstanding make up for a series (non-prosthetic)

8.Whedon Wanted To Kill Off A Character For A Long Time

The only time Amber Benson was credited as a regular cast member in the opening credits of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was for the episode “Seeing Red”, the episode in which her character Tara was killed.

Writer Joss Whedon says in the DVD commentary for ‘Welcome to the Hellmouth’ that this is something that he wanted to do for a long time, kill a character off when they had been listed as a regular only once.

9. Giles Dropped Out Of The University Of Oxford

Buffy’s Watcher Rupert Giles rejected his responsibility as a Watcher in his youth and dropped out of a history degree at Oxford University aged 21.

He went by the name of Ripper and got involved in dark magic and Demons. He also pretended to be a founding member of the band Pink Floyd in order to impress women.

10. Eliza Dushku Had Faith’s Tattoo In ‘Bring It On’

The actor Eliza Dushku who plays Faith Lebanese in Buffy actually doesn’t have a tattoo on her right arm. The one Faith has in a tribal design is just painted on in make-up.

The tattoo was parodied in the film Bring It On, in which Eliza Dushku's character is told she can’t join the cheerleading team due to the tattoo. So she wets her fingers and rubs it out.

11. Season 2 Changed Buffy Into A More Complex, Adult Show

Season Two of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is my favourite because it was such a change of pace from season 1. The Angelus story line was great and much darker and we were introduced to a different type of Vampire from The Master in Spike and Drusilla who would remain pivotal throughout the show.

Joss Whedon said in Empire Magazine about Season 2, "I think the Angelus arc really let the audience know that we were interested in change... and making things as grown up and complex as we could get away with.... until it became a really complex, adult kind of show."

12. Vampire Willow and Cordelia Have A Scene Recreated Shot By Shot

Vampire Willow walks down Sunnydale's main high street, finding it full of people being happy. It is a shot-for-shot recreation of Cordelia walking down the same street in "The Wish”.

Cordelia's experience is directly opposite of Vampire Willow's, where she sees how devastated Sunnydale would be without Buffy’s help as the Slayer.

13. Whistler Was Meant To Be The Supporting Character In Season 1 Of Angel

Originally, it was Whistler who was to be the supporting character in Angel (he let Angel know of Buffy in BTVS before she became the Slayer) however the actor Max Perlich was unavailable. So the Angel producers added the character of Doyle who had really similar character traits.

14. Buffy’s College Room-mate Was Trying To Steal Her Human Form

Buffy finding out that her College roommate is in fact a 3,000 year old Mok'tagar demon who disguised herself as Kathy Newman so that she could attend UC Sunnydale.

Mok’tagar demons can assume many forms including humans but will always be recognised by their own kind due to their lack of a soul. Kathy attempted to perform many rituals as Buffy’s roommate in order to steal hers and disguise herself from her family.

15. The First Buffy and Angel Crossover Is  “In The Dark”

The first time Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel crossed over with its characters is in season one episode three, “In The Dark“. Spike comes to steal back the Gem of Amara (a ring in which makes Vampires invulnerable) from Angel. In The Dark is also the only episode of Angel which sees 4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer main characters appear, Angel, Cordelia, Oz, and Spike.

16. Buffy and American Horror Story Use The Same Spooky House

In the episode “Fear Itself” (Season 4 Episode 4) Buffy, Willow and Xander get caught in a real life haunted house. The house used for the external scenes of the Frat House in this episode is the same house used as the Murder House in the show American Horror Story.

There were three Buffy The Vampire Slayer action figures based on this episode including ‘Fiesta Giles’, ‘Bunny Anya’ and ‘Fear Itself, Anya’.

17. Drusilla Was Based On Model Kate Moss!

Drusilla appeared in 24 episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and 7 of Angel and was the first female “Big Bad” of the show.

Actor Juliet Landau said in an interview with the BBC that the costume designers on Buffy The Vampire Slayer intended to make her look like a cross between “a Victorian Period look and Kate Moss heroin chic”.

18. Alyson Hannigan Has Dressed Up As Vampire Willow For Halloween

Joss Whedon has said in interviews that he wrote “Doppelgängland” specifically for Alyson Hannigan to play Vampire Willow again after her first appearance in “The Wish”.

Alyson Hannigan dressed up again as Vampire Willow for a Halloween Party in 1999.

19. Halloween Was Watched By 3.5 Million People

In the show’s first ever Halloween episode, “Halloween” Episode 6 of Season 2, the Scoobies all transform into their costumes. Meaning that Xander Harris goes into full Military mode. This is then referenced again many times throughout Buffy The Vampire Slayer as Xander retains some of his Military knowledge including in “Innocence”, “Graduation Day 2” and “Revelations”. Also, “Halloween” was watched by 3.7 Million in the USA when it originally aired.

20. Dracula Was Chosen As A Character Due To Being Out Of Copyright

The episode “Buffy vs. Dracula” E1 of Season 5 was written by Marti Noxon who revealed, during a BBC interview, that it wasn’t planned to have Dracula as a character at all.

She originally envisioned a vampire showing Buffy the darker side of herself as just another Vampire who would ‘be riding a horse and was all cool’.

However she said ‘like Dracula’ so much in the Writer’s room that Joss Whedon ended up saying, “why not Dracula? He’s public domain!”

21. Xander Wears An Eyepatch before Season 7

Some interesting bits from one of Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s Halloween episode, “All The Way”

Xander wears an eye patch with his pirate costume which sadly mimics the loss of his eye in Season 7.

Dawn dusts her first ever vampire in this episode!

Justin gives Dawn his jacket in this episode, exactly the same as Angel does to Buffy in “Teacher’s Pet”. Giles also steals a coat for Joyce Summers I’m “Band Candy”.

This episode marks all three Summers women going out with a vampire! Dawn with Justin, Buffy with Angel and Spike and Joyce went on a coffee date with Dracula!

22. Angel Has Had A Soul For Around 100 Years

The episode “Becoming, Part One” in Season Two (Episode 21) is where we find out that Angel became a vampire 245 years before the day shown and he receives his soul 100 years before.

This episode is also the first time we see Darla again since her death and is the first time we see a Vampire sired. Angel’s siring is looked at further in the Angel episode “The Prodigal” in Season 1.

23. Giles’ Biggest Fear Is Buffy’s Death

In the Season Two episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer “Nightmares”, everyone in Sunnydale is living out their fears - Giles can’t read, Buffy doesn’t write anything in her test and Xander’s in his pants.

Lots of the Scoobie’s fears shown in this episode come up time and time again throughout the series.

Willow is afraid of appearing on stage and this comes up again in “Restless”. Also, Giles reveals his worst fear is Buffy dying (which is cute) but also shows he has failed as a Watcher. This obviously plays out in Season 5’s finale, “The Gift”. Buffy has a fear of being buried alive and she will have to climb out of her coffin in “Bargaining, Part 2”.

24. Season 6 and Season 7 Are Exactly A Year Apart

The Season 7 episode “Storyteller” sees Andrew filming the Scoobies and The Potentials with his video camera. When he interviews Xander and Anya for his film, he says that it has been a whole year since Xander left Anya at the altar.

The Season 6 episode where this happens, “Hell’s Bells” was episode 16 and “Storyteller” (this episode) is also episode 16 of Season 7.

25. ‘The Yoko Factor’ Comes Straight After ‘Sanctuary’

What a great episode “The Yoko Factor” is. It is Episode 20 of Season 4 and sees Riley and Angel meet for the first time and clash very hard!

This episode directly follows the Angel episode “Sanctuary” (S1, E19) which saw Angel protect Faith from Buffy and him asking her abruptly to leave. It is the first time Angel learns that Buffy has moved on from him and has a new boyfriend (Faith tells him). He seems pretty hurt when Buffy confirms her relationship with Riley.

26. Jeff Kober Stars As Different Characters In Buffy The Vampire Slayer

“Wrecked” is the 10th episode of the sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and is the 110th episode in total. In this episode we see Willow hit rock bottom after Amy (no longer a rat) takes her to Rack, a warlock who gives spells that last without any recovery time. Willow becomes addicted to the magicks even further and injures Dawn in a car crash.

The actor Jeff Kober plays Rack and he previously appeared in Buffy as Kralik in “Helpless”. The serial killer turned vampire that Buffy had to defeat in the disgusting rite of passage set by the Watcher’s Council that would drain Buffy of her Slayer powers.

27. David Boreanaz Has Starred In 167 Buffy And Angel Episodes

Some trivia about these three from Angel Investigations:

David Boreanaz who plays Angel in Buffy The Vampire Slayer starred in a total of 167 episodes. 67 of Buffy and 110 of Angel. He even directed the Season 5 episode of Angel, “Soul Purpose”.

Charisma Carpenter starred in Angel for four seasons but returned for the 100th episode “You’re Welcome” in Season 5 because she felt that Cordy’s fans deserved to see what happened to her after the controversy of her unexplained exit from the show.

Alexis Denisof who plays Wesley Wyndham-Price in both Buffy (9 episodes) and Angel (100 episodes) married Alyson Hannigan who plays Willow Rosenberg. They have two children together.

28. Alyson Hannigan Was Earning $250K Per Episode Of Buffy

Alyson Hannigan started acting at the age of four appearing in TV adverts. She went on to attend California State University and has a degree in psychology before getting into acting full time.

In 1997, Hannigan began playing the role of Willow Rosenberg in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and by the time season seven ended she was earning US$250,000 per episode.

29. David Boreanaz Was Scouted For Angel While Walking His Dog

David Boreanaz was cast in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Buffy’s vampire with a soul boyfriend Angel after one of his nextdoor neighbours saw him out walking his dog and suggested him for the role to the casting director Marcia Shulman.

Shulman said in an interview with the BBC that after that phone call she invited him in for casting. “He walked in the room, and I looked up and wrote next to his name, ‘this is the guy’! He never even opened his mouth. We just chatted for a while. He told me where he was from; we talked about Italian food... I ran down the hall and I said to Joss [Whedon that I had] found the guy. He did that one episode and the rest is history.”

30. Season 1 Of Buffy Only Had 3 Sets Built

Due to budget restrictions in the early seasons, the only sets created for Buffy The Vampire Slayer were the library in which Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) worked, Buffy’s bedroom and the underground lair of Season 1’s Big Bad, The Master (Mark Metcalf). Interestingly the Sunnydale School Library set was actually stocked with all real books!

31. Joss Whedon Modelled Xander Harris On Himself In High School

According to Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, he based the character of Alexander Harris on himself during high school and Cordelia Chase on a girl his wife attended high school with. Nicholas Brendon was apparently told by producers to limit the amount of working out he did as they didn’t want Xander looking ‘too buffed’.

32. Bianca Lawson Nearly Played Cordelia Chase

Kendra was a Slayer activated in 1997 after Buffy’s brief death in “Prophecy Girl” - the season 1 finale. She was from Jamaica and her Watcher was Sam Zabuto. Kendra was killed by Drusilla in “Becoming Part 1” so was only a Slayer for one year. Buffy kept her stake Mr. Pointy and made references to it in many episodes.

Interestingly Bianca Lawson who plays Kendra was originally lined up to play Cordelia Chase but due to scheduling conflicts the role was given to Charisma Carpenter.

33. Viewers May Have Thought Spike Killed Willow In Season 4… For An Ad Break

“The Initiative” is the 7th episode of season 4 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and it sees Spike get captured and given a chip in his head that activates every time he wants to harm someone.

Spike then escapes and wants to find Buffy however he ends up finding Willow alone in their dorm room. The director Doug Petrie said in the DVD commentary that Spike attacking Willow and the shot of students outside in the corridor unable to hear her screams was the last scene before an advert break. He wanted viewers to actually believe that Willow had been killed!

34. 5 Years After Angels’ Speech In ‘Bad Eggs’, The Hellmouth Destroyed Sunnydale

“Bad Eggs” is the 12th episode of season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer which see’s parental responsibility be taught to the Sunnydale High students via eggs which turn out (as always) to be evil.

It reached 4.1 million households when it first aired.

Interestingly Angel says to Buffy in this episode, “you don’t care what happens in a year, five years from now”. In a year Angel leaves Buffy to go to LA and in 5 years the Hellmouth and Sunnydale will be destroyed in Chosen.

35. Emma Caulfield Was Born Emma Chukker

Did you know that Emma Caulfield who plays Anya in Buffy the Vampire Slayer was actually born Emma Chukker? She chose Caulfield as her stage name as a reference to Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye.

36. Clem Gave Up Eating Kittens For Health And Moral Reasons!

Clem is an underrated character! He is a Loose-Skinned Demon who ultimately seems to respect Buffy and the Scoobies. His kind of demon don’t kill as they feed on emotion especially embarrassment! Clem might have played Kitten Poker with Spike but he later said he has given up eating kittens for health and moral reasons.

Clem was played by James C. Leary and was in a total of 8 episodes including, “Life’s Serial”, “Hell’s Bells”, “Seeing Red” and, “Empty Places”.

37. Nicholas Brendon Wanted Xander And Buffy To End Up Together

Nicolas Brendon, who played Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, said in an AV Club interview that Joss Whedon spoke with him and Sarah Michelle Gellar because he was contemplating the idea of their two characters ending up together at the end of season seven.

We have also read that Nicholas Brendon and Sarah Michelle Gellar actually pitched the idea themselves to Joss Whedon! Instead it was shot down and the Buffy/Spike storyline continued and Xander unfortunately lost an eye.

38. Season 6 Is The Only Season Of Buffy Not To Feature The High School

Some behind-the-scenes facts about season six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

• This is the only season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that doesn’t feature either the old or the rebuilt version of the Sunnydale High School.

• Season 6 is also the only season that does not see any of the characters crossover with BTVS and ATS.

• The S6 six finale “Grave” is the only season finale in Buffy the Vampire Slayer to not have been directed by the show’s creator Joss Whedon but instead David Fury.

• Joss Whedon actually only wrote and directed one episode in S6 and that was “Once More With Feeling”.

• When creating Season 6 Whedon said that he intended “to break down the mythic feeling of the show, because there is a moment at childhood when you no longer get that.”

39. Buffy The Vampire Slayer Was Edited For UK Audiences

In the UK audiences could watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer on BBC Two however it was given a pre-watershed timeslot (before 9PM) which meant some of the material featured had to be edited out to comply with strict broadcasting rules around when children would be watching.

Fans were unhappy with the edits so the BBC ended up giving Buffy The Vampire Slayer two time slots, one for the edited family-friendly version with violence cut out and a late night version which aired in full on Friday nights.

40. McNab, Carpenter, and Benz All Auditioned For Buffy Summers

Did you know that before landing on Sarah Michelle Gellar many of the other actors who were featured in Buffy The Vampire Slayer originally auditioned for the part of Buffy? Including Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall), and Julie Benz (Darla).

Sarah Michelle Gellar on the other hand, originally auditioned for the role of Cordelia Chase before being asked by Joss Whedon to come back in and read for the lead.

41. Spike’s Leather Jacket Cost $2,000

It is reported that Spike’s iconic floor length leather coat in Buffy The Vampire Slayer cost $2,000 but the costume team needed it to look more distressed to simulate it being worn for many years so repeatedly ran it over with a truck!

42. Riley Finn Had To Be “Anti-Angel”

Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer said about creating the character of Riley Finn that, "The important thing for us was to find a character that was the anti-Angel and to have Buffy go through something very different, part of which was the question, 'How do I get over Angel?' That was the same thing the audience was going through.”

Riley is definitely anti-Angel. They are very different. Interestingly Christian Kane auditioned for the role of Riley but ended up being cast as Lindsey McDonald in Angel (ATS) instead.

43. There Were Many Other Proposed Spin Offs Of Angel

There were more proposed spin offs for Buffy The Vampire Slayer including Buffy: The Animated Series which would take place after Season 1 and a 90 minute BBC Special called Ripper focusing on Buffy's watcher Rupert Giles presumably in his younger days.

Slayer School was another that featured new slayers including Willow Rosenberg and Faith, a show following Eliza Dushku’s character driving around on a motorcycle. There was even a proposed Spike movie which is the one we’re most sad about not being made.

44. In Early Drafts Buffy Could Move Objects With Her Mind

In the early drafts of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, writer Joss Whedon gave Buffy the power to move objects with her mind as well as being able to speak to the dead however this was removed from the final plot. Surely the episode The Body would have been much less traumatising for us all to watch if that was the case!

45. Joss Whedon Prefers Bangel To Spuffy

“Angel” is episode 7 of season 1 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and it is the first time Buffy invites Angel into her home. It is also the first time Joyce meets Angel and Giles and the first time we see her interact with Willow and Xander.

Joss Whedon has said in interviews that he prefers the Buffy/Spike pairing but Sarah Michelle Geller says that she prefers Buffy being with Angel.

46. Alyson Hannigan Was The Last To Be Cast In Her Buffy Role

Alyson Hannigan was the last of the original six cast members to be appointed in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Her positive and juvenile approach to playing Willow Rosenberg was different to other actors who auditioned and was ultimately the reason she was hired.

Alyson Hannigan is also the reason that music from the Californian Rock Band Nerf Herder was chosen for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer opening titles. She had recommended Joss Whedon listen to the band.

47. Charisma Carpenter Was Worried Angel May Fail As A Series

When filming season 3 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Charisma Carpenter was approached by Joss Whedon and told of the spin off show Angel and how he hoped to include her as one of the main characters. She has said in interviews that while flattered, she was also worried that the show might fail and she would be out of a job.

Thankfully Angel was just as successful as Buffy! Charisma told Complex that once she left Buffy she didn’t really watch anymore of it...

“When I left [for] Angel, I didn't watch Buffy. Mainly because... I didn't have time. I was in survival mode. When you're starting a new show, it's like doing a startup company for an entrepreneur. The hours are intense and it's a vampire show so it's late nights. And you're in some really dank locations. You're literally living, breathing all things Angel.”

48. Angel’s Sister Mistook His Return From The Dead For Him Being An Angel

Before he was our Angel, he was Liam from Galway in Ireland born in 1727. His Dad was a Silk Merchant and was always disappointed in how Liam turned out. Liam was always drunk, picking fights and using women. He loved his younger sister Kathy but later killed her when he became a Vampire.

Angelus was sired by Darla at age 26 and killed his entire family. He presumably took the name Angel from the fact that his sister mistook his return as him being an Angel.

49. Anthony Stewart Head Left The Cast To Spend More Time With His Family

Anthony Stewart Head who plays Rupert Giles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer is originally from Camden in London and lived in the USA full time when filming the show.

This was during the late 1990s and early 2000s while his wife and daughters continued to live in the UK.

He has said in interviews that he left the cast in the sixth season to spend more time with his family, as he realized that he had spent most of his time away from them which is understandable.

50. Buffy The Vampire Slayer Is Ultimately About Sharing Female Power

Joss Whedon, Buffy The Vampire Slayer's creator has said in interviews that he wanted to develop a show that would switch the Hollywood convention of ‘the little blonde girl goes down a dark alley and gets killed in every horror movie’. He instead wanted Buffy to be about female power, ‘having it, using it and sharing it’ which can definitely be seen at play during the final season of the show.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer has many powerful female characters away from Summers herself. Willow in season six, Anya's power as a Vengeance Demon, Glory the God in Season five and the power Dawn holds as the key. There are a lot more examples.

51. One Of The Main Metaphors In The Show Is “High School As Hell”

The Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon uses his ‘high school as hell’ metaphor as the central theme and created scenarios and demons to reflect the anxieties teenagers go through in adolescence.

One of the key writers of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Jane Espenson has discussed on her own website how a script came together for each episode. The writers of Buffy would sit and decide firstly the emotional issues Buffy the character would be facing and then how she could confront them through the supernatural.

52. Sarah Michelle Geller Hated The Buffy And Spike Sex Scene At The Bronze

“Dead Things” is episode 13 of season six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it was originally broadcast in 2002. This is the episode where Spike and Buffy’s sexual relationship becomes more intense and includes that awkward scene of them having sex on the Bronze balcony staring at the dancefloor below.

Sarah Michelle Geller who plays Buffy Summers is quoted saying, “I had trouble with the one where Buffy had sex with Spike on the balcony while watching her friends. I really thought that was out of character. And I didn’t like what it stood for. That was the moment that I had the most problems with.”

Stephen S. DeKnight who directed the episode claims in an interview on CityOfAngel.com that this was a plot point that Joss Whedon had stored in his head for a while and could understand why Sarah was uncomfortable.

53. Anya Jenkins Was Originally Named Anya Emerson

Before finalising her human surname as "Jenkins" in the episode "Checkpoint," Anya was often called as "Anya Emerson" in non-official Buffy material, such as in the Sunnydale High Yearbook novel and Top Trumps Buffy the Vampire Slayer card game.

Joss Whedon stated early on that Anya was likely to be in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight comic series. However this never happened so she became the only character to not appear in Season 8.

54. Michelle Trachtenberg Was The Only Buffy Character To Appear In Every Episode After Their Debut

Dawn Summers was played by Michelle Trachtenberg for 66 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She first joined the regular cast in “Real Me“ after being premiered in the season five opening episode “Buffy vs. Dracula”.

Aside from Buffy and Willow who have appeared in every episode, Dawn Summers is the only regular character to appear in every episode after her debut.

In an interview with the BBC Michelle Trachtenberg says that she began the role without knowing much about Dawn’s personality. She says her first meeting with Joss Whedon went like, “Alright, welcome to the cast, you’re a teenager, you’re a key, have fun.”

55. Darla Is The First Character To Have Any Dialogue In Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Darla, played by Julie Benz, is the first character we ever see in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. She is also the first person to say any dialogue: “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

When Darla was human she was wealthy, worked as a prostitute and, unlike the majority of Vampires, she became a Vampire by choice. She was then sired by the Master and would then go on to serve him. Darla was loyal until she left the Master to travel with Angelus until he became ensouled.

Julie Benz says in Christopher Golden’s book The Watcher’s Guide that she was, “a big fan of the movie, so when [she] was offered the role of Vampire Girl #1 in the pilot, [she] took it even though [she] was gonna die right away. [she] remembers once the show went to series and [they] reshot the pilot, Vampire Girl #1 was given a name... but... was still supposed to die. [They] were filming [her] death scene on set when Joss... said, 'We decided not to kill you. You're gonna be back next episode. And then we're gonna kill you.”

56. David Boreanaz Had A Special Blood Drinking Prop!

David Boreanaz revealed in a BBC interview how the Angel production team created a specific prop for the scenes in which Angel had to drink blood.

The production team created a special cup to look like a spill cup for the scenes. There’s nothing actually inside it just looks like there is. In some scenes they do have a thick syrup that they use for blood.

He also mentioned that his favourite cast member to film with was Vincent Kartheiser who played Connor and that he shot some of his most emotional scenes with him. “The one where he was in a sporting goods store and he was strapped [to explosives] that was really heavy for me. Also where he was disrespecting me as a father, and we did this huge 360° [pan] which was cool. “

57. Julie Benz Was The Vampire Make Up Guinea Pig On Buffy

According to Christopher Golden’s book The Watcher’s Guide, Julie Benz (Darla) was used to test the vampire makeup at the start of Buffy The Vampire Slayer because she had an allergic reaction towards the prosthetic.

Julie Benz has also stated that "taking that makeup off, it was like having six layers of skin ripped off your face every time. It was miserable and the contact lenses were terrible.”

58. Sarah Michelle Geller Hated That Buffy Slept With Parker

Joss Whedon has mentioned in interviews that Sarah Michelle Gellar disagreed with her character Buffy sleeping with Parker. She thought that it was too soon after Angel had left her and she didn't think that Buffy would do something like that. Whedon told Sarah that when you "go to college, you do stupid things."

Also, in the official synopsis for this episode “Living Conditons” Parker's last name was given as Finch, but it's later revealed to be Abrams.

59. David Fury Instigated The Spike/Buffy Relationship

According to Buffy.com, David Fury asked to do "an episode that takes the Buffy/Spike relationship to the next step", so decided that it was time for the audience to discover that Spike was in love with Buffy.

He said, "...and it then progressed into Buffy finding out, which was something we were saving for later. It turned out to be a good play because we were able to take them to interesting places throughout the rest of the season." According to Fury, the resurrection of Spike and Drusilla's relationship "was really significant in terms of what love means to Spike."

60. Doyle Was Meant To Star In Later Seasons Of Angel

One of the biggest shocks to Season 1 of Angel was the death of Allen Francis Doyle (played by Glenn Quinn) however according to Screen Rant; Joss Whedon had planned to bring him back to life later in the plot.

David Fury, the Angel producer, mentioned in the magazine Dreamwatch how they we’re going to possibly bring Doyle back as one of the "Big Bads" in season 3. Sadly this never happens due to Glenn Quinn passing away in 2003.

61. Buffy Studies Is A Real Academic Discipline

Many Film and Television academics have been attracted to the Buffyverse as a topic for literary and cultural analysis. Many books and papers have been published with an academic and analytical approach to Buffy The Vampire Slayer through the lens of Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy and Women’s Studies.

62. Rhonda Wilcox Is The Foremost Authority On Buffy Studies

Rhonda Wilcox is named as the foremost authority on Buffy The Vampire Slayer Studies writing on its characters and themes. Her book “Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was released in 2005 and she is the editor The Whedon Studies Association who hold annual Slayage conferences.

63. Nikki Wood Was Originally Just Named “Subway Slayer”

“Fool for Love" is the 7th episode of Season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and is the episode in which Buffy asks Spike to recount the two final battles that he had with Slayers. In this episode we first meet the NYC based Slayer Nikki Wood who spent 7 years battling the demons and Vampires before she was killed by Spike. Nikki was initially credited as "Subway Slayer" in the episode.

She spent a relatively long time as a Slayer and is presented as one of the only to ever become a Mother. Her son is Robin Wood who appears as the Sunnydale High School Principal in season 7.

Nikki’s Watcher was Bernard Crowley who raised Robin after her death. As told in ‘On Your Own, Part One’ in the Season 9 comic, she did not know exactly who his father was as she "didn't take names when blowing off steam."

64. Sarah Michelle Geller Cried After Filming Becoming Part  2

In an interview with WB11 news Sarah Michelle Gellar discussed how emotional it was to film the “Becoming Part 2” scene in which she stabs Angel to save the world in Season Two...

“David and I are incredible friends; he's one of my best friends. And to do that heartbreaking scene, I was crying afterwards and for about 5 minutes we just kind of held each other there because it was where you have to break that line of, okay this isn't real.”

65. ‘The Gift’ Was Meant To Be The Season 7 Finale

“The Gift” is the finale of Season 5 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and is the 100th episode of the series.

Joss Whedon says in the DVD commentary for S7’s “Chosen," this episode was originally written to be as the season 7 finale, and several ideas that were used in the real finale were originally written for this episode including Sunnydale was supposed to be destroyed by the Hellmouth in this episode.

Interestingly as well as appearing in Buffy’s 100th episode, James Marsters also appears in "You're Welcome," the 100th episode of Angel.

66. Dark Willow Was Meant To Team Up With Glory

There are similarities between Joss Whedon’s ideas for the season 5 finale “The Gift” and the season 7 and whole show finale “Chosen“.

The original idea for The Gift was to have Anya die in the rubble, Xander be Glory's other half (no Ben), Willow was going to be evil after Tara's death and join forces with Glory, and Dawn was to be bled by Evil Willow in the end.

Many of the above ideas were used later in the series. Anya was killed in "Chosen" and Willow did become evil after Tara's death in "Seeing Red”.

67. Alyson Hannigan Forgot Her Lines In Her Audition For Willow

In an interview with People Magazine, Alyson Hannigan who plays Willow Rosenberg in Buffy the Vampire Slayer said that she originally messed up her audition. “I walked into a door and I forgot all my lines. I had done the same scene over and over again. Finally… They did a chemistry read with me, Sarah and Nick.”

However Joss Whedon decided that he wanted to hear something new so wrote a brand-new scene for the audition. Alyson said, “my character is very computer savvy, so it was all this computer jargon… I don’t think I was speaking English at one point. And then finally, I was just like, I’m just gonna stop talking now.”

Joss Whedon ended saying, “you couldn’t say the words to save your life, but I knew right then and there, because the chemistry was right there.”

68. Joss Whedon Originally Didn’t Want To Hire Amber Benson

According to Buffy The Vampire Slayer producer Marti Noxon, Joss Whedon was initially reluctant to cast Amber Benson in the role of Tara due to her not being the right physical type. Marti Noxon convinced him to let her read again and he changed his mind saying she would be perfect for the role.

Amber Benson has worked with some of her Buffy costars in other projects including James Marster’s (Spike). She wrote, produced, directed and starred in “Chance” with James Marsters. In 2002, she sang on two tracks of Anthony Stewart Head's (Giles) solo music project "Music for Elevators"

69. Faith’s Surname Was Only Revealed After The Series Ended

Faith's surname was unrevealed throughout Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel. Joss Whedon announced in January 2005 that Faith's surname was "Lehane" and this would be used in all future products, starting with Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game. The name is now considered to be part of the Buffy canon. Joss Whedon said he chose it because he“ wanted something southie”.

While developing Faith’s character, producer Douglas Petrie took inspiration from Elektra Natchios of Marvel Comics and said “For inspiration for Faith, I read Elektra Lives Again about a hundred times. In a different, teen, punkier context, Faith is so much like Elektra."

70. Amber Benson Received So Many Fan Letters For Playing A Lesbian On Screen

Amber Benson discussed in an interview with the BBC about her and Willow’s relationship and how important it was for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans, “I've gotten the most amazing letters from young women who have come out because of the relationship that Tara and Willow had on Buffy.”

“If you can make an impact on society in a positive way, it's the most amazing experience... People became embroiled in the relationship and it made them realise that it was okay to be what they were. It doesn't matter who you sleep with, it's how you treat other people in this world.”

71. Charisma Carpenter Took To Twitter To Discuss Her Treatment On Angel

Many articles have mentioned that Charisma Carpenter and Joss Whedon fell out during the fourth season of Angel due to Charisma hiding the fact that she was pregnant and Joss was angry having to change the entire script. This rumour led Carpenter to write the full story on Twitter.

“If you’d like to know the facts of my pregnancy / exit for Angel maybe call for a comment instead of printing lies.

I NEVER HID my pregnancy from production. CLEAR?”

She also said, “Finding out I was not invited back for S5 will always be a deep wound. It would have been a g8 honor/joy 2see Cordy thru to the very end. She should have been there 2 fights alongside the only family she had. Even if she was only there in spirit.”

72. James Marster’s Favourite Season To Play Spike Was Season 7

In an interview with the BBC James Marsters who plays Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer said that his favourite season to play Spike in was Season 7.

“Tough guy Spike was always the funnest, but I'm most proud of the more recent stuff, the last season, I think. It was a lot harder, but I think we got something that was maybe fresher than just watching somebody strut around and bite people!”

He said he liked Season 7 Spike because, “the best thing that he has come up with so far is that a lot of being human is about degradation and pain and humiliation. I think he's starting to understand that for the first time.”

73. James Marsters Described Bad Treatment On Buffy Also By Joss Whedon

On the “Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum” podcast, James Marsters discussed how his character in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Spike changed from a villain to love interest for Buffy Summers. According to him this is something Joss Whedon originally did not want for this show.

“I wasn’t designed to be a romantic character, but then the audience reacted that way to it. And I remember he backed me up against a wall one day and he was just like, ‘I don’t care how popular you are, kid, you’re dead. You hear me? Dead. Dead!’ And I was just like, ‘Uh, you know, it’s your football, man. OK.’”

Rosenbaum asked if Whedon was joking and he said "No, hell no. He was angry at the situation." James said that Joss was frustrated that Spike's popularity among the fans was different to his vision for the show

74. Juliet Landau and James Marsters Had Immediate Chemistry On Set

Drusilla appeared in a total of 24 Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel episodes and was played by Juliet Landau. Juliet said in an interview with the BBC that before auditioning she had “seen a couple of episodes of the show and thought it was really really interesting. I loved the whole idea of high school as a nightmare and using dark forces and taking that to the absolute extreme.”

She also said that she and James Marsters (Spike) had immediate chemistry. “I remember things starting in the audition that actually ended up making it into the episode. There was a moment when we're talking to the Anointed One and instead we got sort of lost in each other. Our heads came together, and then it was like "Yeah yeah yeah, I was talking to him," and we turned back. That actually was used as a promotional thing, that evil has a few new faces, and it really came out of a very true acting moment between the two of us.” This is their iconic scene!

75. Buffy And Angel Crossovers Were Mainly Done To Enhance Buffy And Angel’s Relationship

Doug Petrie, the Producer of Buffy The Vampire Slayer was quizzed in a BBC interview in Season 4 about crossing over the original show with the spin off Angel. Including what the purpose of the crossovers were, he said, “When we started doing Angel, the parameters of Buffy's world became much larger and we were very much experimenting. How often do you remind the viewers that the world is bigger?”

He went on to say that Buffy and Angel’s relationship was the driving factor, “you can't just shut off a great love like a waterfall. Angel will make appearances in Buffy's life, Riley will be jealous. Buffy will be confused and Angel will be confused.”

76. James Espenson Believes Buffy Was Ahead Of It’s Time

The brilliant Buffy The Vampire Slayer writer, Jane Espenson did an interview with the BBC and discussed how much of the plot is decided ahead of time, “Joss [Whedon] is amazing at planting things and realising how useful they’re going to be later on. Tara hiding some magic powder in Season Four - we didn’t pay off until Season Five. We knew when we were writing Triangle that that troll hammer was going to be important in foiling Glory at the end of the season.”

She also mentioned the most famous of these examples in Doppelgängland, “In Doppelgängland, Willow is observing Evil Willow and she says, "I think she’s kind of gay". Joss didn’t know that was going to pay off later, that the Willow character in fact was gay but, sure enough, it paid off.”

77. Charisma Carpenter Only Had 15 Minutes To Prepare For Her Cordelia Audition

At the Buffy The Vampire Slayer auditions, Charisma Carpenter had originally planned to read for the role of Buffy Summers, but was late for her audition and instead tried for Cordelia.

Charisma Carpenter had dressed casually for the role of Buffy, who she believed "could really be herself". She felt unprepared to read for Cordelia because she "was definitely a character to dress for".

She had only fifteen minutes to prepare for the character but the producers were "really responsive" to her audition, and she left feeling confident she had got the part!

78. The Monster In ‘Shadow’ Was Meant To Be “Bug-like”

“Shadow” is episode 8 of Season 5. It was written by David Fury and first aired on November 21st 2000. Originally David Fury hoped the demon in this episode would be “amorphous, bug-like, something non-human looking” but it was Marti Noxon (Executive Producer) who came up with the idea to use a reptile and that Buffy would find it hiding in a reptile house.

It is also said that there are a few similarities between the ways Buffy strangled the demon with a chain and Princess Leia using a chain to strangle Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars Return Of The Jedi. Bet Joss Whedon is a Star Wars fan.

79. The Sunnydale High School Set Was The First To Be Demolished

According to Fandom, the set for the Sunnydale High School Library was the first of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer sets to be retired and demolished then it was The Magic Box, Angel Investigations and Wolfram & Hart. Interestingly the Library was one of only 3 sets to be created for Buffy Season 1 and it was stocked with real books!

The other sets in Season 1 were Buffy’s Bedroom and Angel’s Apartment. The Main Street of Sunnydale was only built in Season 3. When the new Sunnydale High School was rebuilt in later seasons its design stayed octagonal with a skylight but wasn’t placed directly over the Hellmouth as in Season 1. Instead Principal Wood’s office was built over it.

80. Kristine Sutherland Knew Joyce Would Die 2 Seasons Before She Did

“Listening To Fear” is episode 9 of Season 5 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the Scoobies are looking for an extraterrestrial demon. Buffy and Dawn are helping Joyce prepare for her brain surgery and this demon starts to target her and the Summer’s home. This is also the episode in which Joyce is told that Dawn is a key and not technically her daughter.

Kristine Sutherland told the BBC in an interview that she knew that she would be “killed off about two seasons before [they] shot it”.

“I thought it was a brilliant move on Joss’ part, although personally I would have liked to live forever. In terms of the journey of Buffy, in the end that is one of the final transitions of maturation is when you lose a parent. I thought in terms of the storyline that it was really terrific to explore that issue of losing a parent, of death itself, and coming to terms with. I liked that the fact that in the midst of people dying from vampires and demons, here was a death that was completely beyond control, even with superpowers. You can save the the world but you can’t save your parents”

81. Buffy Had Shorter Hair In Season 2 Due To Geller Filming Scream 2

“When She Was Bad” is the season premiere of Season 2 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and it was originally aired on TV on the 17th September in 1997. It pulled in 2.9 million viewers in the US and when repeated it reached a further 3.1 million households.

You’ll probably remember this episode as the one Buffy did that strange sexy dance with Xander. Xander comments in the dialogue about Buffy’s new and shorter hair. This is because Sarah Michelle Gellar had her hair styled differently for her appearance in Scream 2 which she had filmed in between Season 1 & 2 of Buffy.

This is the first episode Composer Christopher Beck debuts and he is responsible for the soundtrack including Sugar Water by Cibo Matto which is the song that plays in the Bronze during the dance scene.

82. Marc Blucas Was Originally Going To Be An NBA Player And A Lawyer Not An Actor

Marc Blucas who plays Riley Finn in Buffy The Vampire Slayer was born in Pennsylvania and originally wanted to get into the NBA before he turned to acting. He moved to England and played basketball with the Manchester Giants who were part of the British basketball league. After this he decided to become a lawyer but changed his mind and went into acting. As well as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Marc Blucas has starred in Pleasantville (1998), We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson, and Necessary Roughness (2011).

He was voted number 6 in the Top 10 Sexiest Men on Buffy The Vampire Slayer by the show’s fanzine in 2004.

1. Spike (James Marsters)

2. Angel (David Boreanaz)

3. Wesley (Alexis Denisof)

4. Xander (Nicholas Brendon)

5. Giles (Anthony Stewart Head)

6. Riley (Marc Blucas)

7. Oz (Seth Green)

8. Lindsey (Christian Kane)

9. Andrew (Tom Lenk)

10. Gunn (J. August Richards)

83. Britney Spears Was Meant To Play The Buffybot!

There have been many rumours that April the Robot in the episode “I Was Made To Love You” was written by Jane Espenson with Britney Spears in mind to play her. Joss Whedon admitted this was true in a TV Guide interview and said that both the Warren and Buffybot storyline and the character of April were created for Britney. She turned the part down because she didn’t want to be a “sex slave robot” but instead a character that hung out with the Scoobies Gang.

Britney Spears did go on to star in “How I Met Your Mother” with Alyson Hannigan in 2008 as Abby.

Jane Espenson said in a BBC interview that she loved the way the episode turned out regardless, “The young lady who played the robot was amazing. The scene where she freezes and her batteries run down I think is just stunning. Every time I look at it I’m like, "Did we freeze that picture? No her hair’s blowing." Looks really cool.”

84. Anthony Stewart Head Thought James Marsters British Accent Was Fantastic

In a 2003 Web Chat with the BBC Anthony Stewart Head who plays the Watcher Rupert Giles on Buffy The Vampire Slayer was asked what he thought of James Marster’s (Spike) English accent.

He said, “I think it's fantastic. I think he's a consummate actor. He's really really good, I think he's ridden it very well, and I'm very fond of him. We occasionally get to act together, and it's great fun.”

“They were originally looking for Sid Vicious (from The Sex Pistols), but the northern voice he did, I thought sounded great. I thought it made him sound well-travelled. I had to correct the pronunciation of the occasional word... one word they spelt 'bollix' But I said, "That's not the way it's pronounced!"”

85. Joss Whedon Didn’t Want The Vampires To Be “Sexy”

According to Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s James Marsters (Spike) it was not Joss Whedon’s idea to make Angel a love interest for Buffy.

Speaking to Michael Rosenbaum on his podcast ‘Inside of You’, James said that Whedon had a very specific view of how Vampires should be, “Joss felt that vampires should be ugly, they should be very quickly overcome. and they were not supposed to be sexy. He said, ‘I don’t like that Anne Rice crap.’ He got talked into one romantic interest vampire - that was Angel - it wasn’t his idea. That was the only one, that was the exception.”

86. Many Buffy Fans Found Dawn Too Whiny

Many Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans complained that Dawn was too whiny as a character in Season 5 and 6. In an interview with IGN, Joss Whedon said, "I scratched my head. I was like, ‘Excuse me, she's been abandoned by about six parental figures. The girl has huge issues.'"

However, he also said that he regretted not being able to go further with Dawn's character during Season 7. "You get into a situation that you do like to stand alone [but] ‘Dawn Goes on a Date' is not something that people would really sit for."

87. Buffy’s Season 6 Is About The Darker Sides Of Power

Joss Whedon spoke to TV Guide about the differences in Buffy Season 6 and the rest of the series, “there's the darker side of power and Buffy's guilt about her power and her feeling about coming back to the world. And her getting into a genuinely unhealthy relationship with Spike that was all about dominance, control and, ultimately, deep misogyny. How lost did we get? Well, our villain turned out to be Willow.”

88. Sara Michelle Gellar Believes Angel Is Buffy’s True Love

The brilliant Sarah Michelle Geller told the BBC in an interview around Season 5 how she feels about her character’s two main love interests in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

“There’s a part of me that will always believe that Angel is Buffy’s true love. That there will be a piece of her heart that will always be with him for the rest of her life. It doesn’t mean that’s the person that she’s meant to be with eternally.”

“The thing about Buffy and Spike is they understand each other on a level that nobody else understands her. They’ve both lived a hundred lives and I think there’s a connection there that we will see evolve over the next couple of years where she realizes that he really is someone that she can trust, someone that’s a companion to her and someone that really understands her unlike anybody else.”

89. Halfreck And Cecily Are Played By The Same Actor

The actor Kali Rocha who starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s season six as Anya’s vengeance Demon friend Halfreck had previously appeared in the cast. She appeared as Cecily in a flashback episode in season five and was the woman who rejected William The Bloody and his bloody awful poetry. This caused him to subsequently meet Drusilla and become the vampire Spike.

90. Charisma Carpenter Was Upset That The Angel Producers Killed Off Doyle

In a 2000 interview in Starlog Magazine, Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase) said she couldn’t ask the Angel producers about why Doyle was killed off in Season One of the show, "All I know is that I am sad. I was very sad to see Glenn go. Personally, there was a kinship. There is a friendship that forms when you work that many hours. He was very charismatic and jolly and just an all-around fun person to be with."

She went on to say why she felt that the Angel producers replaced Doyle with Wesley, "They went the exact opposite of Doyle. Doyle and Angel were a lot alike. They were both dark people with mysterious pasts. They were both half-demon. They were very similar. I was the ray of sunshine in this brooding, dark world, but now I think Wesley is part of that [sunshine]. I don't know if that was on purpose or not, but for the fans, if the lighter tone is what they wanted, then they got it in Wesley and myself."

91. The Company Mutant Enemy Was Named After Joss Whedon’s First Typewriter

“Mutant Enemy” is Joss Whedon’s Production company and was the name he gave to his first type writer when he was 15. When season one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer first aired, Joss was told that he needed the production company to have a logo so he ended up drawing the zombie that is seen at the end of every episode in 20 minutes. Joss Whedon also voiced the “Grr Argh” that plays at the end of every episode too.

As well as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel, Mutant Enemy also produced the web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the film The Cabin in the Woods and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

92. The Whole Of Season One Was Shot Before An Episode Went To Air

The entire first season off Buffy The Vampire Slayer was filmed before the first episode went to air, so the crew had the opportunity to go back and re-shoot various scenes if necessary. The scene in the library where Buffy says "it's my first day..." was actually filmed on the last day of shooting!

Another scene that was added late on to the pilot was the part where The Master blinds a vampire saying, "you have something in your eye.”

93. Buffy The Vampire Slayer Started Off Life As A Movie In 1992

Buffy The Vampire Slayer started off life as a movie in 1992 in which Buffy was played by Kristy Swanson (Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). Whilst an entertaining stand-alone feature, the film's director Fran Rubel Kuzui adapted Whedon’s original script from a ‘scary film about an empowered woman’ into ‘a pop culture comedy’ and Whedon has alluded to the film version losing its intended edge.

The 90s film adaptation of Buffy The Vampire Slayer featured Donald Sutherland as Merrick the Watcher who informs Buffy of her destiny, Rutger Hauer as Lothos a local Vampire King, and David Arquette as Benny a cynical school-boy who gets turned into a vampire.

The film's director Fran Rubel Kuzui and husband Kaz Kuzui are credited on the television version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer as Executive Producers on every episode despite never being involved in the creation of the show.

94. James Marsters Favourite Scene Is Where Spike Drapes Himself Over A Cross

In an interview with The AV Club, the actor James Marsters (Spike) discussed which Buffy scene was one of his most memorable to film.

He said, “There was a scene between Buffy and me in a church, and I think I ended up draping myself over a cross. I was very, very sad. [It was] a very dramatic scene. [Joss Whedon] didn’t direct it. He saw the footage and came up to me and he said, “That scene that was so important, your whole career-making scene? That sucks. It’s horrible. You kind of overacted. It’s not your fault. It was the direction. But it’s just so on the nose, and it’s just cringe-worthy.”

James went on to say that Joss Whedon helped redirect the scene to make it the one we know and love today!

95. Michelle Tractenberg Said Sarah Michelle Geller Was Like A Big Sister In Real Life

Ahead of Season 5 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Michelle Trachtenberg who plays Dawn Summers did a webcast with the BBC where she said that Sarah Michelle Gellar was actually like a real big sister to her on set, “I've known Sarah for seven or eight years, since All My Children, and in the years I've known her she's really grown as a person and a professional. We have a lot of fun together, and I think we have a lot of chemistry when we're in scenes together. I hope you guys see that too. When on set, if I ever have a cold, she brings me tea and throat lozenges - stuff to make me feel better. She's a great person.”

96. Glory Was Originally Called Cherie!

Clare Kramer plays the Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 5 Big Bad Glory. In an interview with the BBC in 2003, Clare said that the role was originally called Cherie instead of Glory! She said she went in for her audition and, “there was no character description, no hint as to how this person was going to tie into the script or the storyline or anything at all. I got the two pages and thought "Well why not?" I'd heard good things about the show, so just went in, auditioned, did what I felt was interesting and worked with the material!”

Clare also said she only found out more about the character of Glory week by week which sounds hard when you’re trying to get into a role! “It was an evolving character throughout the season and I would figure out the details per script. So, for example, when it was announced that Glory was a god to the audience, reading that script was the first time I found out.”

97. Chloe Is The Only Potential Slayer Living At Buffy’s To Not Be Mentioned In ‘Potential’

“Potential” is the 12th episode of Season 7 and is the 134th episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer all together. This is the first episode in which the Potential Slayers start their new training regime with Buffy and Spike. Chloe is the only Potential Slayer currently living at the Summers house who misses this episode, not appearing or being mentioned in the entire episode.

98. James Marsters Has Said Joss Whedon Wasn’t Interesting In Keeping The Audience Safe

James Marsters (Spike in Buffy The Vampire Slayer) spoke to SciFiNow earlier in the year about what it was like working on the show and performing Joss Whedon’s vision.

Interestingly he said that he found the role often challenging, “What was hard is that Joss is not interested in keeping the audience safe. He’s not interested characters that are always happy and so if you really give your heart over to the role, which I did, it can hurt you. There were times I was afraid of reading the next script for what Joss was going to make me feel in the next week. So, in that way it was very terrifying.”

“Normally in a television show, you know what kind of things you’re going to be asked to do, but with Joss you really have no idea what you’re going to be put through, or what you’re going to put yourself through in order to get that on film.”

99. Joss Whedon Said He Would Have Failed If No One Cried At The Season 7 Finale

While speaking to the BBC, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon discussed how he and the writers come up with plot arcs, “I tend to plot the major story points, sometimes in conversation with the writers and usually by myself. Say I figured out that so-and-so will have an affair with so-and-so then at the beginning of every year I sort of map it out and figure out the basic steps when this is going to happen and who write that script.”

He also spoke about his intentions for season seven finale, “If nobody cries at any of the final show then I’ve definitely failed. It’s really emotional –you’re supposed to laugh, cry and gasp with excitement - as well as take away a beautiful feminist message. Loads of those things should be happening!”

100. The Trio Were Based On The Buffy The Vampire Slayer Writers!

Adam Busch (Warren), Danny Strong (Jonathan), and Tom Lenk (Andrew) took part in an online chat with the BBC at the end of the sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and answered questions from fans. Including...

What was it like appearing in unaired Buffy pilot? Danny Strong said, “The cast were unknown is during the pilot but by the time I went back they were all famous. Really busy schedules. You’re shooting an hour movie in eight days. It’s crazy!”

What is your favourite Buffy episode? Strong said his is “Dead Things. When we killed Katrina, I was an innocent bystander. It all turned around, it’s all very serious and dark and it was great to do that one. Least favourite was the episodes that we weren’t in!”

The trio also discussed how the characters were supposedly based on the Buffy writers!

Thanks for reading "The Ultimate List Of 100 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Facts" on January Media.