Reviews
‘Slayers: A Buffyverse Story’ is the Comeback We’ve All Been Waiting For
Buffy the Vampire Slayer may have ended over 20 years ago, but for fans of the show, it’s still something to be discussed at length. Look at the comments on any post about one of Buffy’s boyfriends, and you’re bound to find some intense discussions. Look at the comments on any post any actor from the show does on social media, and you’ll see plenty of folks bringing up the show. Rarely is there an interview with Sarah Michelle Gellar where the show isn’t mentioned.
So, it’s no surprise fans were so excited to learn there was an audio drama being released that brought back many of the original actors from the series. And, as someone who runs a Buffy podcast called Slayerfest98, I’m “fans”.
“I talk about slayers so much the kids at school call me slayer but…in like, a mocking way” –Indira Nunnally
Slayers: A Buffyverse Story had no small task of pleasing die-hard fans of the show while still being accessible to casual and new fans alike. But it achieves all of this thanks to the stellar writing of Amber Benson and Christopher Golden. Golden is known for having written numerous Buffy novelizations back in the day, while Benson is known for playing the beloved, doomed witch Tara Maclay in the series.
After years of rumors about the show returning (it’s not) and comics that are or aren’t canon, we finally have something with the original actors returning that isn’t a Comic Con panel or a reunion photoshoot (all of which are also fun). It doesn’t bring back the titular role. Still, it gets pretty damn close—we get beloved vampire hottie Spike (James Marsters), Sunnydale Queen Bee Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter), surrogate father watcher Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), everyone’s favorite former vengeance demon Anya (Emma Caulfield-Ford), friendly wrinkly kitten eating demon Clem (James C Leary), unhinged evil vampire Drusilla (Juliet Landau), and lesbian witch Tara Maclay (Amber Benson) all back, alongside some special surprise guests and newcomers, for some top tier vampire slayer antics.
I would be remiss if I mentioned newcomers and didn’t talk about the incredibly charming Laya DeLeon Hayes as newly called slayer, Indira Nunnally.
“Boom, guess what bitches, Indira Nunnally is a slayer now—suck it,” –Indira Nunnally
Indira is both the heart of the series and the voice of the fandom. She’s a fangirl at heart—she recognizes Spike pretty quickly, and their relationship is very reminiscent of the surrogate father relationship the blonde vampire had with Buffy’s little sister, Dawn Summers (Michelle Trachtenberg), on the show. She feels exactly like a slayer we would’ve met on Buffy or Angel—Spike even calls her on said slayer-ness numerous times. She feels fun and fresh, a new slayer that could lead her own spin-off. A slayer for 2023.
The series is set in the present-day Buffyverse and an alternate universe during the present-day Buffyverse, where Buffy never existed. However, Anya, Tara, and Cordelia are all still alive (I guess Cordy should’ve stuck with her wish in season 3’s The Wish). Having these beloved characters back feels like a nice warm hug. They have been allowed to age and grow without fully changing who they are—almost all of them being instantly recognizable the moment they speak (oddly, Giles being the one I didn’t recognize right away). The alt-universe versions of our scoobies also are an interesting take—they’re clearly different but still speak like the characters we know and love. And, I mean, freakin’ Cordelia the Vampire Slayer.
“I’m not the Cordelia you knew” – Cordelia Chase
We all know how Cordelia was turned evil, then put into a coma and brought back for 1 episode on Angel, only to die in such a tragic way that I still cry about it. But crying over your favorite character dying on Buffy or Angel 20+ years later is not that uncommon. I mean, hello Anya, Tara, Jenny Calendar, Fred, Darla, et al. But creating an alternate reality where Cordelia is the chosen one is such a brilliant idea. It feels like a love letter to the fans for allowing this to happen and getting Charisma Carpenter back in the role. This is something that’s made with love and care—something Amber Benson is known for.
It’s not the Cordelia we know, but she still makes comments about her hair, fashion, and has no problem giving a casual read.
“Are you like Spike, Spike? Like Summers, Rosenberg, Giles Spike?” –Indira Nunnally
I’m someone who loves checking in with beloved characters years later. I love getting a little bit of “Where are they now?”. Linda Hamilton coming back as Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise 20+ years later? Sign me up! Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox coming back to the Scream franchise after 10 years? Heck yes! Jamie Lee Curtis returning to the Halloween franchise? Absolutely!
So it’s nice to see which of our scoobies got their happy endings and which are still fighting the good fight. Spike is, of course, begrudgingly still in the fight—it makes sense that blondie bear wouldn’t be okay just settling down and working a 9 to 5 (although for a vampire, it’d be more like 5 to 9, I guess). And James Marsters, unsurprisingly, doesn’t miss a beat sliding back into the role. He is the series’ main character and sometimes narrator and has never been better. He allows you to, once again, forget he doesn’t actually have a British accent.
The series is a return to form for the Buffyverse and not to be missed. It feels like checking in with an old friend you haven’t seen in years—in the best way possible. The format can be a little jarring if you’ve never listened to an audio drama before (or if you have ADD like me), but it’s so easy to get the hang of it in this pitch-perfect series.
Catch episode-by-episode coverage over on the Slayerfest98 podcast, and be sure to get your copy of Slayers: A Buffyverse Story when it releases on Audible on October 12, 2023!
A Hostage Plot With Deadly Consequences
Philip Hopkins (Lance Holcomb) is a strange kid who seems to prefer critters, both tiny and slimy, over kids his own age. And his debilitating asthma doesn’t help much. His mother, Ruth (Cornelia Sharpe), has to leave town for a few days. She leaves Philip in the care of their housemaid, Louise (Susan George), and his grandfather, Howard (Sterling Hayden). But things go off the rails when the family driver, Dave (Oliver Reed), reveals he and Louise have some deadly tricks up their sleeves. Unfortunately for them, a mix-up at a local animal store leads to an even deadlier trick up Philip’s sleeve.
Venom Provides A Unique Take on Snake Horror Inside the Home
Snake horror has typically kept audiences in a jungle or woodland setting, so finding ourselves trapped inside with a Black Mamba is different and unique. But the constant cutting back and forth between the antagonists and the hapless police commander cuts much of the edge out of the film, which is a shame. Venom is penned by Robert Carrington, whose Wait Until Dark opened my eyes to how different types of horror can be effective. Carrington weaponized blindness and trust in a way that frightened me to my core. Knowing that he was the scriptwriter made me feel like I was in for a chamber piece of slimy terror. While Venom still managed to chill me, I’m left wondering what could have been had the film stuck to a singular location.
Standout Performances Drive the Tension in Venom
The true magic of Venom comes not from the snake, but from two of the co-leads. Klaus Kinski and Oliver Reed grab this film’s pacing by the throat and keep it in a chokehold. Kinski plays Jacmel as a snake. He slithers his way around in a calculating way, ready to attack with his venomous “bite” at the drop of a hat. In comparison, Reed plays Dave, almost, as a Kuklinski-like villain. Reed takes no prisoners and wants to leave no one alive. The way these two clash, even though they’re after the same thing, provides one of the most fascinating performances in horror history. (Yes, I know Klaus Kinski is a genuinely bad person.)
One of the first YouTube channels I both subscribed to and ‘clicked the bell’ for was Crypt TV. Alongside Omeleto (which came shortly after), Crypt TV regularly and proudly pushed incredible, independent, short-form genre content into my feed. And I would always eat it up. For those curious, Crypt TV is still platforming wonderful horror for those cool cats out there who love horror. The latest short film to find a home on their channel is a nifty, slightly absurdist, slightly liminal, (and shot on 35mm!) all-around haunting piece of horror called Housewife. Spoiler alert, it’s worth your time.
A Bloody Accident Sparks the Horror in Housewife
Housewife follows Julia (Shannon Collis), who accidentally cuts her finger while tidying up and bleeds on a long-forgotten dollhouse. Life gets flipped upside down when Julia’s blood becomes one with the dollhouse.
I have covered tons of short films as singular pieces and in blocks. Short films, I’ve always said, are the cornerstone of horror. In a quantitative sense, more creativity has cumulatively shone in short films than in features (that I have seen). Housewife continues that streak. Its premise is simple, but not in a way that feels underwritten. Writer/directors Greta Guthrie and Jake Lazarow’s short film, based on Miranda Parkin’s original character, is as impactful as it is frightening.
A Refreshing and Terrifyingly Original Creature Concept
Post-Bakemono, I was worried that I may have seen it all. At the end of the day, how many original ideas can be left? Parkin’s character is beyond unique; it’s a nightmare I never thought I would have. The idea of a doll house coming to life doesn’t sound scary one bit. Parkin, Guthrie, and Lazarow proved me wrong. Assuming that Housewife is a proof of concept, which, if it’s not, it damn well should be, they have set themselves up for nothing but success.
When it comes to shorts going feature, budgeting must come into play. Many short films create worlds and characters that are too big for the producer types who use short films as potential investments. Housewife’s creature is wildly creative, scary, and great for a low-budget/indie feature. Parkin’s creature checks, as stated earlier, an absurdist and liminal box at the same time, while being easily scalable to a feature-length capacity.
A New Nightmare You Can Watch Now on Crypt TV
Housewife is intriguing, frightening, unique, and all around fun. There’s something special about being introduced to a new fear. And Parkin’s creature has now dug its way deep into my subconscious. The unfortunate thing about short films, usually, is that I can talk about them…but they’re not available to watch. Have no fear, Crypt TV is here! Housewife can be seen over on the Crypt TV YouTube channel so that you, too, can find a new nightmare.
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