Analysis -- Buffy The Vampire

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a difficult media to classify into one genre. An obvious classification of the programme¡¦s genre would be horror; but this isn¡¦t entirely true, because the show has more concepts and themes that a horror movie would, and deals with more issues as well. The show uses elements contained in the more fantasy-orientated horror movies (such as Dracula): these include mythological beings such as vampires, demons and zombies; things that aren¡¦t always contained in horror movies. In the episode ¡§Dead Man¡¦s Party¡¨, the show deals primarily with the undead (a vampire appears near the beginning of the episode, and has very little effect on the story). Mythology is also applied in the form of a Nigerian mask, which raises the dead. Mythology has not always been applied in horror movies that use such creatures, but most movies that use these creatures (especially those containing vampires) almost always follow several rules. Examples of such rules are:

„h A vampire cannot enter a home unless invited first ¡V afterwards they are forever welcome.
„h Vampires can not come into contact with direct sunlight.
„h The only way to kill a vampire is to penetrate its heart with a stake.

These rules are also applied in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and some others are devised in order to enhance storylines. This would associate Buffy the Vampire Slayer with the horror genre, although there is more to the show than vampires: there are situations involving teenage angst (especially in the given episode, because it deals with the consequences of Buffy running away from home). Some people have likened Buffy the Vampire Slayer to a hybrid of Dracula and Beverly Hills 90210, which might be an accurate description ¡V the show does contain elements of a horror movie and tries to include situations experienced in a teenage soap (the characters attend high-school and experience friendship and love).

Mise en scene in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is usually quite similar in each episode, and ¡§Dead Man¡¦s Party¡¨ isn¡¦t really an exception to this belief. The settings used are Buffy¡¦s house (located in a middle-class suburb), the school corridors and library, and Giles¡¦ apartment. The behaviour of the actors, in terms of humour, is often cynical and sarcastic, and though most characters share this, it does vary depending on each character. There are times when th...

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...hin Giles that we see in ¡§Dead Man¡¦s Party¡¨ is that he doesn¡¦t use an electric kettle ¡V instead he boils water on the stove. Xander¡¦s role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is to provide humour, though this is done by almost all of the characters, however, Xander does it in abundance. Oz is there for similar reasons to Xander. Willow is seen as the studious girl, whose involvement with Buffy complicates her life. There is also Cordelia, who is the opposite of Willow (Cordelia is more of a ¡¥cheerleader¡¦ type girl), yet her association with Buffy has the same effect on her life too. The character of Angel in ¡§Dead Man¡¦s Party¡¨ is used to represent Buffy¡¦s guilt towards what happened to Angel ¡V Angel only appears in Buffy¡¦s dreams.
The narrative in Buffy the Vampire Slayer flows rather easily, but the story has to be interpreted by the viewer ¡V there are no voice-overs or flashbacks to explain events (past or present). The only disruption in the flow of the story would be the dream sequence. The importance of this sequence is unknown, and it may just represent Buffy¡¦s anxiety about returning to her life in Sunnydale, and Angel¡¦s presence may just show that she misses him.

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