Is The 1992's Buffy The Vampire Slayer Movie Considered Canon?

While The WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer is regarded as one of the best teen shows to ever air on television, all thanks to Joss Whedon's ingenious writing and character development and the iconic lead performance of Sarah Michelle Gellar, the same cannot be said for the 1992 version of Buffy.

Yes, even though most fans have no idea, Whedon actually wrote the movie version of Buffy five years before the series premiered, but the project turned out to be a big bummer.

The movie starred Kristy Swanson as Buffy and featured an impressive supporting cast including Luke Perry, Rutger Hauer, Paul Reubens, Hilary Swank, and Donald Sutherland. That, however, didn't stop the film from being a huge commercial and critical failure. But is it actually canon?

Not Whedon's Vision

While some fans were quick to dismiss the film as Whedon's failed attempt to create Buffy, the truth is much more complex. While the creator hates the movie and blames Hollywood for ruining his original story, it seems that he still recognizes Buffy's script as canon.

'It didn't turn out to be the movie that I had written. They never do, but that was my first lesson in that. Not that the movie is without merit, but I just watched a lot of stupid wannabe-star behavior and a director with a different vision than mine — which was her right, it was her movie — but it was still frustrating,' Whedon commented on the movie's failure.

A Nod to the Original Script

As we all know, the very first episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer features a scene in which the main character tells her high school principal that she burned out a gym full of vampires at her previous school. And while that scene was not in the 1992 movie, it was actually part of Whedon's original script for the film, which was later changed by director Fran Rubel Kuzui.

So considering this intended reference, it looks like the movie's script should be considered canon, but the movie itself is not. Pretty confusing, right?