Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a bona fide cult classic. The hit television series, which ran for seven seasons and culminated in the epic Season 7 finale, “Chosen,” has just as big a following today as it did when it aired on the small screen between 1997–2003.
Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, a teen who’s chosen to become a “Vampire Slayer” and fend off the forces of evil in her hometown Sunnydale, the teen drama/horror series based on the 1992 film of the same name (also created by Joss Whedon), had a huge cultural impact, becoming one of the most influential television shows of a generation and a true pop culture phenomenon not unlike Netflix’s sci-fi teen-horror series Stranger Things.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Lives On
Though there have been several attempts to exhume the property for a new generation over the years, all have turned to dust. But do we need a new Buffy, or can we just stick to the original series and forget the idea of a reboot altogether? After all, there’s plenty of material to sink our teeth into — and we’re not just talking about all 150 episodes of the show.
Not only did Buffy spawn the equally popular spinoff show Angel (1999 — 2004), which starred David Boreanaz as the titular vampire, but its stories continue in other media.
In more recent years, the franchise has been brought back from the dead for the YA novel titled “In Every Generation” (2022) and the Audible story “Slayers: A Buffyverse Story” (2023), which saw the return of several actors from the TV series. Watch the trailer below:
Related: Disney May Have Already Found Its New Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Now, per Fangoria, Buffy is set to make a surprising return once again.
Fans who live in Chicago will be thrilled to know that Bucket Listers Presents is bringing Buffy the Vampire Slayer back for an all-new pop-up experience based directly on the iconic television series from the ’90s just in time for Halloween.
Dubbed “Buffy: The Slayer Experience,” the temporary attraction will open its Hellmouth at Whiskey Business in “the windy city” on September 20, eventually — and appropriately — coinciding with with “Vampires Vs. Slayers 90’s Halloween Party” on Saturday, October 26, which sounds like another blood-sucking experience worth sinking your teeth into.
“Join the Scooby Gang and step into the world of Buffy,” the official website says, describing the “immersive” event as being “a combination of equal parts cocktail bar, restaurant, training ground and haunted house décor, molded into a one of a kind, over-the-top evening,” adding that it will be “a true celebration of all things Buffy.”
The experience will also feature re-created areas of the high school Sunnydale High such as the iconic library — home to librarian and Watcher, Rupert Giles (Anthony Head) — and “the dark depths of the treacherous Hellmouth” that resides beneath the school in Season 1–3.
Guests will also get the chance to prove their Slayer-skills via “wooden stake-throwing lanes” and even fight “a gang of vampire scattered throughout the rooftop Restfield Cemetery.”
“Whether you’re a fan of Buffy or a fan of Halloween, this is the perfect spooky destination for the season!” the description adds. While, of course, this event is limited only to Chicago, we may see it “pop up” elsewhere in the future, as is often the case with experiences based on massive franchises, such as the increasingly popular Jurassic World: The Exhibition.
Will Buffy the Vampire Slayer Ever Be Rebooted?
With the IP currently residing under Disney, it remains to be seen whether any sort of Buffy the Vampire Slayer experience will ever pop up at the Disney Parks.
As for a reboot, iconic country singer Dolly Parton, who was a producer on the original series, said earlier this year that there’s a project of some kind in early development.
Either way, Sarah Michelle Gellar is unlikely to return. Last year, when asked about the likelihood of returning to the world of Buffy, the star said she would prefer for a continuation to pick up where Season 7 ended — which introduced several “potential Slayers to the fold — and focus on a brand-new lead character instead of Buffy Summers.
While the Audible story “Slayers: A Buffyverse Story” sees the return of several actors from the series such as Amber Benson as Tara Maclay, and James Marsters as Spike, it takes place in an alternate reality where Buffy doesn’t exist and, as such, revolves around a new Slayer.
Buffy: The Slayer Experience starts on September 20. Visit the official website for more information.
All seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are now streaming on Disney+ and Paramount+. The series stars Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Anthony Head (Rupert Giles), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Seth Green (Oz), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Eliza Dushku (Faith), and James Marsters (Spike).
Would you like to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer the series return to TV? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!