Analysis -- Buffy the Vampire
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