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Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Welcome To The Hellmouth - The Harvest [VHS]

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This is where the television series began and picks up more or less
where the movie left off. You can start here, you don't need to have
seen the original movie. All you need to know is that Buffy is the
current slayer and that a slayer is someone given special superhuman
powers that enables them to fight the supernatural in all their
forms.

Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has been brought from her old
school (in the movie) to the town of Sunnydale by her mother for a new
start, unfortunately it turns out that as luck (or design would have
it), Sunnydale is built on a gate to hell called the Hellmouth. This
sets the premise for the show, in that frequently various monsters are
attracted to the presence of the Hellmouth and cause all kinds of
mayhem each week.

This tape is the first two episodes of the first
series. It introduces and brings the major characters together for the
first time: Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), Buffy's new watcher
and doubling (as cover) as the school librarian, Xander (Nicholas
Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan), two of the people so far on the
outer of the in crowd they might as well be in another solar system
and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), very much part of the in crowd and
someone that the rest of the group continually cross swords
with.

This two part opener is fairly straightforward, it introduces
the Season 1 villain, The Master (Mark Metcalf) who is trapped
underground....
...his henchmen led by Luke (Brian Thompson - best known as the
shapeshifting alien bounty hunter from the X-Files) and Darla (Julie
Benz)...

This
is a great start to the television series and it is amazing how the
actors have portrayed their characters so well from the very first
episode. It also sets the tone of the show, in that not only is there
frequent battles with monsters but also having to deal with high
school, classes, the principal and people who just don't like you
because you're not in the 'in crowd' at the same time.

This tape is
a great introduction to the show and makes a great gift to introduce
the show to anyone who hasn't seen it before, with a great mix of
humour and action. ....

Anyway, as I said these two episodes are better than most
movies made and chances are if you like this sort of thing, you will
especially like this. Hopefully, you will also want to keep following
the show as it is also actually one of the most skillfully written and
insightful shows around at the moment as well.

Highly recommended.

To the newer fans who can't remember Cordelia as popular, Giles as a librarian or the wrath of the Master, this video of the first two episodes of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" offers an enthousiastic glimpse of what's yet to come.

Buffy has already been slaying vampires for some time as "Welcome to the Hellmouth" begins and, after adults perceive her actions as part of a violent attitude, she moves to Sunnydale to start her life over. Despite Buffy's determination to retire from slaying, the new watcher Giles convinces her of Sunnydale's proxmity to the Hellmouth and the importance of fighting the Master. After the story background has been introduced and Willow, Xander and Buffy become friends, "The Harvest" illustrates the newfound importance of their fighting team against the forces of evil. Also, the story introduces Buffy's mother, Joyce, and her first meeting with the mysterious Angel.

Don't miss the interview with creator Joss Whedon just before the episodes air (I recommend watching them after you see both shows). This is a wonderful introduction to establish Buffy's reasons for slaying and the foundation of the soon-to-be Scooby gang!

In "Welcome to the Hellmouth" Buffy Summers moves to Sunnydale in the wake of that unfortunate incident where the gym burned down (an allusion to the climax of the film version, which you certainly do not need to see to appreciate these episodes). She yearns for a normal life, but suddenly she is confronted with a new Watcher, a mysterious dark stranger named Angel, and the little known fact that Sunnydale is located on the Hellmouth, a demon portal of the first order. At the present time the big bad in town is the Master, a vampire lord trapped below and waiting for his time to rise up, kill the Slayer, destroy the human race, etc. However, the most important element for redefining Whedon's vision is the creation of the Scooby Gang of Willow, Xander and (later) Cordelia. The master metaphor here is that High School is Hell, and it is the Scoobies that help bring that out the most and gives the Buffy storyline added depth.

"The Harvest" picks up right where Part One left off, with Buffy about to get the bite from Luke, the Master's right hand vamp. The title refers to a rather special night where the Master selects a vessel who will go out and feed upon the Sunnydale night life with all that power being transferred to the big bad guy trapped down below. The mystery of Angel is played out a bit more, but the most important thing is that this is merely round one in what would prove to be a season long battle between the Slayer and the Master.

Joss Whedon did not like the campy twist his script was given in the theatrical version of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and this two-part pilot episode for the television series reaffirms the correctness of his original twist on the girl who beats up the monsters that attack her in the dark alleyway. For those of you who love this television series from the start or are going back to find out how all the merriment began, this is definitely your starting point. It provides a solid foundation for the series and holds up extremely well, better than most pilot episodes do several years down the road.

I have been a big fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer since about the middle of first season. I did not get to see how she arrived in Sunnydale or how she befriended Xander and Willow. Also the introduction to Angel was a sight to behold as well. "She is the Slayer..." as Giles put it and this video proves it so. I'm glad these shows have been put to videotape for all to relive and enjoy the series. I plan to collect all of them!!

This insight into the beginning of Buffy the Vampire Slayer The Series, could not have been any better done. It sets up the whole idea of what Buffy has to do, and it introduces all the main characters perfectly. Anyone who has not been introduced to the wonders and humour of Buffy should a least rent this video to be enlightened on this marvel, and those who are already fans should without a doubt own this.

Buffy summers our intrepid heroin arrives in sunnydale, the hellmouth for the first time, and as well as having to slay vampires (for she is the chosen one), she has the even herder task of making friends!This is a good clear series opener, giving us all the details about Buffy and the Series basis. There is action, humour and Sarah michelle gellar looking stunning as always! Buy this video! It is by no means the best episode, but no Buffy fan should be without this feature length opener. ENJOY!

Good set-up to the series, we will watch this again and again. Joss Whedon is a genius, and the cast has improved greatly, but showed promise from the start.

I'm from the UK and I bought this video the day it came out, and I think it's brill. It catches the life of the slayer in true Buffy style and with the help of Willow, goofy Xander and a 240 year old vampire to die for, how can you not like it? Take it from a true Buffy fan, BUY IT!!!!!

Buffy the vampire slayer is my favorite show! David Boreanez is my favorite actor! This video is my favorite of all the others!