Slayers & Vampires by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman is the complete uncensored, unauthorized oral history of Buffy and Angel.
About ‘Slayers & Vampires’
Two decades after its groundbreaking debut, millions of fans worldwide remain enthralled with the incredible exploits of Joss Whedon’s Buffy Summers, the slayer and feminist icon who saved the world…a lot; as well as Angel, the tortured vampire with a soul who fought against the apocalyptic forces of evil.
Now, go behind-the-scenes of these legendary series that ushered in the new Golden Age of Television, with the candid recollections of writers, creators, executives, programmers, critics and cast members. Together they unveil the oftentimes shocking true story of how a failed motion picture became an acclaimed cult television series, how that show became a pawn between two networks, and the spin-off series that was as engaging as everything that came before.
This is the amazing true story of Buffy and the friends, vampires, slayers, and demons who changed television forever.
The authors talked to almost 100 writers, producers, directors, filmmakers, sociologists and stars from Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel in new and vintage interviews from their personal archives, among them:
Joss Whedon
Guillermo del Toro
Felicia Day
Anthony Stewart Head
Charisma Carpenter
James Marsters
David Boreanaz
Amy Acker
J. August Richards
Eliza Dushku
Christian Kane
Julie Benz
And More!
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‘Slayers & Vampires’ book review
There’s no doubt that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an iconic piece of television that has withstood the tests of times. Angel follows quickly on its heels, and even though it had less of an impact on popular culture, it’s still part of the same universe created by Joss Whedon, and therefore breeds the same kind of respect.
It’s one of the main reasons why we decided to spend two and a half years rewatching both series on our ReWatchable podcast, with newbies and superfans discussing a pair of episodes each week. (We’re also giving away five copies of this book. Details here.)
Slayers & Vampires coincides with the recent 20th anniversary of the show’s premiere, which caused quite a bit of hoopla and spoiled more than one newbies of our podcast. The book gathers both old and new interviews and puts them in one place, taking you on a journey from Buffy‘s initial inception to what kind of impact it’s made on the world 20 years later.
In a way, the timing is both a blessing and a curse. The 20th anniversary makes Buffy more relevant than ever and a lack of strong female protagonists on television has a lot of viewers nostalgic for the show.
On the other hand, recent confessions by Kai Cole, Whedon’s ex-wife, have many people changing their tune when singing Whedon’s praises. A close inspection of his previous work does raise some interesting questions, and Cole’s essay seems to be the answer.
Indeed, Slayers & Vampires‘ first sentence is, “Make no mistake, Joss Whedon is a god.” Those who feel disenfranchised by Whedon may roll their eyes and make a hard pass on the book. But if you’re still a fan of Buffy, which remains a milestone in TV history despite its creator’s personal history, I urge you to move beyond the Whedon altar erected in the first few pages and jump directly into the meat of this book.
The tome is over 500 pages long and comes with exactly zero pictures. Still, most of the blurbs from each interviewee are short and easy to consume. Each section tells a cohesive story, despite the fact that there could be 20 different people speaking in each chapter across the last 20 years. Kudos to the authors for wrangling this material.
If you’re a die hard fan, it’s likely you’ve heard most of this story before. You may even be able to peg when some of these interviews took place. Then again, if you know the oral history that well, I can’t imagine you won’t be intrigued by the possibility of learning even more about the backstory of these series and how the legend of the shows have grown in the interim.
Despite the opening line, the book does not pander to its audience. The actors in particular speak rawly of their time on these shows. Eliza Dushku talks candidly about the situation surrounding her emancipation from her mother in order to portray Faith on Buffy. James Marsters reiterates what he’s said many times before (and recently to us, in an exclusive interview) about “Seeing Red,” and how difficult that was for him to shoot. The writers confess their favorite and least favorite moments.
If you’re new to Buffy and Angel, it should be obvious to steer clear of a book like this for spoiler reasons. Once you’ve finished both series, however, and are interested in delving into the behind-the-scenes action, this is certainly a great place to start. It will walk you through all the major moments in each show and give you an idea of why Whedon’s creation has made such an impact.
For superfans, Slayers & Vampires isn’t here to rehash what happened on the show; it’s here to give you an idea of what was going on inside the minds of the cast and creators while the show was in production. Rewatching the show, as you’re wont to do, will therefore be a much richer, more fulfilling experience after reading Slayers & Vampires.
About the authors
Edward Gross is an author and journalist, currently Executive Editor of Empire Magazine Online and co-author of the bestselling The Fifty-Year Mission, the definitive oral history of Star Trek, from St. Martin’s Press.
Mark A. Altman is a film and television writer/producer who most recently was Co-Executive Producer of TNT’s hit series, The Librarians. He co-authored The Fifty Year Mission with Edward Gross.