The original embattled Buffy creator Joss Whedon ended up highly dissatisfied with the final filmed version of his Buffy the Vampire Slayer script, which of course served as the impetus for Whedon to later lobby for another crack at the material on the small screen. Still, for all of Whedon's issues, the 1992 Buffy movie has developed a sizable cult fanbase over the years.
One of the biggest differences between the Buffy movie and TV show is that the movie is a lot sillier, and really never feels that dramatic, or that the stakes are high. The TV show, on the other hand, had Buffy avert multiple apocalypses, and while there was plenty of humor included, it wasn't at the expense of the story being told. Unexpected characters could and did die - infamously including Buffy's mom Joyce in season 5 - turn evil, or undergo some other kind of strange metamorphosis at any time, even Buffy eventually.
Silly or not though, for the right viewer, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie holds within it less than 90 minutes of briskly paced and breezy comedic horror fare. Kristy Swanson and the late Luke Perry played the leads, with both at or near the peak of their fame as 1990s staples. Elsewhere in the cast though, lots of people who were still waiting for their big breakthrough turned up for a scene or two. Here are all the future stars from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie.
Ben Affleck
Star of The Flash.
Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank gets a ing role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1992, playing Kimberly Hannah, one of Buffy's stuck-up best friends from the cheer squad. Swank's Kimberly is a pretty terrible person, insulting others on a constant basis, only thinking of herself, and later even stupidly inviting some of the vampires into the school dance because they were seniors. She also votes to send Buffy out to the rest of the bloodsuckers to try and spare her own life. Naturally, the vampires don't keep their end of the bargain. Swank would go on to gain fame in The Next Karate Kid and on directed by Clint Eastwood.
David Arquette
David Arquette appears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1992 as Benny, best friend to Luke Perry's Pike, at least before he's turned into a vampire and made one of the lead underlings of master monster Lothos (Rutger Hauer). The two friends later battle after the vampires invade the dance. Arquette has gone on to be a hugely prolific performer, popping up in over 100 movies and shows. He's probably best known for playing Dewey in the Scream franchise and actually embarked on a notable independent pro wrestling career in recent years, as a seeming make-good for his much-maligned winning of the WCW world championship in 2000. Perhaps one day he'll appear in AEW alongside CM Punk and Bryan Danielson. His late sister Alexis also made an uncredited cameo as a vampire DJ in Buffy 1992.
Thomas Jane
Thomas Jane plays Zeph in Buffy 1992, the owner of the mechanic shop where Pike works. It was a small role, and one of the earliest for Jane, although by the late-1990s he'd be booking bigger gigs like Boogie Nights, The Thin Red Line, and The Punisher: Dirty Laundry. More recently, he appeared as Joe Miller on the sci-fi show The Expanse.
Seth Green
Seth Green has a very brief appearence in Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1992 as a vampire taken down by Buffy. He filmed more material for the movie, but it was cut, although the image above amusingly made it to the back of the home video box. Green would of course go on to play the fan-favorite role of Oz the werewolf on the Buffy TV show, making him the only Buffy movie actor to play a major role on the show. An actor, producer, writer, and director, Green has been acting since he was a kid, famously appearing as young Robot Chicken, among dozens of other movie and TV projects.
Ricki Lake
Ricki Lake makes her own short, uncredited appearance in Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1992, playing Charlotte, a waitress at a bar Pike and Benny visit. As an actress, Lake never really topped her first movie role in the 1988 musical The Masked Singer in 2019.
