"Welcome to the Hellmouth" | |
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode | |
Julie Benz as the vampire Darla in her first appearance. This sequence, in which the "helpless girl" turns out to be the threat, is used to subvert the obvious cliches in horror movies.
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Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Charles Martin Smith |
Written by | Joss Whedon |
Cinematography by | Michael Gershman |
Production code | 4V01 |
Original air date | March 10, 1997 |
Running time | 43 minutes |
Guest appearance(s) | |
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"Welcome to the Hellmouth" is the series premiere of the supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This episode and "The Harvest" were originally aired as a two-part series premiere on The WB on March 10, 1997. The episode was written by the series creator and executive producer Joss Whedon, and directed by Charles Martin Smith. "Welcome to the Hellmouth" received a Nielsen rating of 3.4 upon its original airing and received largely positive reviews from critics.
The narrative follows Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) on her first day at a new school in a new town. She hopes to live as a normal teenager, but the duties and fate of the Slayer – to fight vampires, demons, witches and other supernatural beings – will not leave her alone; the ancient vampire the Master (Mark Metcalf) threatens to break free, and Buffy must turn for help to her school librarian and Watcher Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), her new classmates, Willow and Xander (Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon), and a benevolent stranger named Angel (David Boreanaz).