Nope, not biased at all here. I unashamedly admit that I am a huge fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer— and especially of Rupert Giles, who is one of my favorite fictional librarians ever. I hooked my husband, watching it on my grainy television with him well before we ever got married; I converted my best friend after the DVD’s came out, one episode at a time.

So I can’t say I’m surprised that Entertainment Weekly chose it as the #1 cult TV show of the past 25 years. The thing about Buffy The Vampire Slayer is that it taps into things that are truly scary– I have never been able to go back and watch The Body.

And also, Rupert Giles is an inspiration, at least for this mild-mannered librarian. Ruthless, determined, witty, patient(sometimes), able to find obscure answers and motivate teens to learn and use vital research skills, doing his best to save the world. Monster Movie Month is over, but that doesn’t mean you should stop searching for ways to connect horror readers to the best of what’s out there… and Buffy has translated into many mediums, including some fantastic graphic novels. I love No Future For You, from Season 8. It’s written by Brian K. Vaughan, who also wrote Y: The Last Man and Runaways, both great graphic novel series in their own right. There are books based on specific episodes, original works that take place in the Buffyverse, and so much more. Hey, if Twilight can inspire huge numbers of people to read Fifty Shades of Grey, just imagine the directions intelligent and witty writing  inspire!

In the meantime, my kids are asleep, and I think I’m going to sneak in Halloween, from the second season, where Giles’ true colors start to emerge from beneath the tweed.