Which Clip from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Title Sequence is the Greatest?

At certain points throughout human history people have had to stand up and ask the tough questions. What keeps us from flying off of the Earth? Is the moon really made of cheese? Will it blend? Well at this point in time I’m the one who has to ask possibly the most important question yet: which clip or image from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer opening credit sequence is the best?

The title sequence is set to a very late-’90s alt-rock song by Nerf Herder and is structured in a standard way for a series like this. The benefit of Buffy being a genre show is that there’s a surplus of interesting imagery available when they’re putting it together. Some of those stick out more than others, but this article will finally get to the bottom of which image is the very best.

In order to help achieve this scientific pursuit I’ve come up with a short list of criteria.

1. It can’t be a clip or image from an actor’s credit
2. It has to be used for two or more seasons
3. It has to have stuck in my mind for some reason

The rules are pretty simple and straightforward. If the clip appears when an actor’s name is on-screen, specifically showing scenes of the character they’re playing, those are instantly out. It also needs to be striking enough that the people who created the sequence continued using it for more than a single season. It also has to be something I personally find cool. Like I said, simple and scientific.

What I’ve compiled is a starting list of fifteen images. I’ll lay them out for you and then we’ll decide which one will reign supreme.

1 & 2. The Vampyr Book and the Cross Necklace

These options have a bit of an advantage because they appear in every season. They’re part of the jumble of imagery and effects that come directly after the title of the show appears on-screen, but I’ve chosen to include them because they’re distinctive enough to stand out.

3. Darla the Vampire

Darla’s head-turn during the credits is important early on because it gives us a clear look at the vampire prosthetics. Let’s us know what we’re dealing with. It’s also a bit of a low-key credit for Julie Benz, so good for her.

4. Gate Demon

This is a shot of the gate at Amy’s house in season one. It’s pretty simple but I like it because it looks like a demon lives there are put his own face on the entrance. A demon doesn’t live there, a couple witches do, so it’s extra weird that it’s a demon face. Anyway, it gets credit for being super innocuous but sticking around for two seasons.

5. Screaming Woman

This is a weird one because I’m pretty sure it’s Amy’s mom from the witch episode in season one, but I don’t remember it being used in the episode at all. It also stands out for having a guitar screech/scream sound effect put over it which is removed from the title sequence when the clip is. It’s the only clip to get its own sound effect.

6. Smashed Window

This is just a cool shot of a tinted window being smashed by a vampire. I’m surprised more shows and movies don’t use a smashed tinted window as a jump scare. It looks good, as evidenced by its appearance on this list.

7. The Green Demon

This is the internet demon, Moloch, from a pretty bad season one episode. The makeup is top-notch though and makes for a striking image when Moloch works those angles.

8. Hallway Running feat. Blue Coat

This slow-motion action shot of Buffy running down the high school hallway in a dope blue coat had to make the cut. It’s just a really nice coat.

9. Xander Stakes a Vampire

There have been at least a couple “hero appears behind the vampire they just staked as that vampire turns to dust” clips used in the title sequence, but this one stands out the most. It’s also maybe a controversial pick because this clip always appears before Nicholas Brendon’s credit but it doesn’t count as an actor clip. If the actor’s credit isn’t on-screen then it’s fair game.

10. Wentworth Miller’s Hand

This clip easily makes the list for being one of the grossest ones ever used in the title sequence. It goes by fast enough that you might miss what’s happening, but Wentworth Miller is a surprise Fish Monster and is horrified that his Fish-Man hand is tearing through his Human-Man hand. It’s gross as hell.

11. Hero Walk

This is a big and influential one because the title sequences for both Buffy and Angel end with a dramatic hero walk in some way. I’d call this one the first (and best) because seasons one and two ended with the Scooby Gang walking out of library which I wouldn’t really classify as a hero walk so much as a leaving the library walk. It also helps that they’re carrying a rocket launcher in this one.

12. Buffy and Faith Dancing

A large part of the series is teens dancing at a strange underage nightclub. So this one has to make the list for encapsulating an often undervalued portion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

13. Anya’s Demon Face

This is a cool one because it gets Anya into the credits before she has become a regular, or even really a large part of the show. We also get a good look at her Freddy Krueger face, which is nice.

14. Stake Spinning

Classic gunslinger move, Buffy.

15. Conehead

This weird-as-hell alien guy is only in the title sequence for seasons six and seven but he makes a powerful late addition.

So, now that we have our competitors how do we narrow them down? I’ll group them into different subsections and choose the best from each.

Innocuous:

This subsection includes the clips that are pretty standard when taken out of the context of the title sequence. This group includes Vampyr Book, Cross Necklace, Gate Demon, Buffy and Faith Dancing, and Hallway Running feat. Blue Coat. I think Gate Demon gets knocked out first because it’s just lucky enough to be nominated. Buffy and Faith Dancing also goes at this point and takes Cross Necklace with it. Sadly, Hallway Running feat. Blue Coat can’t compete with an opponent that appears in every season. The winner of the subsection is Vampyr Book.

Badass:

This group is for the competitors that are meant to show our heroes looking like, well, heroes. The group includes Xander Stakes a Vampire, Hero Walk and Stake Spinning. While fun and show-y, Stake Spinning goes out early. In a surprise decision while going head-to-head, the Hero Walk goes down and Xander Stakes a Vampire pulls out a win.

Creepy:

This is a much smaller group so I’m tossing in a bit of a cheat. The obvious competitors are Screaming Woman and Wentworth Miller’s Hand. I’m also putting Smashed Window in here even though it actually belongs in the next category. It’s kind of a jump scare, which could count as “creepy”, I guess. Because I was unfair and put it in the wrong category, Smashed Window is out. Really bad move on its part competing in this subsection. Even though the body horror of Wentworth Miller’s Hand is greatly appreciated, I have to give the win to Screaming Woman.

Demons:

The final subsection is filled with the monsters and demons used in the title sequence. That includes Darla the Vampire, The Green Demon, Anya’s Demon Face and Conehead. The three finalists that are demons dramatically turning to the screen should go dramatic-head-to-dramatic-head. Anya’s Demon Face is out quickly and, while The Green Demon is cool it falls to Darla the Vampire. Pitting her against Conehead makes for a good showing, but the classics win out and Darla the Vampire takes the prize.

Now we have our four finalists: Darla the Vampire, Screaming Woman, Xander Stakes a Vampire and Vampyr Book.

From here it’s actually a surprisingly easy decision. The show is called Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so you would think the winner would have something to do with vampires, right? Wrong. It’s about slaying vampires. It would do a disservice to all the good work the Scooby Gang has done to let a dirty, soulless, blood-sucker win this important contest.

The winner, and the greatest image in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer title sequence is Screaming Woman.

Congratulations Screaming Woman.