Buffy The Vampire Slayer

The last thing I did in Austin had nothing to do with SXSW, but there was singing and dancing. Thanks to a tip from Candy reader Tracy Hatfield, I was able to attend a Buffy the Vampire Slayer sing-along at local brew ’n’ view theater the Alamo Drafthouse.

Think of it as Rocky Horror for the Buffy generation: After receiving props like plastic fangs, a lighter and bubbles, I walked into the theater to meet Tracy and her pal, fellow Pop Candy reader Mary Urban.

First, we watched a "warm-up" Buffy to help get us in the mood — host Henri Mazza picked the classic "Prom" ep. Speaking to any SXSW attendees in the crowd, Mazza joked, "A lot of you came to town with amazing new hairstyles that I’m gonna try out all year long."

After "Prom," volunteers from the crowd joined him onstage for "Buffy-oke," a karaoke-like activity which involves re-enacting a classic Buffy scene.

The big sing-along, of course, was done to Joss Whedon’s famous musical episode, "Once More, With Feeling." As the words displayed on the screen, we sang as loudly as possible, not paying attention if we were in tune or not. During the Tara/Willow medley, a near-sold-out crowd blew bubbles into the air. During Spike’s scene, we donned fangs. Every time Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) spoke, we screamed at her to shut up. And each time the word "fire" was mentioned, lighters were hoisted high.

The theater hosts weekly sing-alongs and plans to do more Buffy in the future. Wouldn’t it be great if other cinemas followed? I can’t think of a more perfect way to close my trip than with a little song, a little dance and a glorious, sweeping happy ending.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go catch my plane.