Memorable opening credits only add to a show's overall greatness and the '90s hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer delivered a title sequence that was just as iconic as the series itself. Setting the tone with its spooky sound effects and upbeat rock music, the Buffy opening credits reflected the themes of the show with its use of funky alternative-rock music and humorous clips. Combined, they showed off a modern take on the horror genre that was fresh and significant for its time.
While fans of the cult-favorite series have undoubtedly heard their fair share of wolf howls and guitar riffs in the various versions of the title sequences, some opening credit details were so carefully hidden, even diehard fans will find themselves wondering how they missed some of these.
Amber Benson's Credit
Despite appearing regularly on the series for 47 episodes, starting from season 4's "Hush," Amber Benson, (who portrayed Tara Maclay) was never credited for her role until season 6. The episode, "Seeing Red" also Although the credits are about a minute long, the editors managed to put plenty of hidden details and symbolism into them">marked the soon-to-be-former girlfriend of Willow Rosenberg's final appearance on the series. While fans were undoubtedly distressed by the popular character's seemingly abrupt ending, knowing that Amber Benson only appeared in the opening credits for that specific episode just makes the realization that much more bittersweet.
Superstar's Addition
Blink and you'll miss him. Rewatching this Buffy season 4 episode will undoubtedly delight any Jonathan Levinson fans when they realize his appearance was sneakily added to the opening credits for "Superstar." Though Danny Strong, (the actor behind the smallest member of the Trio of supervillains) is not credited in the sequence, he still makes his presence known as he swoops in and out of title cards to save the day.
Michelle Trachtenberg's Absence
Despite becoming a series regular in season 5, Michelle Trachtenberg's Dawn Summers was kept out of the opening credits to keep her appearance a surprise for audiences. Though fans are now fully aware that Dawn was the important, mysterious "Key," it was certainly a shock for any hardcore fan when they realized why she retained a permanent placement. Not too long after the season 5 premiere, Michelle's credits and feature clip images appeared in the following episode.
Buffybot's Feature
For the first five seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the opening credits closed with a panning shot of Buffy in a power stance before fading to black. Season 6 changed that to an image of the Buffybot's showdown with Glory ("The Gift"). Before season 6, the final shot used of Buffy was always the iconic character herself. Perhaps some fans didn't realize the main character wasn't in her closing spot with this sneaky switch-up.
Sarah Michelle Gellar And Nicholas Brendon Credits
Out of all the cast members to be featured as series regulars on the show, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Nicholas Brendon are not only credited for all seven seasons of the show, but are the only two that maintain the same sequential order in the credits throughout.
While Alyson Hannigan is also credited for all seven seasons, her position in the credits changed when Anthony Head switched from being a series regular to a special guest star.
The First's Closing Credit
Can you spot the difference? The first five seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's opening credits closed with a panning shot of the title character before season 6 switched out Buffy's season 3 image from "Anne" to Buffybot's season 5 finale showdown with Glory.
Watching carefully while noting the character's outfit and placement in the episode shows that the image in the seventh and final season continued the sneaky trend and chose to use an image of The First Evil in the form of Buffy from season 7's episode "Lessons."
The Font Switch
There's no doubt that the logo font for Buffy the Vampire Slayer is as iconic as the series itself. However, the title cards featured in the first two season's opening credits used a much more simplistic, handwritten look than the gothic style script (created by Margo Chase). While the updated version is certainly more noteworthy than its predecessor, this detail is often overlooked when fans catch early-season re-runs. Did any Buffy fans catch this subtle font switch-up?
Mr. Pointy's Logo Feature
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is undoubtedly a true 90's classic that's inspired countless fans and artists alike. As with any long-lived show, the series, as well as its opening credits, underwent some serious, though not always immediately detectable changes as its popularity grew.
While Buffy's iconic logo underwent some font changes, something else changed with the title character's name as well. If any fans happen to freeze their screen on the title card, they might notice that the "B" in Buffy's name resembles a certain noteworthy figure, Buffy's signature stake, aka Mr. Pointy.
The Theme Song
As it grew in popularity, Buffy underwent some major changes. Though some were noticeable, others weren't quite as obvious to the growing number of fans. Due to the budget restraints Buffy the Vampire Slayer's initial opening credit's theme music wasn't exactly a pitch-perfect combination on its earlier run in the series. The re-recorded replacement in season 3 was discernibly more smoothly paced and sharper than its predecessor. This updated version of the theme music was used for the remainder of the series.