1. Primary Source

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Seasons One Through Seven. Dir. Joss Whedon. Mutant Enemy Productions, 1997-2003. DVD.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer centers on the exploits of its titular vampire slayer, a mystical "Chosen One" who finds herself living in Sunnydale, CA, an idyllic small town situated atop the mouth to hell. Plucked from a vapid life of cheerleading and parties and forced by her mystic destiny to slay vampires and vanquish demons, Buffy initially views her superpowers as an imposition. By the end of the series, however, she has embraced her role as steely general in a never-ending war against the forces of darkness. Joined by an ever-changing array of allies known collectively as the "Scooby gang," she spends three years learning that high school is literally hell before navigating college and grown-up responsibilities in the later seasons. As the show's tangled mythology grows, Buffy's friends begin to acquire magical abilities of their own -- all the better to fight each season's "Big Bad" villain. Science fiction and horror fans love the show for its tight continuity and sustained world-building. As numerous fans and critics have pointed out, however, the supernatural trappings function on a deeper, metaphorical level: they mirror the complexities of growing up, going out into the world, and accepting one's destiny.