Paul Reubens, who handed away on the age of 70 on Sunday, July thirtieth, shall be remembered largely as Pee-wee Herman. Nonetheless, his filmography encompasses a wild number of roles, together with an Emmy-nominated activate Murphy Brown, a memorable visitor spot on 30 Rock, and a giddily gross supporting function within the 1999 comedy Thriller Males. It’s considered one of his extra obscure performances, although, that lingers at the least in my reminiscence — taking part in Amilyn, the lead henchman of grasp vampire Lothos (Rutger Hauer) in 1992’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The 1992 Buffy movie was author Joss Whedon’s first effort to reverse basic horror film tropes with a feminist edge, and by most individuals’s requirements, an unsuccessful one. Directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, the movie starred Kristy Swanson because the titular vampire slayer, with Luke Perry serving as her damsel-in-distress; attributable to a rushed manufacturing, to not point out nobody being on the identical web page in regards to the tone, the end result was a scorching mess of a movie.

Nonetheless, the movie’s stable premise shines out (it will be significantly better served by Whedon’s 1997 TV adaptation, which was at the least a important favourite throughout its seven-season run) and it’s full of vivid spots of comedy. Backstory: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a 2002 AMC Networks particular in regards to the making of the movie, confirms that a lot of that comedy got here from improv — particularly from Reubens.

Whereas a vampire himself, Amilyn could be very a lot a second banana to Hauer’s Lothos, snarling on the sidelines whereas his grasp menaces Buffy; his demise in the direction of the movie’s finish is hardly sudden. Nonetheless, when Buffy does stake him (in entrance of Lothos, detached to his stooge’s destiny), oh boy does Reubens run with it.

In Backstory, Kuzui confirms that Reubens improv’ed the whole demise sequence, after she instructed him “Paul, you simply die, determine it out.” It’s a daring factor to say to a former Groundlings forged member who has had literal years {of professional} improv coaching, and what outcomes is a symphony of over-acting, as Reubens geese out and in of the body, milking each second of his passing for what it’s value.

Because the YouTube clip beneath reveals, Amilyn’s demise scene within the movie solely lasts about 30 seconds, but it surely feels longer in the easiest way, because the digital camera retains discovering him in several positions, moaning and groaning at new frequencies, earlier than lastly easing to the bottom, wiggling in ache and giving the wall reverse him a number of little kicks, all whereas Lothos performs the violin. (The little kicks are most likely my favourite half.)

On a nerd stage, it’s value noting that it’s a scene the TV collection may by no means absolutely recreate, because the present’s inside vampire mythology states that when staked correctly, vampires die immediately, exploding in a cloud of mud. It’s additionally goofy as hell, so goofy actually that you simply don’t really imagine he’s actually lifeless. (An thought the movie even leans into with a post-credits sequence that includes his previous few gasps, in an period the place post-credits sequences had been fairly uncommon.)

Due to this, it’s a scene that most likely ought to have been reduce or trimmed again, with a purpose to preserve one thing resembling a constant tone — this, as talked about, is among the movie’s deadly flaws, as its director needed to make a comedy, whereas Whedon’s script and different forces stored pushing in the direction of a extra spooky vibe, resulting in a wildly inconsistent closing product.

But whereas Amilyn’s demise scene is legitimately one of many silliest, most cartoonish moments of the film (of any film, it may very well be argued), I’m glad it was seen by audiences, because it actually captures the depth of Reubens’ expertise, his capability to take one thing as rote as a vampire getting staked and switch it right into a symphony of comedy. It’s a flawed movie, however that is simply its excessive level.

It possibly appears a bit grim to eulogize an actor’s demise by celebrating a scene by which he dies, but it surely feels applicable on this case… as a result of he by no means actually dies. Similar to how Reubens’ work will stay on in our recollections, and on the display.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie) is streaming now on Max.