Buffy Reboot Set Photos Show the Return of an Iconic Sunnydale Location — Though Not as You Might Expect

Hulu’s fresh take on Buffy the Vampire Slayer is paying tribute to a iconic spot from the original series — with a playful twist.

Set photos (first shared on Reddit) reveal a recognizable hallway from Sunnydale High, complete with lockers and a door leading to the Scooby Gang’s old secret hideout: the library.

But step back, and it becomes clear this set is just a set — or rather, a section of a haunted house designed to honor Buffy’s original vampire-ridden school.

Il y aura une maison hantée sur le thème du lycée de Sunnydale lors du Vampire Weekend dans Buffy Contre les Vampires : New Sunnydale pic.twitter.com/27KsXh7AWp

— Slayer Archives (@SlayerArchives) August 12, 2025

The haunted house’s exterior features banners advertising it as part of “Sunnydale’s Vampire Weekend,” a deliberately campy celebration of the town’s reputation as a hotspot for the undead.

On set, actors have been seen dressed as festival attendees, sporting fake vampire makeup — distinct from the “real” vampire effects used in the show. Other Vampire Weekend attractions include booths selling magical trinkets and a circus sideshow called Van Helsing’s Bloodbath.

Just like fans’ first glimpse in two decades of Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy — now dressed in a sleek corporate suit — this suggests the reboot is once again flipping the script. The events of the original series now feel like distant memories, and Sunnydale’s status as the Hellmouth has become the backdrop for an eerie, Renaissance-fair-style event.

Of course, the original Sunnydale High was destroyed during Graduation Day, the climactic season three finale where the school rallied to defeat the mayor and his army of vampires. The school was later rebuilt — only to be obliterated again in the series finale, when the entire town collapsed into a massive sinkhole.

This raises the question: where is the Buffy reboot set? Is what we’re seeing a brand-new Sunnydale, rebuilt from scratch and proudly honoring its roots — just as this reboot honors the original?

Earlier this week, one of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s new co-stars praised her for showing up daily on set to advise on the show’s lore — including precisely how people should look after being bitten by a vampire.