Bonus Episode - HellmouthCon 2026 Recap!
June 27, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readHellmouthCon 2026: A Weekend in Sunnydale
The hosts of The Sunnydale Diaries spent their weekend at HellmouthCon 2026, held at the actual Torrance High School in California — the same building that served as Sunnydale High for the first three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The convention, organized by Fandom Charities and run entirely by volunteers, gave fans access to the iconic filming location and a chance to meet cast members, explore the campus, and connect with other fans. For the hosts, who live in different states and coordinated travel from the East Coast, it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip that delivered both the expected highlights and some genuine surprises.
The Campus and the Sites
Walking through the doors of Torrance High was surreal for both hosts. They immediately recognized the stairway window where Angel snaps Jenny Calendar's neck in season two — and got photos there. One host filmed a slow-motion run around a corner, recreating Buffy's iconic sprint from the season two finale. The school is bigger than it appears on screen; they spent considerable time exploring, discovering a whole second section they initially missed.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:31) **Welcome & HellmouthCon Announcement** - Hosts Melanie and Sean introduce the bonus episode, confirming they attended HellmouthCon 2026 in Torrance, California, held at Torrance High School (filming location for Buffy's first three seasons), organized by Fandom Charities.
- 2 (03:25) **Travel Adventure & First Impressions** - The hosts describe their travel coordination (Melanie in Tennessee, Sean in Florida), including a road trip to Atlanta, a train to the airport, and a smooth flight to California.
- 3 (06:33) **Friday Night Mixer: Sold Out & Crowded** - They attempted to attend the Friday night mixer, which sold out quickly due to limited capacity (World Cup scheduling). They were among the last let in.
- 4 (11:53) **Saturday Morning: Exploring Torrance High School** - After breakfast at a Vietnamese bagel shop (and Melanie's first Vietnamese coffee), they arrived to see the Sunnydale High School banner being hung.
- 5 (16:03) **Vendor Hall & Celebrity Encounters** - They met Larry Bagby (Larry) and James Leary (Clem), both of whom took time to chat. Melanie gave Larry a glass heart.
- 6 (18:59) **Amber Benson & Claire Kramer Meetings** - They met Amber Benson, who was very nice, and got photos. They also met Claire Kramer (Glory) again, who remembered them from a previous convention.
- 7 (20:05) **Cosplay: Jenny Calendar & Giles** - They changed into cosplay: Melanie as Jenny Calendar (with a 3D-printed floppy disk, printed spell to restore Angel's soul, and vintage web pages) and Sean as Giles (wearing a vest from a 2012 steampunk event).
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Sean and Melanie are back from HellmouthCon, and they have a lot to report from their trip to Torrance High School (the real-life Sunnydale High!!)
In this special recap episode, they talk about the travel adventure to California, seeing iconic Buffy filming locations in person, exploring the school campus, meeting fellow Buffy fans and podcasters, and connecting with cast members including Amber Benson, Claire Kramer, Larry Bagby, and James C. Leary. They also break down their Jenny Calendar and Giles cosplay, the amazing fan-made props and costumes they spotted, the immersive Sunnydale surprises around campus, and the very real challenge of keeping Melanie spoiler-free at a Buffy convention.
Plus: Vietnamese coffee, In-N-Out Burger, accidental brunch-crashing, a missing clock tower, Buffy location hunting around Los Angeles, and the joy of being surrounded by people who love this show just as much as they do.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime Sunnydale field trip and we’re taking you with us.
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