"Welcome to the Hellmouth" is the pilot episode of the WB Network television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode was directed by Charles Martin Smith and written by series creator Joss Whedon. It first aired on March 10th, 1997. The series is loosely based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer feature film released in 1992. Aside from the title character Buffy Summers, all other characters are unique to this series. In this episode, high school sophmore Buffy Summers moves to Sunnydale…