As a not-so-closeted nerd, a science-fiction and fantasy convention is understandably epic for me. Dragon Con, the revered festival that brings fans of comics, films, video games, cartoons and more to Atlanta for four days of madness, presents a panoply of options for casual and fanatic enthusiasts alike.

Panels about everything from ethics in science fiction to gender relations in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien ("Men are from Gondor, Women are from Rivendell") rule the Con, but the best show I saw during my weekend wasn’t as intellectually engaging as it was full of silly devotion to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

During the show’s seven-year run, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was an object of critical and commercial adulation, but Whedon’s seminal series got more attention from academics than it did from Emmy voters. Books like "The Aesthetics of Culture in ’Buffy the Vampire Slayer’" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale" offer stodgy but illuminating takes on the world of a teenage vampire slayer.

During the show’s sixth season, creator Joss Whedon wrote a stunning musical episode called "Once More, With Feeling" that brilliantly resolved hanging plot threads and advanced one of the show’s most mature seasons. Oh yeah, and the songs were good too.

In honor of this episode, fans of the show created a live-action homage lovingly called "The Buffy Horror Picture Show." As the episode plays on a huge screen in a conference room in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Buffy enthusiasts re-enact the proceedings in real time, dance numbers and all.Â

The resulting performances are driven more by enthusiasm than skill, but everyone watching has just as much fun as the fan acting out a dance number performed by a demon. When I realized that not only was I singing along, but so was everyone within earshot, I felt a sense of camaraderie akin to the home team’s screaming fans. We were geeks, and we were united.

Part of the beauty of fandom is the earnestness with which so many approach the objects of their affection. There’s no irony or pretense in "BHPS," just good-natured reverence, and isn’t that what being a fan is all about?

"Once More, With Feeling" is available on the sixth season DVD set of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."