David Farnor | On 25, Oct 2018

This weekend finally sees the arrival of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix, and to whet your appetite, Netflix has unveiled the creepy, cool opening credits for the series.

Pitched somewhere between Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, with a hint of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Netflix’s companion show to Sabrina reimagines her origin and adventures as a dark coming-of-age story, as the 16-year-old wrestles to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.

“With a determined spirit and boldness, Sabrina Spellman v.2018 represents a smart 21st century updating, and a decidedly feminist one,” we wrote in our spoiler-free review of the series. “Funny, dark, politically-charged, weird, subversive, spooky, occasionally violent and always compelling, this reboot is another big winner for Netflix.”

And all of that is crammed into the show’s opening titles, which use the actual artwork from the Archie Comics the show is based upon, managing to combine chilling and dark imagery with a spry sense of humour, knowingly camp production values and a wonderfully eerie main theme from composer Adam Taylor (The Handmaid’s Tale, Before I Fall).

You can watch the whole of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix from Friday 26th October. Until then, watch the titles below – or head this way to read our full review.

 

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina shows its human side in new clip

21st October 2018

“You cannot simply postpone your 16th birthday. Especially when it occurs on the eclipse of a blood moon.” That’s Miranda Otto’s stern Aunt Hilda in the new clip from Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, when Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka) dares to suggest delaying the sacred ritual that is her baptism.

Netflix’s series, a companion piece to The CW’s Riverdale, is “tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist”, and the show’s marketing so far has focused on that sinister streak, with a host of disturbing images and creepy music. This new, and likely final, glimpse of the show before its release gives us a taste of the more human side of Sabrina’s story – after all, this is a coming-of-age story at its core, albeit one that traffics in the occult.

Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka stars as Sabrina, and already looks at home in the creepy role – accompanied by Otto and Lucy Davis as her caring aunts, Richard Coyle as Father Blackwood – and there’s the mention of Harvey Kinkle, Sabrina’s timeless crush, who will be played by Ross Lynch. (For a full look at the show’s cast, click here.)

Can Sabrina reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit? Find out on Friday 26th October, when Chilling Adventures of Sabrina finally hits Netflix. Until then, here’s the clip:

 

Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina gets a darkly funny new trailer

3rd October 2018

“I’m not an evil person. But these are desperate times.” That’s Sabrina Spellman introducing herself in the bad-ass new trailer for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Netflix’s take on the familiar teenage witch imagines her origin and adventures as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.

How do you balance Rosemary’s Baby and a teen-oriented comedy? The new trailer gives us a taste of how Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who also serves as chief creative officer of Archie Comics, will juggle the tone – and from the music choices to the cast (led by Kiernan Shipka), it all looks promisingly sweet and sinister in equal measure.

The whole series premieres on Netflix on Friday 26th October, just in time for Halloween and hot on the heels of a new season of Riverdale. Here’s the video:

 

Watch: First trailer for Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

13th September

The first trailer for Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has landed and the series is shaping up to be a long way from the Nickelodeon show of your childhood.

Netflix describes the series, a companion piece to The CW’s Riverdale, as “tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist”, and the trailer isn’t kidding, backing up those claims with some disturbing images and a sinister vocal rendition of Happy Birthday to You – sung to Sabrina as she presumably comes of age and enters a whole new world of horror.

Imagining the origin and adventures of the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in the occult, the adaptation of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s comics will see Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.

Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka stars as Sabrina, and already looks at home in the creepy role – accompanied by Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis as her aunts, Richard Coyle as Father Blackwood, High Priest of the Church of Night and Dean of the Academy of the Unseen Arts, and Michelle Gomez as an evil high school teacher – and, of course, Ross Lynch as love interest Harvey Kinkle. (For more on the show’s cast, click here.)

The series premieres on Netflix all at once on Friday 26th October, just after the debut of Riverdale Season 3 and just in time for Halloween. Here’s the video – or read on below for the poster.

 

 

Netflix drops first images of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

13th August 2018

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina are drawing near on the horizon, and now, we’ve got our first proper look at the cast in action.

Netflix has dropped two official pictures from the set of the drama, which imagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, the adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.

Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who also serves as chief creative officer of Archie Comics, penned the script for the series. He’s already assembled in impressive cast, including Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina, Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis as her aunts, Richard Coyle as Father Blackwood, High Priest of the Church of Night and Dean of the Academy of the Unseen Arts, and Michelle Gomez as an evil high school teacher – and, of course, Ross Lynch as love interest Harvey Kinkle. (For more on the show’s cast, click here.)

The two images give us a proper look at Shipka’s Sabrina, both in an ominous-looking forest and during her dark baptism, which also features her two aunts and Coyle’s Father Blackwood. The series premieres on Netflix all at once on Friday 26th October, just after the debut of Riverdale Season 3 and just in time for Halloween.

Read on for the pictures – or head this way for more details on the show’s release and a poster.

 

Netflix’s Sabrina series gets a poster

11th July 2018

Netflix’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch series has got a poster, and it’s a beautiful bit of atmospheric art.

First lined up at The CW as a spin-off from Riverdale, the show is based on Roberto Aguirre Sacasa’s graphic novel The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. It reimagines the origin and adventures of the eponymous teenage witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, it finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.

Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka will play Sabrina, with a cast that includes Richard Coyle as Father Blackwood, High Priest of the Church of Night and Dean of the Academy of the Unseen Arts, and Michelle Gomez as an evil high school teacher. Other cast members include Ross Lynch as Sabrina’s love interest, Harvey Kinkle, and Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis as her aunts, Hilda and Zelda.

We’ve already been given our first look at Salem the cat, Harvey, an episode’s script, and Kiernan Shipka herself in the lead role. Now, showrunner Aguirre Sacasa has unveiled a new poster to boot. The artwork, which incorporates the silhouette of Salem, a pair of red lips and Sabrina’s signature haircut, is a delightfully retro affair that suggests Sacasa has lost none of his passion for the classic horror that has heavily influenced Riverdale over its first two seasons.

Here’s the poster:

 

First Look: Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

2nd May 2018

Netflix has given us our first proper look at Kiernan Shipka in its new Sabrina the Teenage Witch series – and the show’s got an official title too.

Based on Roberto Aguirre Sacasa’s graphic novel The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the show imagines Sabrina’s origins as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, it finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.

Shipka is joined by Ross Lynch as love interest Harvey (read on for your first look at them together), and Richard Coyle as Father Blackwood, High Priest of the Church of Night and Dean of the Academy of the Unseen Arts, plus Michelle Gomez as an evil high school teacher, not to mention Tati Gabrielle as nemesis Prudence, and Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis as her aunts, Hilda and Zelda.

As for the title? Why, the show’s called the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, of course.

 

First look: Netflix’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Harvey

5th April 2018

Sabrina the Teenage Witch is heading to Netflix later this year, and we’ve got our first look at the new incarnation of the iconic character – complete with romantic interest Harvey.

Harvey was originally played by Nate Richert, who became something of a heartthrob in the 1990s, when he acted opposite Melissa Joan Hart as the teenage witch. In 2018, Netflix’s Sabrina reboot is taking a darker approach, with Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka stepping into Sabrina’s shoes, with Ross Lynch playing Harvey.

Based on graphic novel The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the new series imagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, it finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family and the daylight world humans inhabit.

The first picture, unveiled by showrunner Roberto Aguirre Sacasa on Twitter, immediately captures the show’s new vibe, with Harvey’s costume reminiscent of Jughead in Riverdale, the CW series from which Sabrina spins off.

Shipka and Lynch are described by Sacasa as “ADORBS”. They’ll be joined by Richard Coyle as Father Blackwood, High Priest of the Church of Night and Dean of the Academy of the Unseen Arts, and Michelle Gomez as an evil high school teacher, as well as Tati Gabrielle as nemesis Prudence, and Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis as her aunts, Hilda and Zelda.

What do you think? Can anyone ever replace the Harvey and Sabrina of your youth?

Add to Watchlist