Interprete Me

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina brings back the same theme that permeated her previous TV adaptation, which lasted seven seasons during the 1990’s (watch here).

Anyone who followed the production of that time fell in love with the adventures of the teenage witch with her sarcastic high-school companion, Salem the black cat. However, if you expect the same mood in this new version, which debuts now on Netflix, don’t hold your breath: here, things become more serious.

This new adaptation of the sixties comic, “Sabrina, The Teen-Age Witch”, bets on the darkening and deepening of the issues surrounding black magic, unlike the youthful mood of American ABC production that began in 1996. Of course, subjects like teenage issues, along with the importance of friendship and the dangers of dealing with the supernatural are not left behind but are now shown in a more mature way.

The time of choice

Here, we follow Sabrina Spellman, a teenager who lives a good life in her city with a boyfriend and friends. What few people know, however, is that she’s a descendant from an ancient witches’ line, being considered half-breed – half human, half witch. And by the rules of this lineage, when turning 16, she must choose whether to live a human life or enter a dark world from which one can never leave. So, in this series, we follow the events of Sabrina’s birthday and how she makes the choice that completely changes her life and the relationship with her boyfriend and friends.

This first season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina shows the choice she needs to make in her life and the consequences of it. We follow the days leading up to her birthday, the relationship with her aunts, who are witches, and how the doubt about which way to go affects her relationships. And finally, when she makes the choice, how it affects her directly – and the entire population of the city where she lives.

Comparisons with the 1996 series are inevitable. While this first one had a happier and innocent atmosphere, here things get heavy, looking more like the comic that originated the two productions. In every episode it becomes clear that black magic is a huge risk for Sabrina and that it is a dangerous world. This is the main point of rupture between the two productions, giving this one a clear advantage, that, with a more serious tone, captivates even more the viewer to the story, not basing itself only on the main character’s charisma, as it was formerly.

Guaranteed success

The most nostalgic fans of the previous series can complain that one of the main characters of that time, here, does not have the same prominence. The black cat Salem, Sabrina’s familiar, was a spokesman who had always something to say. Here he is much more discreet, giving room for the cast to shine with their own comebacks. The actress who plays Sabrina, Kiernan Shipka, is an excellent actress and sends a message with her expressions. The same can be said of Ross Lynch, who plays the boyfriend of the would-be witch who ends up entering an area he was completely unaware of, until then.

The remaining of the cast is very well matched. Both Sabrina’s friends and relatives, as well as the witches’ confraternity to which she belongs, perform very well, without the typical affectations of this type of production.

In addition, the art direction is simply sensational, reproducing typical scenes of American schools as well as other scary ones that are part of the “other side” of Sabrina. It’s also good to highlight the competent makeup artists that bring very interesting effects to the screen. Finally, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a guaranteed success, which will surely have a long life in the catalog of Netflix for its enormous appeal to all audiences.

You can also like Alexa & Katie, Derry Girls, Diablero, Death by Magic and May the Devil Take You.

Images and additional information about Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Netflix

Synopsis 1: The path of night. The path of light. Which wil she choose – and what will she sacrifice along the way?

Synopsis 2: Magic and mischief collide as half-human, half-witch Sabrina navigates between two worlds: mortal teen life and her family’s legacy, the Church of Night.

Release year: 2018