The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - First episode

Hail Satan - Zelda

There was a lot of hype surrounding this 'new' Netflix Original. A reboot of a famous old show: Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Has Netflix successfully rebooted this show? What kind of show is it actually? And more importantly: should we clear our agenda in order to binge-watch this show?

Purely based on feeling and atmosphere, this show can be described as a combination of Stranger Things and Riverdale (not surprisingly, considering the creators of Riverdale have also worked on this show). The show revolves around Sabrina Spellman, a half witch and half human, who has to overcome several obstacles. Those 'obstacles' aren't yet shown properly in the first episode.



Let's start with the actors. Kiernan does just fine as the independent young woman Sabrina, who really wants to help everyone, but is never able to fully reveal herself. But the real stars in this first episode are Zelda Spellman played by Miranda Otto (Homeland) and Madam Satan, who's portrayed by Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who). Both women performed great. I couldn't wait until they appeared on my screen again. With good timing, perfect mimicry and razor-sharp speed, they portray these characters excellently.

The other actors haven't yet had the chance to stand out. Especially Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally), who portrays Sabrina's boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle, hasn't been that memorable. It appears as if he's just reading his text out loud. I can't fully understand in what direction this show is heading, at least not based on the first episode. There will be a 'dark baptism' (yes, this is as dark as it sounds) and there has been a murder that isn't yet solved. Next to that we have the bullies, a group of friends who fight for women's rights (Because in the US there has to be a political message in everything) and the mysterious roommate. Briefly put, quite similar to Riverdale.

During this episode, the crew has made use of a certain camera technique in which the sides of the screen are blurred. Usually this is applied in dream scenes, but here it seems just a style choice. As far as I am concerned this was very distracting, which makes it difficult to justify this decision. Finally, the horror content is not yet of a high level. The 'oh-someone-is-behind-me-all-of-a-sudden' moments are there, but unfortunately they are rather predictable.



All in all, this first episode of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina wasn't that great. Mind you, the first episode. This review is only about the first episode. But to make things clear: it gets much better. So yes, go and binge, but be aware of the fact that you will have to sit through this mediocre first episode.

For now: a 6.5!