Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part One-A Wild Hybrid of Family Horror and Gore

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a Netflix horror-drama series released on 26th October 2018. The show was created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

Based upon the Archie comic, we follow Sabrina as she turns 16 and must choose between her family of witches and her human friends.

Initial Thoughts

When the series began, I was impressed by how creepy it was- as I didn’t know what to expect. They began discussing important topics such as race and gender in an appropriate way that was comfortable and not forced. Although I was fairly impressed, I was still disappointed with the cringey feeling that the programme gave me.

Negative Critiques

Whilst reviewing my notes, I was surprised to find a plethora of negative comments- as I believe my opinion of the programme is rather positive.

Within the first two episodes I was made to feel a little uncomfortable by the kissing between Sabrina and her boyfriend and a nude scene, as although Kiernan Shipka (Sabrina Spellman) is 19 years of age, she is portraying a 15-year-old and it just felt a tad uncomfortable to watch.

Within the first 3 episodes I was already a little tired and bored of the show, as it felt a little slow. I wasn’t really interested in Harvey and his story; I wanted this plot to end so something interesting could come into focus. I found myself getting so relieved when something intriguing actually happened because I had been a little fed up of watching.

I found the narratives and style to be jumbled- making it confusing. The constant fluctuation of style was irritating, as I could visually enjoy a section of the programme and then the style, lighting and colouring of the programme would change and wouldn’t be as satisfying. This could have been the use of multiple cinematographers, though I feel it shouldn’t be so obvious- the programme needed to be smoother and more consistent with its style. I also HATED the camera lens that was used throughout the entire programme. I LOVE a short depth of field, though this lens seemed to blur the entire shot. It didn’t appear to have a purpose either, I wondered whether it was signifying a person’s state of mind or whilst magic was being used- though I found it to appear randomly.

The vibe altogether was BIZARRE. A cross between American Horror Story and Goosebumps. I was receiving some gimmicky, childlike, kids film vibes and then full on American Horror Story guts and gore (which was definitely an inspiration of theirs). They used some canted angles, very familiar to AHS as well as the resurrection plot, that resembled AHS’s Season 3 (Coven) Evan Peters resurrected story.

The characters often spoke in these deep riddles which was unrealistic and a little too much. Though one of the most confusing and annoying parts was the lack of swearing. Initially I assumed they resisted swearing to make the show more suitable for a younger audience, though after watching guts, blood and rather shocking gore- I was so confused. Sabrina was told a VERY shocking family secret and I expected her to scream “WHAT THE F***” but she didn’t. Her reaction was so minimal to this major event because she wouldn’t just swear and freak out. Also, Ambrose kept referring to Sabrina as “cousin” which also seemed unnatural and got more annoying every time.

I still don’t quite understand the hype over Sabrina, why does Satan want HER? She didn’t seem to acquire anything special, yet the coven longed for her. I sensed I was supposed to believe she was special too- despite showing no sign of skill. She became overly confident about her abilities- leading onto a contest with Satan. This seemed a little dumb. SATAN VS RANDOM 16-YEAR-OLD WITCH. It should be an easy win for the literal highest form of evil and owner of hell...but that’s just my opinion.

Throughout the series, I found myself confused by the storyline. I didn’t know what was happening honestly. Sabrina started telling everyone she’s going to defeat Satan which was irritating and made me dislike her character more. Towards the end I realised how selfish her character was. She did everything she wanted claiming it was for the greater good, when it wasn’t at all. Everything she did was for herself. The only time she was truly devastated was when her boyfriend ended their relationship, not when people died or serious events took place. They play on this relationship a lot throughout the series, without addressing that they’re sixteen and this relationship isn’t as serious as they seem to believe.

Speaking of Harvey, the boyfriend, his character was so irritating! The only use of swearing was him calling himself “chicken s***” which made me cringe. I didn’t care for his character or development (if there was any). He seemed to want a lot of attention, claiming he killed his brother because his brother decided not to go to college three years before. It was a little ridiculous, he needed to think of his brother and not himself. This selfishness is seen in the couple a lot, despite the creators wanting us to like these characters,

The more I watched the more I noticed the poor acting. I feel Shipka wasn’t great at appearing scared or stressed, it wasn’t very realistic or believable.

Overall the programme did have a lot of uncomfortable cringeworthy dialogue or moments. The closure was also a little boring as they showed demons exiting the mine. We have seen them defeat many demons, so I guess that the show is a continuation of defeating demons.

Positive Critiques

I honestly loved some of the characters. The aunties were the most interesting, entertaining characters and I was constantly waiting for them to be on screen. Ambrose was also a great and intriguing character, who representing the LGBTQ+ community greatly. There were also plenty of diverse women that were interesting and inspiring. Another topic was the subtle discussion of Susie and gender, although born a female, Susie appears to be struggling with identity. Although she is known as a female, she seems pleased when Dorothea calls her a “brave boy” and doesn’t correct her. As of yet there is no preferred pronouns or identity. Hopefully we will see more of this in further seasons.

They discussed some slightly touchy subjects. One I found interesting was the discussion of whether you should Christen/Baptise your child without their consent. Although this wasn’t technically mentioned, the idea of a parent selling your soul to Satan as a baby is terrifying so why shouldn’t this be considered with other faiths? I thought this was one of the most interesting discussions that I wanted more of.

The show features some interesting scenes and settings. The involvement of the magic school setting was enjoyable and shared a few similarities with Hogwarts, specifically in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It was creepier than I had imagined, and I did jump a couple times whilst watching.

Although I wasn’t overall impressed with the technical aspects of the programme, the show features some interesting and well framed shots.

My favourite episode by far was S01E05 with the inclusion of the nightmare demon, it was a great way to learn more about the characters and their fears. I wish this episode would have came earlier in the season however, as I became more attached to the characters after watching their nightmares and having a true understanding of them individually.

Final Thoughts

Despite the majority of my thoughts appearing negative, I find myself excited for the next series. I will be watching and persisting to share my thoughts on the continuation of the narrative.