It’s been quite some time since I have written up a Trailer Talk, but I’m finally back to push my half-baked opinions on you all. Damnit, will you be spellbound to listen! Speaking of spells (worst segue ever!), do you remember Sabrina the Teenage Witch? You know, the kid-friendly magic-infused teenage adventures of Sabrina (played by the iconic Melissa Joan Hart) all the while accompanied by her talking cat Salem and Aunts Hilda and Zelda? Sabrina the Teenage Witch was a fun show. I grew up looking forward to watching it in the afternoons after all the cartoons had finished, and I’m sure many people have fond memories in the same vain as mine. You were also probably as mildly excited as I was when they heard that Netflix would be doing a new Sabrina show. Coming from the producers of Riverdale, we now have Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, with Netflix just dropping a teaser trailer.
If you hadn’t already noticed, just from the trailer’s thumbnail, this ain’t no Sabrina the Teenage Witch reboot. The teaser opens with the lighting of a birthday cake’s candles. A random aside—did anyone else think that those candles look way to big to be in a cake? Like, there would be no cake left after you took them out. Anyway, the whole teaser is scored with an eerie rendition of Happy Birthday. As the cake beings to walk down the hall we are shown a montage of shots occult symbols, magic stuff, teenage romance, a demon, and what seems to look almost like another coven of witches. It’s all very chilling. The trailer’s dark and spooky, ending with the cake being placed in front of Sabrina who gives an excellent creepy smile before blowing the candles out. Props to Kiernan Shipka, who basically grew up on Mad Men and obviously learnt a thing or two from January Jones, for being so engaging in such a short tease. We don’t get to see Hilda or Zelda. I mean, they are there, but their faces are obscured, and I don’t mind it – the first teaser for Sabrina should give her the spotlight.
Keeping the spotlight solely on Sabrina is a great way to let the audience begin to bond with their new leading lady. Until watching the teaser, I didn’t know that Kiernan Shipka was in the lead and learning that has only added to my new-found hype. While only 40 seconds, the teaser packs a punch and it achieves exactly what I believe it sets out to do. This shows that this reboot isn’t a straight-up remake or a re-tread of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and that Netflix is taking the character in a new direction—making it blatantly obvious with its use of fast-paced dark imagery. Take note, other magical-girl based reboots (I’m looking at you Charmed), this is how you make a trailer that leaves an audience excited for your show.
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