Netflix has launched a new interpretation of the Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Originally from the Archie comics Sabrina is perhaps best known from the 90’s sitcom starring Melissa Joan Hart. Netflix’s new showing has ditched the half-hour, brightly lit, sitcom format for an hour of moody and horror themed dramatic episodes. The core setup remains the same, Sabrina is a teenage who lives with her two aunts and all three are descended from a long line of witches and Sabrina navigates the complexity of a life that exists in two separate worlds, the sorcerous and mortal. Where the 90s show played it life and decidedly family-friendly, Netflix version is violent, dark, and hews closer to a traditional view Christian of witches complete with pacts, blood rituals, and bonds to dark powers.

In the pilot episode, and the only one I have seen so far, Sabrina is quickly coming up on her sixteenth birthday one that is very special among the witches. On her birthday she is expected to receive her ‘dark baptism.’ sign her name in the Dark Lord’s book, and give herself in congress with the Dark Lord. Once this is done she will leave her old life behind and take up studies at the witches Academy of Unseen Arts. However Sabrina has a life among her mortal friends including a boyfriend Harvey and she is finding it difficult to commit herself to the life her aunts and the rest of the magical world expects of her. Things are complicated when a mysterious witch murders and replaces on the high school’s teachers Miss Wardwell, player with delicious evil by Michelle Gomez proving she has true evil acting chops beyond Doctor Who’s Missy. Things get darker when taunted by three other young witches known as ‘The Weird Sister’ (how’s that for a Macbeth reference in what was inspired by a 90s teen sitcom?) is it suggested that the accident that killed Sabrina’s parents was far from accidental.

As I noted above the mythology borrows heavily from the Christian view of witchcraft. In addition to repurposed phrasing and imagery, such as the Dark Baptism,’ there also are symbolism directly lifted from Christianity, such as forbidden fruit as an access to knowledge. I have seen some concern and negativity direct towards the show from those who consider themselves the modern adherents to pagan and Wiccan lore. Of course as with all things artistic what you bring with you will impact how the art works or does not work for you and that is neither good nor bad it simply is what it is. A more common approach in popular media is to play witchcraft towards the Wiccan traditions. (Yes, I am looking at you Buffy The Vampire Slayer.)  Both approaches ate valid and I am interested in see is Sabrina decides to follow up the implications or borrowing heavily from Christian mythology. (I was also intrigued by Buffy’s explicit rejection of the Christian worldview and yet deciding to continue to have the Vampire repelled by crosses and crucifixes.)

I enjoyed the pilot and will be following up with more episodes until I either finish the season or it does something to break my interest.