Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s trailer strikes just the right balance

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, as a show, has made it clear that both sides of Sabrina Spellman are important, and the trailer hits that mix with ease.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina might have just captured the mood of 2018 in a two-and-a-half-minute trailer. On one end, there’s a lightness to it — a sense of teenage fun even in dark times. On the other, there’s also Sabrina having to choose whether or not she wants to be a witch and a villain named Madam Satan.

And because Sabrina’s turning 16, this all makes sense in a weird, glorious way that practically makes it required Halloween viewing this year. Set aside your Stranger Things (but maybe not The Haunting of Hill House or Castlevania).

There’s a new teen in town, and her name is Sabrina Spellman. Watch the trailer below:

One thing that immediately stands out is that Chilling Adventures absolutely makes a reference to none other than Night of the Living Dead in the very first spoken line of the trailer. Riverdale has made that sort of thing its calling card, but here it feels a lot more organic. Of course, the film comes back later in the trailer, one that Sabrina is eagerly watching as the rest of the theater freaks out. (Again, it’s a nice touch.)

But it’s contrasted with Sabrina dancing around her house after she kisses Harvey Kinkle good night and turning on the fabulous radio to do it, and that’s something very teenage, too.

The ending impression is that this is a series that’ll creep you out at minimum — but it’ll look fantastic while it does it. Kiernan Shipka is pretty clearly having a great time with it all, and when the lead actress is into something this much, it’s hard not to be excited.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina hits Netflix on Oct. 26. Keep checking back on Culturess for all the latest from Greendale.