Since we learned about the upcoming Chilling Adventures of Sabrina series, one character has been on our minds — Salem. Now we have our first creepy look at the sassy cat.
When we learned that there was going to be a remake of our favorite neighborhood witch, Sabrina, there was one character we hoped to see return in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina above all others (not including our central witch). And that was, of course, Salem the cat.
In the original television series, Salem was a sassy feline with a penchant for bad behavior. He was snarky and fun, and made a perfect foil for Sabrina. So it makes sense that we would be eager to see what the new series was going to do with our favorite black cat.
Now we have our first look of Salem and Sabrina meeting for the first time in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This introduction is creepy and so fitting for the series. Plus, it definitely is a reminder that this is not the Sabrina Spellman we all remember.
As CBR.com reports, we know Salem will not have a heavy presence in the first season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina due to star Kiernan Shipka’s allergy to cats. But that doesn’t mean we won’t see him at all. Thanks to this clip, we have an idea that the sassy cat of before is a lot more chilling this time around.
In the clip we see Sabrina speaking to what is clearly a demonic presence hiding behind the mirror in her bedroom. The presence tells her that he heard her calling for him while in the woods, which is why he is here. After this pronouncement, the demonic form transforms into a black cat, who Sabrina affectionately picks up after calling him pretty. Though we only get a meow in response, that demonic persona beforehand could be what offers Salem a voice.
Of course, the thing we loved about Salem before was his wit, charm, and general sassy pants attitude. Considering the demonic presence was clearly talking to Sabrina before morphing into a black cat, we can only assume he will retain his ability to talk.
Based on his introduction, this is a much darker version of Salem (jokes about his fur color aside). That’s okay, because this entire take on the Sabrina comics is darker and more chilling in general.
No one can replace the original Salem from our youth, but hopefully this new version takes on some of the attitude and charm of his predecessor.
See for yourself how adorable, yet strange, our new feline friend Salem is going to be here:
The first season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is set to begin streaming on Netflix October 26, and we will learn all about the new Salem and Sabrina then.