Move over, Melissa Joan Hart. There`s a new teenage witch on the block, and this one isn`t playing around. Netflix`s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is nothing like its `90s TGIF sitcom predecessor, outside of some familiar names as well as the idea of a teen girl wrestling with high school drama along with learning to harness her witching powers.Instead of comedy, Chilling Adventures rests squarely in the horror genre. It`s filled with monsters, talk of the Dark Lord, curses, and even an appearance or two by Satan himself--whose design clearly took inspiration from Baphomet, the goat-headed demon that was first linked to the Knights Templar in the 1300s. Still, at the core is this dark and spooky tale is the story of a girl stuck between two worlds.Sabrina Spellman, played wonderfully by Mad Men alum Kiernan Shipka, is on the cusp of her 16th birthday, a date on which she is being forced to choose whether to give up her mortal world--filled with classes, friends, and a lovable goof of a boyfriend--or forsake her family`s witch ancestry, losing her burgeoning powers.Her family expects her to simply hand her life over to the Academy of Unseen Arts and continue her witching studies, but that`s not necessarily the track Sabrina wants to take. After all, as horrifying as the scarier elements of this show can be, they`re all there to serve the story of empowering this young woman on her journey to adulthood. Outside forces are attempting to force Sabrina to choose a life she may not want. Instead, she`s attempting to forge her own road, which puts her family, friends, and even her own life--those monsters that come after her are not playing around--at risk.This is why Chilling Adventures is such a uniquely good show. It manages to tangle with modern day issues many face, while couching it all in a supernatural world. It`s exciting to watch Sabrina stand up to what is essentially a patriarchy, even though it is one led by a coven of powerful witches and warlocks able t ...
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