by Robert Aguirre-Sacasa & Robert Hack

Do you remember the ABC show Sabrina The Teenage Witch starring Melissa Joan Hart? If you are a late 80’s child like myself, it must have played some role in your after school routine when you were 12. It had many of the same beats that would soon make the Harry Potter books a huge success. Sabrina’s aunt Hilda was played by the hilarious Caroline Rhea, and her aunt Zelda was played by the charming Beth Broderick. My school night wouldn’t be the same without a little Sabrina Spellman in it. Well, this comic book is not that show. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack have taken the fun supernatural side of Archie Comics, and stripped it down to the terrifying witchcraft elements that linger just below the surface. It is like the difference between Teen Wolf and Silver Bullet. One uses a supernatural mythology to add a fun spin on a rather mundane story; the other focuses on the truly terrifying details of the unnatural world. This is the beauty of the diverse range of the horror genre. There can exist an after school special staring a teenage witch, and there can exist a terrifying comic based on the same character. One is a guilty pleasure for a 12 year old, while the other keeps a 31 year old man up at night.

Continue reading This Week’s Finest: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #8 →