Sabrina the Teenage Witch was one of the best kids shows on television – not to mention a seriously empowering series for young feminists everywhere. So, naturally, we kind of lost our minds when we learned that The CW (aka the same producers who blessed us with Riverdale) is conjuring up a dark Sabrina TV reboot for adults everywhere.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has been pegged as a coming-of-age story “that traffics in horror, the occult, and witchcraft,” according to Entertainment Weekly.

In the series, Sabrina will be seen struggling to come to terms with her half-human, half-witch heritage as she tries to protect her family and friends from dark forces looming over Riverdale’s neighbouring community Greendale, and producers have promised that it will be similar in tone to “Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist”.

Now, the first trailer has arrived, and it looks darker and scarier than perhaps anyone expected.

Check it out:

Pentagrams, masked children and goat-headed demons: oh my! And things get even more exciting when you take a closer look at who’s set to star in the show…

Kiernan Shipka – Sabrina

Kiernan Shipka – who kicked off her career in Mad Men at the tender age of 10 – is set to bring Sabrina Spellman to life on the small screen.

Speaking to ComicBook.com about the role, Shipka said that loves “so many things” about the more shadowy interpretation of Sabrina Spellman.

“After I read the script, I became immediately obsessed with the role, with how Sabrina is portrayed and how badass the whole thing is,” she continued.

“It’s going to be really dark and really cool, and have this very like macabre take on everything. I’m really pumped to be a witch. Who wouldn’t be?”

The actress also admitted that she’s long been attracted to stories set in the witch-y and supernatural genres. “I mean, I love The Crucible, and I love kind of the like dark Rosemary’s Baby vibe of things,” Shipka said.

“And this is the direction that it’s going to go, which is really fun.”

Ross Lynch – Harvey Kinkle 

Ross Lynch is set to play Harvey Kinkle in the Sabrina reboot, and, much like the original character, he will be blissfully unaware of the magical goings-on around him.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Netflix’s Harvey is, “the son of a coal miner, a dreamboat and a dreamer, completely unaware of the dark forces conspiring to keep him and Sabrina apart.”

The actor most recently played serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in My Friend Dahmer, so we imagine he will be well suited to the dark and creepy undertones of the new Sabrina.

Miranda Otto – Aunt Zelda

Miranda Otto (who played Eowyn in The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers and Return Of The King, as well as Mary Ann in War Of The Worlds) is taking on the role of Aunt Zelda. 

Variety describes Zelda as “proud and devout,” and she “believes there is no greater honour than serving the Dark Lord as a member of the Church of Night. She is the family’s disciplinarian, fiercely protective of Sabrina, and very much Cain to Aunt Hilda’s Abel.”

Lucy Davis – Aunt Hilda

According to Deadline, Sabrina’s witch aunt Hilda Spellman is “more nurturing than Zelda,” and “Hilda’s motherly nature and warm sense of humour belie a wicked, ghoulish streak. She is as adept at brewing spite jars against her family’s enemies as she is at concocting love potions for the students at Baxter High.”

Davis is perhaps best known for her stint as Dawn in The Office and, more recently, as Steve Trevor’s excellent secretary Etta Candy in Wonder Woman.

Jaz Sinclair – Rosalind Walker 

Brash, empowered and deliciously outspoken, Rosalind Walker is the daughter of Greendale’s minister and Sabrina’s best friend at Baxter High. And who better to play her than Vampire Diaries star Jaz Sinclair, eh?

Michelle Gomez – Mary Wardell

Deadline reports that Doctor Who star Michelle Gomez has been cast as Mary Wardell, otherwise known as “Sabrina’s favorite teacher and mentor at Baxter High.”

However, it seems Wardell may also be the villain of this piece.

The bio reads: “When she is possessed by the devil’s handmaiden, Madam Satan, Ms. Wardell turns into a sultry, cunning manipulator, always trying to lure Sabrina down the Path of Night.” 

Chance Perdomo – Ambrose Spellman

Sabrina has cast newcomer Chance Perdomo as Sabrina’s English warlock cousin Ambrose Spellman.

“Placed under house arrest by the Witches Council, Ambrose is forbidden from leaving the funeral home where he lives with the Spellman women. Witty, puckish and pan-sexual, he is one of Sabrina’s partners in crime, always up for mischief.”

Salem – Salem 

Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre Sacasa recently posted a photo of the new Salem on his Twitter account with the caption: “Ladies and gentlemen, meet #Greendale’s latest resident. All hail, Salem!”

The actor who’ll voice the cat is yet to be announced. In the original Sabrina series, Salem was voiced by comedian Nick Bakay.

In true Netflix style, the entire series of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will be dropping in full on 26 October – just in time for Halloween. We can’t wait.

Images: Rex Features/Pixabay/Netflix