‘Let’s finish this the way we always do…together.’

And so, we get to the end of a journey that started back in 2018 when a very different version of Sabrina the teenage witch first appeared. Played by Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men, The Silence) now rather than Melissa Joan Hart, instead of being essentially a sit-com this drew its inspiration from the much darker comics published from 2014 onwards under the Archie Horror banner. Here, witches worshipped Satan and demons were real, and any humour involved was of the much blacker variety. Over the course of the last three seasons we’ve seen Sabrina Spellman tackle everything from the undead, ghosts and werewolves to – most recently – Pagans who were threatening the entire witchy community, all with the help of her ever-reliable schoolmates, the Fright Club.

The final season (it was cancelled by Netflix), sees Sabrina out of step with life back in Greendale – having left an alternate timeline version of herself in charge as the Queen of Hell. Her friends Harvey (Ross Lynch), Roz (Jaz Sinclair) and Theo (Lachlan Watson) are all coupled up, and even her Aunty Hilda (National Treasure Lucy Davis from The Office and Wonder Woman) is getting married. This prompts Sabrina to manufacture a threat and get the band back together, but it isn’t long before there’s a real one in the form of eight Eldritch Terrors (yes, we’re firmly in Lovecraft Country for this series) called forth by the villainous Faustus Blackwood (Coupling’s Richard Coyle), who has set up a new religion called the Pilgrims of the Night.

Cue monstrous manifestations that range from the genuinely creepy (a Hellraiser-style tramp who rips out people’s hearts), to old favourites like a wish fulfilment trinket, visits from beyond the grave and body horror in the form of a mini-Cthulhu-esque squid thing that can nest inside you. It all culminates in an attack from the Big Bad, ‘The Void’ (riffing off the popular low-budget horror movie with the same name from 2016), precipitated by lots of different worlds colliding… literally. Has Sabrina finally met her match this time?

There’s tons to enjoy in Part 4, including a Hellish battle of the bands (the musical interludes don’t seem quite as shoehorned in this season as the last one), Ambrose (Sabrina’s cousin, played with relish by Chance Perdomo) going into full-on meltdown mode at the drop of a hat, giving explanations and offering exposition that Matt Smith’s Doctor would be proud of, plus Aunt Zelda’s (Miranda Otto from Lord of the Rings) dalliance with Mambo Marie (Skye P. Marshall) and where that ultimately leads.

Then there’s the intrigue of what will happen between Sabrina and Nicholas Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood), Prudence’s (Tati Gabrielle) ongoing vendetta against dear old Daddy Blackwood, not the mention the fallout in Hell as Lucifer (Luke Cook), Caliban (Sam Corlett) and Lilith (erstwhile Missy, Michelle Gomez) all dance around each other for control of the realm. And there’s the usual post-modern fan service, this time hitting a high point with the appearance of Sabrina’s aunts from the original TV show: Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea, with a certain talking black cat in tow…

Verdict: It’s a wholly satisfying season and a great way to round things off – until you get to the very end, that is. Most of the final episode feels rushed, to be honest, and as for that coda… Best to remember this show for the gem that it was, by and large: huge horror fun that cast a spell on audiences and will no doubt go on to become a beloved classic. ‘We’re at the end of all things.’  9/10

Paul Kane