Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Top 10 Behind the Scenes Secrets!

“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” has a lot in common with “Riverdale”. Not only do they share a universe and creator, but there are numerous references and Easter eggs littered throughout the episodes of “Sabrina.” Oh, and Kiernan Shipka was almost cast as Betty. The creator of both shows, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, envisioned Kiernan as Betty after seeing her work on “Mad Men.” And while the role eventually went to Lili Reinhart, Roberto didn’t forget about ol’ Betty Draper. Well, he kind of did. It was “Sabrina’s” casting director, David Rapaport, who suggested Shipka to Roberto. Realizing that this was a genius move, he proceeded to write the character of Sabrina with Kiernan specifically in mind. Needless to say, he got her.

This show really takes its visual design seriously. For one thing, over 150 paintings by horror legend Clive Barker were donated to the show, so keep an eye out for those. And rather than making up some iconographic nonsense that looks scary, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” features real occult iconography. There are upside down crosses. There are pentagrams, perhaps the most famous visual design related to Satanism. There’s also black cats – duh – squared circles, and the Circle of Protection, all of which are associated with the occult. And of course, there’s Baphomet, the use of which has caused such an uproar in The Satanic Temple that they pursued legal action over copyright infringement.

Having supernatural experiences probably wasn’t a prerequisite for being cast on “Sabrina,” but it probably didn’t hurt. And wouldn’t you know it, some members of the cast have seen some pretty spooky things. Lucy Davis told Thrillist that the cast had gone to see a psychic medium, and the medium told someone that they “[needed] healing from Hilda.” Lucy Davis plays Hilda. Coincidence? Davis also says that she often sees people who aren’t really there, and that her experiences have made her “sensitive to different energies.” Gavin Leatherwood has also been hit by the supernatural bug, as he claims to have seen a UFO. Or, at least “a bright pink light,” ... which sounds like a UFO to us.

What did we say about the “Riverdale” connection? We’re sure you’ve noticed, but Archie comics are littered around the set. These comics are scattered all over Dr. Cerberus’s book shop, most of them sitting amongst other comic books on the shelves. “Archie’s Mad House,” a series that ran from 1959 to 1982, can also be seen in Harvey’s room. “Archie’s Mad House” is important to Sabrina, because she made her very first appearance in “Mad House” issue #22, which has since become one of the most sought-after comics in the Archie canon. Sabrina went on to make various guest appearances throughout the series before earning her own spin-off, and the rest, as they say, is history.

One of the major storylines of part two concerned Theo’s transgender male identity, and in episode three, Theo comes out to his father. This was a big moment for actor Lachlan Watson, who identifies as non-binary, because Theo’s character arc had been building to that moment for an entire season. While Lachlan was originally cast as a trans man named Orlando, creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa decided to give him a coming-out character arc instead. Lachlan said that they worked with Roberto to subtlety and naturally build Theo’s character arc throughout the show. They also said that they took the role to “start a conversation,” and it has certainly done that.

The symbolism even extends to the familiars, many of whom have names linked to the supernatural. The most obvious is Salem, who is named after the infamous witch trials that saw 19 people executed for alleged witchcraft in 1692 and '93. Zelda’s Vinegar Tom is also linked to witchcraft, as “Vinegar Tom” was play by Caryl Churchill centered around witchcraft trials in England. The title comes from a fictional cat, who is believed to be a familiar. Also, Stolas is the Great Prince of Hell in the demonic spell book Lesser Key of Solomon, and Leviathan is named after a massive Biblical sea monster. Now that’s how you name a pet. Never mind that Mr. Whiskers nonsense.

“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” doesn’t fake anything. The show’s production designer, Lisa Soper, is a real Pagan, and she helped populate the sets with many authentic details, including Viking runes, a symmetrical foyer, and a calming sigil. Even the plants in Hilda’s herb room are genuine! Soper also helped design the spells by consulting her personal collection of grimoires, and she even put a protection spell on the house with the use of sage, salts, and crystals. Despite the obvious confidence in her spirituality, Lisa is still uncomfortable openly discussing her beliefs, and she’d rather let her work speak for itself, and it does!

This show is so dedicated to authenticity that even the freaking spells are real-world accurate. Many of the spells, incantations, and rituals are legitimate and taken directly from historical sources and ancient spell books. Unfortunately, this type of stuff doesn’t sit well with everyone. Tati Gabrielle, for example, felt uncomfortable filming Agatha’s sacrifice, and she smudges herself every time she returns to her dressing room. She also doesn’t partake in the ritual of saying “Hail Satan!” whenever someone sneezes on set. She’s just straight up not having a good time when it comes to witchcraft.

The Christmas special was meant to bridge the gap between parts one and two, but that was never the plan. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told The Wrap that they were already working on part 2 before he realized that they had done both a Halloween and Thanksgiving episode. Naturally, he wanted to do a Christmas one as well. He then called the unit producer and told him about the idea, and the crew finished up episode twelve before commencing work on the Christmas special. This proved to be a fortuitous decision, as Netflix coincidentally asked the production if they could drop something between parts one and two to tide the fans over. Turns out, they had just the thing.

Now just imagine a witch being allergic to her own familiar! Kiernan actually had no idea that she was allergic to cats until she broke out in hives after picking up the one portraying Salem. She gets through the filming day by taking boxes upon boxes of allergy medication, sometimes to the detriment of her own sobriety! It was so bad that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa briefly considered making Salem a dog, only to quickly abandon the idea out of Sabrina tradition. So, if Kiernan’s acting is a little off in scenes with Salem, just remember that she’s probably drugged out of her mind.