Home

The Weird Sisters are a trio of Witches in the Shakespeare play Macbeth. The spell Sabrina uses to summon them is taken directly from actual lines spoken by the witches in Macbeth (Act 1, scene 3).408 of 415 found this interesting | Share thisOver 150 paintings were contributed by Clive Barker (mastermind behind Hellraiser and Candyman) to use for the show.286 of 292 found this interesting | Share thisAunt Zelda appears to be fluent in at least a dozen languages, including French, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Spanish and German, as shown by the newspaper she is reading at the kitchen table on each episode.323 of 332 found this interesting | Share thisStolas, Wardwell’s familiar, is neither a crow nor a raven but a hybrid of two birds, combining the size and proportions of a raven, yet retaining the beak shape of a crow. The visual effects crew refers to Stolas as being a “craven”.136 of 140 found this interesting | Share thisThe names “Hawthorne” and “Putnam” are taken from Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” which takes place during the witch trials in Salem.192 of 201 found this interesting | Share thisLike Riverdale, the year in which the show takes place is intentionally never mentioned, so that the show can be simultaneously modern and retro. This is why elements of the town, schools, and much of the clothing in Greendale, is more reminiscent of the 1960s, when the source material is set, but there are also modern references, as well as cellphones and computers.188 of 197 found this interesting | Share thisThis show takes place in the same universe as the CW series “Riverdale,” which is based on the Archie comics and featured Sabrina as a character, who later received her own dark comic series.395 of 420 found this interesting | Share thisThe opening scene at the Paramount Theatre was filmed at the same Paramount Theatre in Stephen Kings 1990s TV mini series IT.169 of 178 found this interesting | Share thisThe character of Father Faustus Blackwood – the right hand man of the Dark Lord (Devil) – is named from the German folklore character, Faust, who sold his soul to the Devil for infinite knowledge. The historical Dr. Faust that the tales are based on lived in the region known as Schwarzwald, which literally translates into Black Forest, or… Blackwood.128 of 134 found this interesting | Share thisDr. Sapperstein, who Mrs. Wardwell mentions in the car in episode 1, is the name of the Satanic doctor in Rosemary’s Baby (1968).160 of 169 found this interesting | Share thisIn Sabrina’s bedroom there is a poster of the movie Haxan (1922). It’s a Swedish/Danish documentary style film on witchcraft through the ages.104 of 109 found this interesting | Share thisAfter it had originally been set to air on The CW, Netflix acquired the rights to produce the series in December 2017.265 of 287 found this interesting | Share thisIn this series, Salem doesn’t talk or get as much screen time as he did in Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996). One of the reasons behind this, besides the show pursuing a much darker tone, is that Kiernan Shipka is actually allergic to cats. At some point, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa even considered turning Salem into a dog.307 of 337 found this interesting | Share thisKiernan Shipka had long brown hair when she did her first screen test for Sabrina. She was asked to come back and do another screen test with short blonde hair. After she changed her hair, she was offered the part. Ross Lynch was asked to dye his hair brown, since the producers felt that he looked too similar to Kiernan Shipka with blonde hair.245 of 276 found this interesting | Share thisRoss Lynch (Harvey) and Jaz Sinclair (Roz) are dating in real life152 of 169 found this interesting | Share thisKiernan Shipka was in her teens when the series premiered on Netflix, making her the first real-teen to play the teenage Sabrina Spellman in live-action TV series but the second overall. Melissa Joan Hart was entirely in her twenties when she starred on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996) show, but was still only 19 when the non-canonical Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996) aired earlier in the year.241 of 274 found this interesting | Share thisWhile cited as being based on characters from The Crucible, both the Putnam and Hawthorne families were actual Puritan families in Salem, Massachusetts. John Hathorne (later changed to Hawthorne) was the Chief Examiner during the Salem Witch Trials, and the Putnam family had multiple accusers in the Salem witch trials.80 of 88 found this interesting | Share thisGives homage to both Suspiria and A Nightmare on Elm Street. The living room has the same color glass ceiling seen in Suspiria (which is also about a coven of witches) and the scene with Harvey (Ross Lynch) falling asleep with headphones on and a crop top is homage to Johnny Depp’s character in Elm Street.152 of 172 found this interesting | Share thisNone of the witches have cell phones.65 of 72 found this interesting | Share thisTakes place in the same universe as “Riverdale” which airs on the CW. “Supernatural” also airs on the CW and clearly shared actors with “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” if you look closely you can even spot the iconic 1967 Chevy Impala in the background of some shots.175 of 208 found this interesting | Share thisZelda’s former familiar was a dog named Vinegar Tom, which is the title of a 1976 play by the British playwright Caryl Churchill. The play examines gender and power relationships through the lens of 17th-century witchcraft trials in England.14 of 14 found this interesting | Share thisAfter its cancellation, there’s a petition to HBO MAX to save the series and reached over 300,000 signings and counting.14 of 14 found this interesting | Share thisThe store and owner Cerberus on the show is a reference to the three headed dog from hell.84 of 100 found this interesting | Share thisKiernan Shipka (Sabrina) and Miranda Otto (Aunt Zelda) co-star together in The Silence (2019).128 of 163 found this interesting | Share thisLucy Davis (Aunt Hilda) previously played a witch when she starred in the children’s TV show Belfry Witches (1999) as the mischievous Old Noshie.64 of 85 found this interesting | Share thisIt was announced in July 2020 that Netflix cancelled the series and that it’s upcoming season 4 would be it’s last.27 of 35 found this interesting | Share thisRichard Coyle starred in British sitcom Coupling (2000) with Jack Davenport, husband of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018) co-star Michelle Gomez.72 of 105 found this interesting | Share thisBoth Jaz Sinclair (Rosalind Walker) and McKenna Grace (young Sabrina Spellman) have starred in The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017) as Beatrice Bennett, an ancestor of Bonnie Bennett, and Young Caroline Forbes, respectively. Additionally, Jedidiah Goodacre (Dorian Gray) starred in The Vampire Diaries’s spin-off shows The Originals (2013-2018) and Legacies (2019-) as Roman.14 of 17 found this interesting | Share thisMichelle Gomez has appeared in two previous science fiction and fantasy programmes prior to this. Previously she was in Gotham and had a recurring role in Doctor Who as Missy, the first ever female Master.50 of 75 found this interesting | Share thisMichelle Gomez (Madam Satan) and Richard Coyle (Faustus Blackwood) previously starred together in The Collection (2016).28 of 44 found this interesting | Share thisMiranda Otto’s (Aunt Z) husband Peter O’Brien appeared as a doctor in Sabrina Down Under (1999).10 of 14 found this interesting | Share thisThe opening credits use art in the style of the horror comic series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. When crediting Archie Comics for the original basis, the art is in the original artwork used for more lighthearted series Sabrina the Teenage Witch.3 of 3 found this interesting | Share thisThe name Nicholas Scratch is an amalgam of colloquial and euphemistic names for the Devil: “Old Nick” and “Old Scratch” or “Mr. Scratch” (as used in “The Devil and Daniel Webster”). Marvel Comics has a magical character of the same name.3 of 3 found this interesting | Share thisBoth William B. Davis and Megan Leitch appeared in The X-Files.8 of 13 found this interesting | Share this

Spoilers 

The trivia items below may give away important plot points.When Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka) is reading her father’s diary, you can read the name “Valac the Defiler, the Profane, the Marquis of Snakes,” which is the main character of the movie The Conjuring 2.98 of 109 found this interesting | Share thisConstance Blackwood shares a name with a young woman accused of poisoning her entire family in the novel “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” written by Shirley Jackson. Jackson is notoriously known for her horror novels, one of the most famous being The Haunting of Hill House. Also, Shirley Jackson is a character on the show, which later in Part 2 forces Constance Blackwood’s character to haunt Zelda Spellman.37 of 41 found this interesting | Share thisIn episode 9 when Roz is asking Sabrina if Tommy has come back alive, she mentions that “Mr. Baterman was delivering a UPS package…”. This could be a reference to Timmy Baterman from Pet Sematary, who was also killed and resurrected.52 of 60 found this interesting | Share thisPays homage to John Carpenter’s The Fog. Each opens with the narrator telling us there is time enough for one more story before midnight. The Witches are shrouded in fog as they attack the town. The 13 Witches were betrayed, with betrayal leading to their deaths, as were the Lepers at Spivey Point in The Fog. In both, there are characters with ancestral ties to those who were betrayed. In both, the antagonists seek revenge against the town that betrayed them.55 of 66 found this interesting | Share thisThe Doc Phibes mentioned after Tommy’s resurrection is probably paying homage to the Vincent Price character played in “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” and “Dr. Phibes Rises Again.”44 of 54 found this interesting | Share thisKiernan Shipka starred in “Flowers in The Attic” where her character was referred to as the “devil’s spawn”, in this show she is literally the Devil’s Spawn56 of 72 found this interesting | Share thisThe original aunties from Sabrina the Teenage Witch appear as altered versions of themselves on the new series.17 of 20 found this interesting | Share thisThe “sitcom” versions of Aunts Hilda and Zelda, seen in the final episodes of Part Four, are played by Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick reprising their roles from the sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996).3 of 3 found this interesting | Share this