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Things you may have missed on Netflix's 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the part one of " Chilling Adventures of Sabrina " and the holiday special.

chilling adventures of sabrina

"Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" hit Netflix in October and released a special holiday episode in December. The series is full of hidden references.

Between Archie Comics, who publish "Sabrina" comics, to real goddesses and occultists, the series sneaks in a ton of references for viewers to catch. There are homages to horror films in the set design and costumes. And the " Riverdale " spin-off even cites their neighboring town a few times.

We worked with Archie Comics to find some of the comic references used on the series.

Here are some details you may have missed.

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Aguirre-Sacasa wrote a play called "Doctor Cerberus" about a teen who is bullied and struggles to fit in. He watches horror movies every Saturday night through a program hosted by a man named Doctor Cerberus.

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  • Zelda's familiar is a dog named Vinegar Tom. That is also the title of a 1976 play set during the witch trials in 17th-century England. In the play, a character has a cat, who serves as a familiar, named Vinegar Tom.
  • Wardwell has a raven named Stolas. Stolas is one of 72 demons named in the "Ars Goetia," a book in the "Lesser Key of Solomon," a spell book on demonology from the 17th-century. He is known as a Great Prince of Hell and one of his depictions is as a raven.
  • Sabrina's cat Salem is named for the town in Massachusetts known for its witch trials.
  • Ambrose's mouse Leviathan has the name of a sea monster found in The Bible.
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The name Wardwell can be associated with Samuel Wardwell, one of the few men who were accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials and executed.

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Faustus could be derived from Johann Georg Faust, a real German alchemist who is now part of a German legend that tells the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil. Blackwood could come from Algernon Blackwood, an English author of ghost stories.

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Putnam is also the last name of a family who played a prominent role in the Salem Witch Trials. Thomas Putnam was one of the major accusers during that time, and his daughter was as well.

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  • Mrs. Wardwell tells the young girl she picks up on the road that she will call Dr. Sapirstein, which is the same name as the doctor and satanic cult member in "Rosemary's Baby."
  • Principal Hawthorne's name could derive from Nathaniel Hawthorne, an author of dark romanticism who was born in Salem.
  • The adopted parents of the witch boy who is murdered are named Mr. and Mrs. Kemper. Kemper is also the name of Ed Kemper, a real serial killer who is depicted in the Netflix series "Mindhunter."
  • Sabrina seeks the help of a lawyer named Daniel Webster. The real Daniel Webster was a constitutional lawyer and politician who served asSecretary of State under three presidents.
  • The ophthalmologist is named Doctor Spector. A specter (pronounced the same way) is a ghost or spirit.
  • When Ambrose says he met a "young Crowley," Crowley is a reference to Aleister Crowley, an English occultist and author who founded his own religion, Thelema.
  • One of the football players is named Billy Marlin. Billy the Marlin happens to be the mascot for theMiami Marlins baseball team. Whether this was on purpose or just a funny coincidence is unknown.
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He asks Sabrina for a "penny dreadful for your thoughts." A penny dreadful is a short fictional story or publication with sensational stories from the United Kingdom in the 19th-century. It's also the name of a horror series that aired on Showtime in the United States.

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When Sabrina is talking to Roz and Harvey at school, she is carrying a Thermos with classic Archie characters on the sides .

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Malum malus can be translated to evil apple in Latin. The scientific name for an apple tree is malus.

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The way she says it is a reference to the line " They're baaaack " from "Poltergeist."

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A boy puts up a poster advertising a bowling championship between the Greendale Ravens and the Riverdale Bulldogs during episode three.

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Gehenna is a reference to Judaism's version of "Hell." It is also mentioned in the Bible.

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The choir is singing a song called "I'll Never Say Never to Always," a song by infamous cult leader Charles Manson.

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Nicholas Scratch is the name of a wizard and villain from Marvel Comics. He first appeared in a 1977 "Fantastic Four" issue. The Devil has also been called Old Nick and Old Scratch, so his name is a mix of the two.

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The Acheron is a river in Greece, and in Greek mythology, it is one of the rivers in the Underworld.

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To some religions, psychopomps are creatures or spirts whose job it is to guide a deceased spirit to the afterlife.

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The Batibat is a demon found in Ilocano folklore, and a similar demon is called Bangungot in Tagalog folklore. The word means "nightmare" in Tagalog.

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Johnny Depp's character Glen in "Nightmare on Elm Street" wears a similar shirt and headphone when he falls asleep in "A Nightmare on Elm Street."

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While various comic and movie posters cover his walls, Harvey also honors Archie Comics. "Mad House" issues were written so that they didn't make much sense.

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  • Lilith is a demon in Jewish folklore.
  • Morgan le Fay is an enchantress featured in the legend of King Arthur
  • Black Annis is a witch in English folklore.
  • Anne Boyln was the second wife of King Henry VII before she was beheaded by her husband.
  • The Witch of Endor is awoman with supernatural abilities featured in the First Book of Samuel.
  • Hecate was the Greekgoddess of magic and witchcraft.
  • Artemis is the Greek goddess of hunting and the moon.
  • Luna is the embodiment of the Moon in Roman mythology.
  • Hildegard of Bingen was a spiritual woman and mystic.
  • Marie Laveau was a renowned Voodoo practitioner , often called the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans.
  • Tituba was a slave in Salem and was accused of practicing witchcraft and even confessed, accusing others of also practicing. But then she retracted.
  • Mary Bradbury was tried and convicted as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials, but she managed to evade being hung.
  • Badb, Neman, and Macha are sisters in Irish mythology. They are known as the "the three Morrgna."
  • Circe was a Greek goddess of sorcery.
  • Moll Dyer is a legendary woman from Maryland who is said to have been accused of witchcraft and now haunts the area where she allegedly died.
  • Juventas and Juno wereRoman goddesses.
  • Sybil Leek was an English witch who wrote books on occult.
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Known in ancient Egypt as Apep, he is the spirit of evil and destruction .

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"Afterlife With Archie" is from Archie Comics and is about a zombie apocalypse that hits Riverdale.

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Even though he was killed off on "Riverdale," Ben Button delivers a pizza to Wardwell.

He's also holding a pizza from Persephone's. Persephone is the Greek goddess of vegetation.

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  • According to Syfy, who took a set tour , the outside of the Spellman house was inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne's "House of the Seven Gables," a real house in Salem, Massachusetts.
  • Wardwell's cottage was inspired by Clive Barker's "Hellraiser."Barker even provided over 150 pieces of art for the set.
  • Father Blackwood's office doors were inspired by 1977's "Suspira," which was remade this year by Luca Guadagnino.
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  • Sabrina says she used the Demonomicon to learn a summoning spell for a familiar. In Dungeons & Dragons, the Demonomicon is supplement to the rules that presents the definitive treatise on demons and their masters, the demon lords.
  • The Spellmans have a pet cemetery. "Pet Semetary" is a horror novel from Stephen King where a certain area of the cemetery brings things buried there back to life.
  • Ambrose calls Zelda and Hilda "Jekyll and Hyde," a reference to the novel about a man with a dual personality, one good and one evil.
  • The goat they grab for Sabrina's baptism is named Black Narcissus, which is also a psychological novel and movie about a convent of nuns isolated in the Himalayas.
  • Susie has an Uncle Jesse, which calls back to the comedy "Full House" (and now Netflix's "Fuller House") where there was also an Uncle Jesse, though that's unclear if it it's just a coincidence.
  • In Ambrose's nightmare, he refers to his corpsewith a line from Hamlet when he says "a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy."
  • In Zelda's nightmare, she says that she and Hilda have a "Punch and Judy" relationship. Punch and Judy are a comedic puppet couple known for their slapstick shows.
  • When Ambrose confronts Sabrina about her necromancy, he mentions "The Monkey's Paw," a short story about a person who is granted three wishes but face horrific consequences for messing with fate.

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Considering the baby brings Hilda a lot of joy, it makes sense that Leticia comes from the Latin word laetitia, meaning joy and gladness.

Laetitia was also a minor Roman goddess of happiness and joy.

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As depicted in the Bible, King Herod ordered the execution of all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem during his reign following Jesus' birth. It became known as the Massacre of Innocents.

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Jingles the Elf is a magical elf featured in Archie Comics. He visits Riverdale during Christmas and hangs with Archie and his gang.

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Mr. Bartel plays Santa at Christmas, but his name is a variation on a creature known as the Krampus in European folklore. The Krampus is a half-goat, half-demon creature who is said to punish kids who have been bad. In Austria, the creature is known by the names Bartl, Bartel, Niglobartl, or Wubartl.

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Miss Wardwell took her Spellman cookie designs straight from the pages of Archie Comics.

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When Diana, Sabrina's mom, appears during the sance, she wears the wedding dress that was laying on the table. Show creator and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Vanity Fair that it was a nod to the sance scene in " Beetlejuice ."

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Yule Lads are mischievous pranksters from Icelandic folklore.

Yule or Yuletide is a pagan festival celebrated by the Germanic peoples during the Winter Solstice. Burning the Yule log is a more modern tradition, and though the origin is unclear, it's meant to symbolize good versus evil. The fire burning is meant to bring good luck.

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In folklore, Grla is a giantess who can sense misbehaving children. She is supposed to eat bad children and sends her kids, the Yule Lads, to terrorize towns.

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Desmelda is a witch from the first half of the season. Miss Wardwell takes Sabrina and the Weird Sisters to the witch's home in the woods where they learn the story about how she rejected being queen after the Feast of Feasts.

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Sabrina says "Satan bless us, every one," as a toast towards the end of the episode. It's a reference to Tiny Tim's quote, "God bless us, every one," from the Dickens story. Ambrose then reads from the story.

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Additionally, the episode ends with a bell and three demons emerging from the Greendale mines. In "A Christmas Carol," Scrooge is visited by three different ghosts.

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Email: news@pulselive.co.ke

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