All hail the queen! Chilling Adventures of Sabrina [1] returned to Netflix in January, and it's even more sinister than ever [2]. Over time, the popular drama series has become increasingly darker, featuring more gory moments and disturbing imagery. I guess going to Hell will do that, eh? In our downtime, we've gathered nine facts you probably had no idea were a thing as you watched the latest season. How many cats play Salem? Are the spells used on the show real? Was the Christmas special planned? Find out ahead, and don't miss all the cute Instagrams the cast have shared from the set [3]. (Just because they play witches doesn't mean they're not real-life BFFs.)
Shipka Was Almost . . . Betty Cooper?!
Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa initially considered Shipka to play the role of Betty Cooper [4] on Riverdale [5]. "Kiernan was iconic in Mad Men [6] . . . I was like, 'Oh I wonder if she'd ever do Betty,'" he told Entertainment Weekly. Obviously, Lili Reinhart ended up with the role. However, Shipka made such a lasting impression on everyone that she began to be considered for the role of Sabrina before the script for CAOS was even written. After casting director David Rapaport said Shipka might be interested in the role as the show moved from The CW to Netflix, Aguirre-Sacasa began writing the script for Shipka [7]. "For me it was sort of like, 'Okay she's Sabrina. I'm writing this for Kiernan,'" he told Entertainment Weekly.
When Anyone Sneezes on Set,They Say, "Hail, Satan"
After Richard Coyle, who plays Father Blackwood, ended a sermon by saying, "Hail, Satan," a peculiar tradition was formed. Anytime anyone sneezes on set, all 300 cast and crew members use the expression "Hail, Satan" instead of "God bless you." [8]
"It turns into this massive echo," production designer Lisa Soper told Thrillist. "You can hear it everywhere. We even made crew T-shirts saying 'Hail, Satan!'"
There Is a Practicing Pagan on Set
Soper is a real practitioner of Paganism [9]. She feels her beliefs help "conceptualize the magical framework around each episode's action," according to Vanity Fair. After the set was constructed, she even put a "protection spell" on the house! Soper explained that the crew are attentive about making sure they don't disturb any of the "different salts and crystals that are laid out as charms and protections."
There Are Multiple Cats That Play Salem
"We have four main Salems [10]," Shipka said at ACE Comic Con Midwest in 2019. Her favourite cat is named Shaq, who is also the biggest of the four.
Unfortunately, Shipka Is Allergic to Cats
Despite getting along with Shaq, Shipka is allergic to cats [11]! "The cat is the one cast member I don't get along with," Shipka told Vulture. Her allergic reaction is so severe that Aguirre-Sacasa considered giving Sabrina a different familiar [12]. "It did go through my mind: Could Salem be a dog?" he told Entertainment Weekly. That said, Shipka does believe she is "growing out of the allergy," [13] she said at ACE Comic Con Midwest in 2019. Just recently, she's been hanging around the cats more and not getting any reactions like she used to.
The Christmas Special Was Not Initially Planned
"I was having dinner with one of the writers and we sort of realised, 'We've done a Halloween episode and a Thanksgiving episode and we skipped over Christmas [14],'" Aguirre-Sacasa told The Wrap. "As soon as I realised that, I was like, 'We're doing a Christmas episode!'"
Because shooting for Part II had already begun, it was decided that the Christmas episode would be a stand-alone episode.
Ross Lynch Used to Hate Horror Films
"I was actually the kid that was always scared of horror films [15]," Lynch said at ACE Comic Con Midwest in 2019. "But now I love them. I'm such a fan. I think the show kind of made me more into the horror genre because it really shows you all the creative aspects of the horror genre."
The Spells on the Show Are Authentic
"All the writers and myself are very sticklery on the Pagan rituals," Soper told Refinery29. She explained that all decisions about spells cast come from "actual history." [16]
Tati Gabrielle, who plays Prudence, told Entertainment Weekly that "when we're doing certain spells, we're calling on some really dark forces [17]." To combat any negative energy, Gabrielle does smudging, "to keep my energy clear when we step off."
Shipka's Most Memorable Scene Is the One She Did the Most
"The most memorable scene is where I tell Harvey that I'm a witch [18] because I did it so many times," Shipka told Teen Vogue. "I think I could probably say [Lynch's] lines and my lines backwards." Shipka auditioned for the role of Sabrina with that scene, did multiple chemistry read scenes with all the Harveys, including Lynch, with that scene, then did the scene for real.