Get excited, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina fans: Season two of the series is coming to Netflix in just a few weeks. The streaming platform dropped a trailer for the next chapter on March 18, but there’s still so much mystery surrounding what’s to come. In fact, the only thing that’s certain at this point is Sabrina’s bleach-blonde hair.
OK, I’m kidding: Netflix and the cast have released a few bits and bytes about the new season, and they’re only making fans more excited. Below, here’s everything we know (so far) about Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season two.
The release date. April 5.
Episode count. There will be 10 new episodes total, and they’ll serve as a part two of sorts to the first batch of episodes from last October. A part 3 and part 4 of Sabrina have also been ordered, consisting of eight episodes each.
The trailer. Netflix released the first official trailer for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season two on Monday, March 18, and it looks way darker than the first. Sabrina is embracing her powers more than ever before—which is yielding some graphic, terrifying new storylines. Check it out for yourself, below.
[embedded content]
Netflix dropped a teaser for the new season back in December:
And a poster on March 13:
Sabrina has some big changes. That platinum hair, for starters, but the updates go even deeper. “Sabrina definitely changes and shifts a lot,” Kiernan Shipka (a.k.a Sabrina) told Bloody Disgusting in October 2018. “Her growth is very evident and the second season definitely has a different spin on it than the first season. They are very different from each other.”
Her choices will guide what happens in season two. You’re probably thinking, “Well, duh,” but remember: Sabrina made a crucial choice in the season-one finale by signing the Book of the Beast. That, obviously, is going to have some repercussion beyond her new hair color. “I would just say that, without giving too much away, because it would be a bit of a spoiler, the way that Sabrina’s life takes certain turns and certain decisions she makes inform the second season,” Shipka also told Bloody Disgusting. “The finale of the first season sets up a lot. It goes in a different direction. We see more different characters. It deals with a different side of things.”
Netflix
There might be a Salem-centric episode. The talking cat you loved in Melissa Joan Hart’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch is much different this time around. For one, he doesn’t talk, but CAS creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told IndieWire that might change. “When we did the show, [he doesn’t speak] partly to project the horror tone,” Aguirre-Sacasa said. “That isn’t to say that Salem won’t talk in the future.” He also revealed to IndieWire there have been discussions about an episode just about Salem, though nothing’s confirmed.
New characters are coming. Alexis Denisof is stepping in to play Mary Wardwell’s boyfriend, but here’s the catch: He doesn’t know Madam Satan has taken over her body. Actor Jedidiah Goodacre will play a warlock named named Dorian Gray who owns a nightclub, so does this mean we’ll get to see the witches turn up?
Alexis Denisof
Getty Images
And new relationships will form. Are Harvey (Ross Lynch) and Sabrina not getting back together? Maybe. “There’s gonna be some new exciting relationships that blossom in season two, which I think the fans aren’t gonna be initially excited about, but I think they’re gonna grow to love these new relationships,” Lynch told Entertainment Tonight*. “I don’t even know what I’m officially allowed to talk about… Every character meets new people.”
We’ll update this post with more information as it comes in.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina follows Sabrina Spellman, a teen witch who’s approaching the biggest moment of her magical life thus far: her sixteenth birthday. It falls on Halloween and is also the night of her dark baptism—the moment when she becomes an official member of the Satanic Church of Night. The dark baptism involves giving her soul to Satan by signing her name in the devil’s book.
But Sabrina isn’t just a witch, she’s that witch. Not cool with giving up her voice to a being she hasn’t even met, she demands power and agency. Sabrina will not be swayed into giving up her soul just because it’s expected by her family. So when it comes time to sign her name in the book of Satan, Sabrina leaves. She rejects the idea that she has to be loyal to someone else’s authority. The message? Sabrina’s power isn’t rooted in the Devil—it’s in herself.
This is what I love so much about Sabrina Spellman.
PHOTO: Diyah Pera/Netflix
Sabrina at her dark baptism.
As someone who discovered witchcraft at 12 years old—the year before my Bat Mitzvah, when I would become an “adult” in the eyes of Jewish society—I can relate to Sabrina’s situation. By the time my ceremony happened, right after my 13th birthday, I already knew I rejected everything I was being initiated into. I wasn’t Jewish, and I didn’t believe in one god. I was a witch, a Pagan, and believed in many gods.
At the time, I didn’t have the agency, or understanding, to do what Sabrina did when she ran away from her Dark Baptism, but I’ve carried my practice with witchcraft with me ever since. And like Sabrina, whose father was the High Priest in the Church of Night, my father is a clergyman, a Reform Rabbi. Like Sabrina, I’ve had to create and weave my own web alongside a family who doesn’t understand why I believe in what I do. And like Sabrina, I chose myself. I chose my own magick and happiness above all else.
Sabrina’s a wonderful emblem of the power of a free woman, of the liberation that comes from cutting ties to what no longer serves you. She’s an example of what the witch can look like in the modern age—sassy, perseverant, loyal. She makes mistakes, but she learns from them. She dabbles in the light and the darkness. She utilizes magick to create change for what she deems just. She’s an agent of karma, unyielding to forces that go against what she believes in. She may only be a teenager, but she is like Persephone, the goddess of spring and the underworld. To undermine her just because she is young is a grave mistake, because Sabrina contains dualities that let her transcend the realms of mortals and witches. Instead, she lives along the edge of both.
It’s in this blurred space that Sabrina and her mortal (read: non-witch) friends remind us of something important: Everyone has magick inside them. While witches like me may call it intuition, some, including Sabrina’s friend Ros, call it “the cunning.” For their friend Susie, it’s a “vision.” The point is, inside each and everyone one of us is the potential to see, feel, and recognize a glimmer of divine guidance that doesn’t come from anyone else; it comes from listening to ourselves.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Netflix
The archetype of the witch, carried through centuries of pop-culture and folklore, is a divisive character. But the example Sabrina puts forward is modern and real. She casts spells and wades in the shadows, but the thing we can all relate to, witch or no, is her message: to know yourself is to know the universe. The strongest magick is that which you claim for yourself; no shame, no judgment. Sabrina reminds us of the beauty of the witch as someone who lives powerfully, consciously, and unapologetically. Hail Sabrina forever.
Gabriela Herstik is a writer, fashion critic, and witch. She writes Nylon’s Ask a Witch column. Follow her on Instagram @gabyherstik.
Crafting the perfect Halloween costume all comes down to timing: You need a reference that’s recognizable, yet fresh—news cycle permitting—on October 31. (Admit it: A Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande couples costume might not feel as on point as it did a few weeks ago.) When it’s down to the wire, Halloween procrastinators can always rely on a handful of zeitgeist-y television shows with very specific aesthetics, like Riverdale or Stranger Things. And this year there’s another program to add to the list, and it drops right in the nick of time.
On Friday, October 26, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina premieres on Netflix, and it brings with it plenty of witchy fashion you’ll want to jump on for Halloween. The show is a dark reimagining of the comics series of the same name: Sabrina Spellman must choose between her mortal friends and her family of witches on her sixteenth birthday—and events move in a sinister, satanic direction from there (it exists in the same universe as Riverdale, after all.)
In many ways it feels like a continuation of a costume trend started by its sister program on the CW. Every character has a distinct way of dressing, based on their looks in the comics, that’s integral to their development. Sabrina’s known to don a preppy red peacoat and a black headband; her witching rivals, the Weird Sisters, have coordinating long-sleeve tea dresses with lace Peter Pan collars. Throughout the series, you’ll see plenty of high-neck dresses, moody colors, and velvet—a vibe that really lends itself to Halloween.
On the whole, Sabrina and her coven stick to a handful of style signatures. We talked to the cast of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and they broke down their character’s costumes, their evolution, and the best ways to re-create them on Halloween. Read on.
Sabrina Spellman
PHOTO: Diyah Pera/Netflix
When she’s in the mortal world at Baxter High, Sabrina has an understated preppy look—think Blair Waldorf’s polish but without the colorful tights and pearls. “She actually gets ready in the morning—which is admirable, because she’s got so much going on in her life!” Kiernan Shipka says. “She definitely takes time to put an outfit together.”
Her wardrobe is made up of a lot of pieces you likely own already, and probably not what you’d expect from a witch in training (you can put down the pointed hat, sorry): easy crewneck sweaters, button-front corduroy skirts, and oxford loafers. Each look is completed with two finishing details—a thick black headband, which she wears at all times to neatly pull back her hair, and a red cape coat, just like in the comics.
PHOTO: Diyah Pera/Netflix
There’s a small detail that’s crucial for getting a Sabrina costume right, according to Shipka: her golden locket. “In the first season, in every single scene, I wear the locket that Harvey [her boyfriend] gives me,” the actress explains. The necklace is a sentimental reminder of her ties to the mortal world. Try as Sabrina might to act and dress like a typical teenager, though, she can’t escape her witchy side—and her fashion reflects that.
At the Dark Baptism, a ceremony where Sabrina is expected to officially join her coven and leave the mortal world forever, she wears a white slip with lace detailing…and that’s it. It’s one of the earliest scenes where Sabrina ventures outside of her demure, straightforward style to something darker, with an almost nineties-rocker edge.
PHOTO: Diyah Pera/Netflix
“As you see Sabrina sort of leaning toward one side or the other, you can definitely see her clothing choices and her hair and makeup change,” Shipka says. (The biggest shift won’t come until later in season, during a scene in which Sabrina and the witches hit a nightclub in outfits Shipka describes as “insane.” “It’s a lot of leather,” she teases.)
The Weird Sisters
PHOTO: Diyah Pera/Netflix
Riverdale has Cheryl Blossom. Scream Queens had Chanel Oberlin. And on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the title of unapologetic style maven is shared by the Weird Sisters, three witches from the Church of Night.
Prudence, Agatha, and Dorcas are inseparable on the show, and that bond is reflected in their matching campy, goth-glam outfits and makeup. In most episodes, they wear velvet dresses with long sleeves and contrasting lace collars, with black tights and heavy makeup—almost like an ultra-gothic take on The Shining’s twins. Can you think of a better group getup?
The whole squad can wear the same dress, either with bibbed high necks like the Sisters or with a crewneck you can just add a detachable lace collar to. Tie your hair into a severely low bun and paint on a dramatic smokey eye to match their OTT makeup. Swipe on a coat of black lipstick and gather your two closest friends, and you can head out to start hexing.
Aunt Hilda and Aunt Zelda
PHOTO: Diyah Pera/Netflix
What’s a witch in training without her teachers in the occult? Sabrina lives with her Aunt Zelda and Aunt Hilda, two older sorceresses and warring sisters with opposing style. Aunt Zelda is a stringent follower of the Church of Night—all in for witches and no sympathy for Sabrina’s mortal friends—with a buttoned-up wardrobe to match. Aunt Hilda is her lighthearted counterpart: She’s cheerful, mortal-friendly, and leans toward the colors that Zelda despises.
All it takes to arrange an Aunt Hilda costume are clashing patterns and several pieces of statement jewelry. She’s the most upbeat of the bunch at Spellman Family Mortuary, and her joie de vivre comes across in her boldly colorful clothing and jangling necklaces.
“I think Hilda dresses a bit like me in that she will put each individual item on with joy, not thinking about the end effect,” says Lucy Davis. “[There is] no regard for the end look, thinking it will all go because they’re beautiful.”
PHOTO: Dean Buscher/Netflix
Meanwhile, Aunt Zelda, played by Miranda Otto, is dark-spirited with an austere flair. She wears only navy and black, in vintage-inspired, conservative silhouettes. “Zelda’s into severe, dark, tailored, strong,” Otto says. “She definitely wears her clothes from a time before synthetics were invented. She’s a lady.”
PHOTO: Diyah Pera/Netflix
Madam Satan
PHOTO: Diyah Pera/Netflix
Is “dark glamour” your desired Halloween vibe? Look no further than Madam Satan, the witch tasked with swaying Sabrina toward the Church of Night, for your last-minute costume. She’s the most cunning character on the show, and she has a sharp, sexy wardrobe to match. (Read: lots of tight-fitted dresses and even more heels.)
“There’s some seriously fine tailoring,” Michelle Gomez, who plays her, says of her wardrobe. “She’s all angles and poise.”
Copying the look for yourself is simple: All you need is a V-neck dress that’s fitted to the body, voluminous curls, and a belt to cinch at the waist. Definitely don’t forget the spiky heels—she’s never seen without them.
“Madame Satan can run across a bumpy graveyard in Jimmy Choos with absolutely no problem whatsoever,” Gomez says. “She sleeps in her Jimmy Choos. I think she’s even had a bath in her Jimmy Choos. She just wouldn’t be seen without a perfectly poised ankle.”
Netflix decided to drop the first trailer for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Thursday (September 13) — and yes, we can confirm it’s indeed quite chilling. This darker, twistier version of the Sabrina comics follows our titular teenager (Kiernan Shipka as she comes to terms with possessing the powers of witchcraft, and the trailer highlights the spectacular fashion in which she accepts her supernatural destiny. Think of this as less of Melissa Joan Hart’s beloved Sabrina sitcom from the the early aughts, and more of a modern Exorcist. We’re not exaggerating.
Set to a haunting “happy birthday” tune — anybody else getting some Betty-singing-to-Jughead on Riverdale vibes with this? — we’re introduced to a few characters who will undoubtedly prove to be important as Sabrina prepares for her full-time witch initiation. (She’s apparently going to renounce her mortal life for a “dark baptism” on her 16th birthday. And her aunts worship the devil. This is not a drill!) We see some mortal high school pals, a mortal boyfriend, some definitely non-mortal high school pals, and potentially a devil’s handmaiden. It’s creepy as heck, but Sabrina looks pretty happy with her decision to worship Satan, and that’s all that counts.
While Netflix has been keeping the show’s more specific plot points at bay — the trailer, upon a rewatch, makes you realize there isn’t even any dialogue — Kiernan recently discussed how fulfilling it was to have her name first on Sabrina‘s call-sheet, for the first time in her career. “I was like, Oh my God, this is heaven. I’m obsessed with everything about it,” she explained, before admitting she had trouble filming with her feline scene partner, because she soon realized she was allergic to cats. “The cat is the one cast member I don’t get along with,” she joked.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina debuts on Netflix on October 26.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is one of this fall’s most-anticipated shows. Based on a comic series, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is said to be nothing like the 1996 series Sabrina the Teenage Witch starring Melissa Joan Hart—but how so? The show doesn’t premiere until October 2018, but thankfully, Netflix just teased some photos and new details. Here’s everything concrete we know so far about your next TV obsession.
1. It will premiere on October 26, 2018. Just in time for Halloween, natch. The show’s been green-lit for two, 20-episode seasons.
2. It’s created and executive produced by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the brain behind Riverdale. So expect a dark, edgy approach to the material.
PHOTO: Netflix
3. Kiernan Shipka is playing Sabrina Spellman. You probably recognize her from Mad Men, but she also played Bette Davis’ daughter in the FX series Feud: Bette and Joan.
4. This version is way scarier than the 1996 series starring Melissa Joan Hart. “Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature—half-witch, half-mortal—while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family, and the daylight world humans inhabit,” reads Netflix’s press release about the series. Netflix also calls the show a “dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft.”
PHOTO: Netflix
5. Several of the cast members have already been announced. Kiernan Shipka plays the lead, as we said. Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis are stepping into Aunt Zelda and Aunt Hilda’s shoes, respectively. Ross Lynch is playing Harvey. Other cast members include: Michelle Gomez, Chance Perdomo, Jaz Sinclair, Richard Coyle, Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph, Abigail Cowen, Lachlan Watson, Bronson Pinchot, and Gavin Leatherwood.
The numerous allegations of sexual harassment and assault brought against former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein have not only toppled his career but have also led to a growing number of others stepping forward and naming other men who routinely abused their power to prey on industry talent. In the past few weeks, director James Toback, director Steven Seagal, and House of Cards actor Kevin Spacey have all been implicated in the subsequent fallout. Actress Uma Thurman has so far chosen not to speak out—much of her work with Quentin Tarantino has been under Weinstein’s production company—but when she was asked about the wave of sexual misconduct allegations on Friday night, her response was chilling.
Some of the victims have, of course, not come forward with allegations—each, understandably, has their own reasons for doing so, whether it’s out of fear of professional repercussions, non-disclosure agreements, or far more personal ones. And it’s not right to force anyone into doing so.
“I don’t have a tidy soundbite for you,” she began, speaking slowly and seeming to choose her words carefully. “Because I have learned—I am not a child, and I have learned that when I’ve spoken in anger, I usually regret the way I express myself. So I’ve been waiting to feel less angry, and when I’m ready, I’ll say what I have to say.”
Although her words were vague, it’s the seemingly controlled emotion that defines the clip:
Other women on Twitter came out to support Thurman—and some saw themselves in their interpretation of her response. Actress Asia Argento, who is one of Weinstein’s accusers and had to leave her home country of Italy after she came out against him due to personal attacks from critics, also tweeted a statement urging her to voice her story—though Thurman makes it clear she’s not yet ready.
