The Satanic Temple says Netflix's 'Sabrina' stole Baphomet statue design, is 'taking legal action'

A still from Netflix's "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" depicting the Baphomet figure in the background behind Prudence (Tati Gabrielle). A still from Netflix's "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" depicting the Baphomet figure in the background behind Prudence (Tati Gabrielle). Photo: Diyah Pera/Netflix Photo: Diyah Pera/Netflix Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close The Satanic Temple says Netflix's 'Sabrina' stole Baphomet statue design, is 'taking legal action' 1 / 10 Back to Gallery

Mild spoilers for "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" ahead.

"The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," a Netflix adaptation of the supernatural Archie Comics story, has made thousands of fans among viewers. Not among them: members of the Satanic Temple.

On Sunday, Satanic Temple Co-Founder Lucien Greaves tweeted that the group would be "taking legal action" against Netflix and the show for "appropriating" its copyrighted monument design of Baphomet. He also added that Baphomet, and particularly their design of the figure, is a "central icon" to the Satanic Temple. Greaves confirmed to SFGATE that the group's lawyer sent a letter to Netflix regarding their depiction of the statue.

In the new "Sabrina" series, half-witch Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) is enrolled at a witchcraft school called the Academy of Unseen Arts, at which a Baphomet statue sits at the center. The show's Satan character, which also resembles Baphomet and is referred to as the "Dark Lord," becomes Sabrina's adversary.

Yes, we are taking legal action regarding #TheChillingAdventuresofSabrina appropriating our copyrighted monument design to promote their asinine Satanic Panic fiction. — Lucien Greaves (@LucienGreaves) October 29, 2018

As CBR and Broadly pointed out, the Baphomet statue created by the Satanic Temple does resemble the statue in the "Sabrina" series; putting aside the similarities adapted from the popular mid-19th century illustration, in both the temple's and Netflix's designs, Baphomet is flanked by two children looking up at his head.

"It's deeply problematic to us," Greaves, who said he's seen parts of the show, told SFGATE. "(But) even if that wasn't the case we'd be obligated to make a copyright claim because that's how copyright works." Greaves also noted that if the group didn't make the copyright claim now, it would have a weakened ability to do so in the future. In this instance, he said, "we would have had to send some message."

"It's distressing on the grounds that you have to worry about that association being made where people will see your monument and not know which preceded the other," he said, "and thinking that you arbitrarily decided to go with the Sabrina design for your Baphomet monument, which rather cheapens our central icon."

Before the show premiered on Oct. 26, some people observed similarities between the Baphomet of the Satanic Temple and the Baphomet figure in the show. It was "distressing" to hear of a resemblance, Greaves said, because members of the Satanic Temple had over the course of a year and a half raised money and honed the design of the icon until "we felt signified what we were trying to convey."

But for the Temple, this issue runs much deeper than a copyright. It incites a "Satanic Panic."

Greaves' main concern is that he believes to be the show's visual appropriation of the Satanic Temple's image of Baphomet is being interpreted to represent something "evil," and will subsequently stir fear of the group.

"I feel that the use of our particular image that is recognized as our own central icon (being) displayed fictionally as central to some cannibalistic cult has real world damaging effects for us," he said.

Greaves added that he isn't looking for any kind of fix to the situation other than a retraction by Netflix of the visual representation — however that can happen.

"I want them to take it out," he said. "It looks like it's a CGI facsimile to begin with. I don't know how much work that takes, but I simply refuse to have our monument used in this way in perpetuity. I don't want our monument to be associated with this."

SFGATE has reached out to Netflix for comment.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

