Diyah Pera/Netflix

Halloween isn’t just a holiday—it’s our entire October mood. So celebrate the best time of year with a month’s worth of stories that will keep you up all night long. (Binge-watching and eating candy, probably. Same, tbh.) Cheers, witches!

The other day, as I was once again lurking around my Brooklyn apartment trying to move things with my mind, I learned that I'd been invited to the set of Netflix's The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. And since apparently I'll never be in possession of magical powers (it's fine, I'm not bitter), the next best thing was clearly visiting this show and having a nerdy meltdown due to the fact that:

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Obviously, the set of Sabrina had a magical curse on it that prevented media from taking too many pictures and videos (read: I signed an embargo and this is a spoiler-free zone, mmk?), but I did find out cool secrets about the show, got to watch Kiernan Shipka nail the role of everyone's favorite teenage witch, and took this photo of her locker:

Mehera Bonner

Here's what else I learned:

1) The Set Decoration Is Magnificent

The coolest part of Sabrina isn't the magic or the moody vibes, it's 100 percent the set decoration. Every detail is meticulously thought out—and I was particularly obsessed with this wall full of shoes in Sabrina's house. While the mysterious array of heels aren't directly talked about on the show, they have their own backstory that production designer Lisa Soper created in her "head canon."

Try not to be jealous of my photography skills. Mehera Bonner

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"Every time [Aunt] Zelda goes out and gets upset with somebody she casts a hex on them," Soper explained while touring the set. "And then she binds the shoe and comes back and puts it there—as long as it's there she keeps the spell on them."

In conclusion: don't f*ck with Aunt Zelda.

2) There Are So Many Easter Eggs

This show is FILLED with nods to other iconic horror genre moments. Not only did comic book illustrator and director Clive Barker design all 150 art pieces in Sabrina's magic school, The Academy of the Unseen Arts, there are multiple shout-outs to his film Hellraiser (peep the wallpaper in Sabrina villain Madam Satan's dwelling), and production recreated Suspiria's famous art nouveau doors:

Mehera Bonner

There's also a Riverdale easter egg having to do with the below bookshelf, which I won't spoil, but is definitely worth looking out for when you watch the show:

Mehera Bonner

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3) These Sisters Will Be Your New Faves

Diyah Pera/Netflix

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They're here, they're polyamorous, and they're ready to rip your face off. Prudence, Agatha and Dorcus are the embodiment of pure evil, and the actresses who play them—Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph, and Abigail Cowen—are all relative newcomers. Which makes the fact that their first scene was filmed in just underwear slightly awkward, but also fully empowering.

"Our first scene that we ever shot was us in our underwear, which was a little terrifying but also liberating," Abigail Cowen said. "We're in charge. We're the women in charge, we get what we want, and we go for what we want. That was our first day on set. It was really liberating in a way."



4) The Magical Potions Are Legit

Behold, a glimpse at the potions in Sabrina's house:

"Wow, she has such an eye for lighting and composition" — everyone looking at this picture. Mehera Bonner

Not pictured? A bottle of orange liquid I found labeled "vomit."

5) Sabrina Has Deeper Themes of Feminism

Yeah, it's a show about a teenage witch, but Chilling Adventures of Sabrina also explores themes of bullying, gender identity, and female empowerment. Without spoiling anything, the kids in this show are navigating a world that's basically run by spooky men in power, and the patriarchy is omnipresent. (Hmm, sound familiar?) Sabrina's disruption of the system means the series couldn't be more timely—or empowering—to a young audience.

Diyah Pera/Netflix

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"I read the first script and I loved the feminist spin on the whole thing," Kiernan said between scenes. "Especially having a lot of women in the writers' room, female directors, strong female leads—it's this undeniable thing. I can't take credit for all of it, it was just the way to go.

One of my favorite things is that the show is just jam-packed with powerful, badass women who are exercising their power and being awesome, and cool, and have depth and flaws—that's what I'm obsessed with."



Speaking of obsessed, I'll just be over here waiting for my magical powers to arrive like:

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina hits Netflix on October 26th. Will you be watching?



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