Netflix and Halloween mix perfectly this year with two outstanding series that premiered this month, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and The Haunting of Hill House. What do I love about these two shows? They are deliciously dark and bloody.
Sabrina Spellman is teenage girl half-mortal and half-witch that is torn about her upcoming sweet sixteen and dark baptism, an initiation ritual into the Church of Night, a church of satanic witches and warlocks. Sabrina is full of conflict and questions. Conflict because if she signs her name in the Book of the Beast she will be giving up her mortal-side of her life including her best friends and her boyfriend Harvey. Questions because Sabrina does not seem entirely convinced that the Church of Night is good…
Sabrina makes her choice and begins navigating through the dark and light worlds she co-inhabits. Overcoming perilous obstacles and life-threatening adventures she is becoming stronger and more confident in questioning her leaders (predominately male figures) and the Church of Night.
What I love about this Sabrina is that she is not easily fooled, she follows her instincts and isn’t afraid to speak up if something is questionable. What makes me curious about the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an underlining critique that is woven within each episode right beneath the surface. I think this critique is on patriarchy, regardless if it’s patriarchy at her mortal high school (society) or within the Church of Night (the Dark Lord himself). The portrayal of the Church of Night also has striking similarities to old school LaVey Satanism (a.k.a. Church of Satan) which has always felt to me as an outlandish inversion of Christian religions rooted in a patriarchal structure. But that’s a discussion for another time.
Alina’s Rating: 4 out of 5 Witches
I love this show and highly recommend it to anyone who also loves Salem, The Witch or Penny Dreadful.
The Haunting of Hill House follows the Crain family and their story, past and present, involving the Hill House that they lived in for a short period of time. The Hill House was undoubtedly haunted but each character has their own separate and uniquely terrifying journey coming to that conclusion.
What is refreshing and thrilling about the storyline is that each character is explored and illuminated (each character gets about one whole episode to themselves). In each episode and through the various characters the Hill House begins to appear more evil and deadly. The common theme that keeps the Crain family and Hill House connected is murder which always sparks up an array of scary happenings while ultimately luring the Crain family back home.
What I love about The Haunting of Hill House is the refreshing use of various scare tactics by the ghosts and house itself. Playing in the realms of the psychological and physical the house has a knack for slowly chipping away at the will and the soul. A few key spooks that I love, the Tall Man and Poppy. When you get to know them, you’ll know what I mean.
What could I talk about as far as a critique when it comes to Hill House? I’d probably discuss the various scare-tactics used by the ghosts. Tactics that remind me of THE RING and EVIL DEAD.
Alina’s Rating: 5 out of 5 Ghosts
I highly recommend this show for its suspense and scare factor. If you like The Haunting of Hill House try Crimson Peak.
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