The new series, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” recently became available for streaming by Netflix. While viewers are generally enjoying the show, the Satanic Temple is up in arms about their image being used in the series, saying it could be “damaging.”
The co-founder of the Satanic group recently confirmed via Twitter that they are taking legal action against Netflix relating to the use of a monument to the horned and winged deity Baphomet which appears in the show, stating that this is a copyrighted design.
Satanic Temple against ‘Satanic Panic fiction’
It is less than a week since Netflix made “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, available for streaming of their platform. It didn’t take long for the proverbial excrement to hit the fan, with the Satanic Temple launching legal action.
After Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple wrote on Twitter that they were suing over the use of their copyrighted monument design in the show “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” he enlarged on the group’s reasoning. He said he is “amazed” that people may be confused as to why they should launch a legal action over Sabrina using their monument in the show.
Greaves went on to ask if people would be as understanding should a fictional show use a real mosque as the headquarters of a terrorist cell, or a Blood Libel story implicating “real world Jews.” He also responded on Twitter that he was against the context in which the monument was being used. He termed Satanic Temple as a religious group who have a “unique central icon” which has been used without their consent in a TV show, where it is being misappropriated to represent an “evil cannibalistic cult.”
Broadly quotes a statement by Greaves where he stated it was their mission to “fight back against witch-hunts” and the irrational mob panic caused by such actions. Greaves said their lawyers had already sent a letter to Netflix regarding the matter.
However, so far the streaming service has not commented on the legal action.
‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’
The new series is a darker take on the character Sabrina Spellman, who after her 16th birthday became torn between her mortal and witch lives. As noted by Screenrant, over the ten episodes of the new series, Sabrina is encouraged to join the Church of Night, an organisation including witches and warlocks. The group dedicates themselves to obeying the Dark Lord, who is, of course, Satan.
The new show “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is a much darker take on the original 1990s show and is already receiving favourable reviews for this reason. The show has already been renewed by Netflix for a second season, for which reportedly several episodes are in the process of filming. Whether Baphomet continues to feature remains to be seen.