The Satanic Temple Asks Netflix to Please Not Use Its Goat Head Deity in Sabrina Remake
EntertainmentTVImitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but apparently not according to the real-life satanists from Salem, Massachusetts who are suing Netflix for jacking the look of their goat-headed deity statue in order to make the new Sabrina reboot, I don’t know, really spooky or something.
Before you ask, the Satanic Temple does not actually worship Satan and in fact, denounce superstition, according to the non-religious group’s FAQ page. The group does, however, appear to believe in copyright infringement and argues that Netflix has done so in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Or as the Satanic Temple co-founder calls it, that “asinine Satanic Panic fiction.”
The Hollywood Reporter published part of the demand letter the Satanic Temple’s legal adviser sent to Netflix. It reads:
“By way of background, my client is struggling to overcome centuries of stigma surrounding their religious symbolism,” writes [Stuart] de Haan. “My client has expended considerable efforts in the design and creation of their particular expression of Baphomet, the goat-headed deity represented by this monument. This statue is an original work and, until now, has been associated exclusively with The Satanic Temple all around the world. This has deep religious significance to my client’s organization.”
The goat-headed statues do look pretty similar, down to the hand signals, ears, and beard:
Warner Bros. and Netflix have not yet responded to the allegations. The Satanic Temple wants the statue to stop being used in Sabrina and any other shows and explain how this happened, which honestly sounds more than reasonable to me.