The newest rendition of Sabrina’s story has brought with it some fascinating character revisions. While some things remain the same, like names and basic plot points, getting to know the characters over the first two seasons has been a wild ride.
The sub-culture of the witches adds many facets to their characters and complicates their dynamics with their Greendale neighbors. The Church of Night’s teachings and practices make for some puzzling ethical choices by the witches and some major magic spectacles in and around Greendale. Here’s a list of ten of the most intriguing characters in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina thus far.
Edward Spellman
Edward Spellman is one of those characters who are interesting because of their mysterious presence. He barely appears in the show, in a flashback here and there. Everything else is information from other characters about things he did: His work on the Acheron Configuration, his choice to marry a mortal, and his plans to reform the Church of Night.
The few things fans know about Edward make it clear he was a brilliant revolutionary and the fact that his actions still affect things more than a decade after his death gives him a strong, lingering presence in the story even when he never gets a line.
Rosalind
The mortal Rosalind has a magic ability of her own: The cunning. It’s a poorly understood visionary power, but the mystery around it keeps it interesting. The cunning’s supposed source of a curse from a witch makes her friendship with Sabrina a little more complicated, but the full ramifications of that are yet to be seen.
Aside from her power, Rosalind also seems to be a go-getter, campaigning to make sure that challenging literature doesn’t get banned in her school, and tries to use her abilities to help her friends when Lucifer comes to town.
Hilda Spellman
Hilda can come across as one of those people who’s a little too nice. The pushover, the doormat. It seems kind of strange that she serves Satan and participates in dark magic. But every once in a while, she reminds fans how that can be.
In a shocking dialogue with a witch named Shirley Jackson, who is trying to take down her sister, Hilda says as much before explaining that she’s poisoned the food, and sips her tea while the other witch drops dead. The other witches may not appreciate her lighter side, but it’s when fans forget Hilda’s dark side that she steals the scene.
Father Blackwood
Father Blackwood may be a horrible person, but he’s a powerful figure. His secrets and his scheming keep everyone around him on their toes, so it’s no surprise that the ambitious Zelda Spellman finds herself attracted to him.
As both a politician and a priest, there’s no doubt of his intellectual prowess. Faustus is the kind of character who’s fun to watch because he’s skillful at being evil, and he sets up some real challenges for the heroes. He might not be a fan favorite, but he knows how to shake up the plot.
Prudence Night
Prudence begins the story as a talented witch stuck on a lower rung of the social ladder. As an orphan, she has a special bond with her two adopted sisters, and they are more often shown doing spells together than apart as the “Weird Sisters.” When she discovers that Father Blackwood is actually her biological father, she not only finds out in the worst way possible but it also complicates her priorities.
Watching Prudence struggle with her allegiance to blood versus the sisters who have always been by her side makes her feel painfully human. Watching her deal with the temptation of the power from being Prudence Blackwood is very interesting.
Lucifer
He may not be someone worth rooting for, but Lucifer is an attention-grabber. His presence permeates the whole story, and his arrival in the flesh throws so many things out of balance. Seemingly innocent things like Sabrina’s relationship with Nick are compromised when Lucifer’s unseen influence is finally seen.
Lucifer’s creepy incest fantasy with Sabrina is so out there that even the devout Zelda Spellman is put off. The craziest thing about his arrival is watching all of his believers start questioning their faith when they find out what they’ve really been worshiping; even Lilith finally realizes she’s been played.
Lilith
Lilith bears the dubious title of the most effective villain in the show. Through her careful, subtle machinations and disguise, she manages to gently nudge Sabrina into doing everything Lucifer wants—except when she’s feeling petty. It was she who finally persuaded Sabrina to sign the Book of the Beast, and she who pushed Sabrina to perform perversions of miracles that would bring about the apocalypse.
However, the resolution of her tragic backstory is what really puts her on the list of most interesting. After millennia of an abusive relationship, she finally realizes that Lucifer will never really respect her, and finally makes him pay for it.
Ambrose Spellman
There is one piece of backstory that is omnipresent, yet still inadequately explained: Ambrose’s attempt to blow up the Vatican. It’s hard for fans to ignore because he’s under house arrest, although he does occasionally get to leave after he gets into Father Blackwood’s good graces.
Ambrose is a bit like Hilda. in that he seems like too much of a nice guy to be working for Satan. He’s always there for Sabrina and often more gentle in advising her than their aunts. There are reminders of his dark side, like his suggestion to kill Principal Hawthorne. Ambrose’s kindness, loyalty, and his clever ideas make for a very peculiar member of the Church of Night.
Sabrina Spellman
As the hero generally gets the most development, it’s no surprise that the titular Sabrina would be one of the more interesting characters in the show. She’s set up for an interesting dynamic at the show’s start, as Sabrina has to deal with the push-and-pull of her mortal and witch sides. It’s hard to maintain friendships with mortals when she’s supposed to keep her identity secret from them, and it’s hard to hide something that influences so much of her life.
What really makes Sabrina’s conflict interesting is that she’s a very willful person who seems to be stuck with all the wrong tools to accomplish her task. She’s trying to defeat the devil using magic she got, at least in part, from the devil. Watching her try to think and fight her way out of this problem is an entertaining brain-teaser.
Zelda Spellman
Zelda is a bundle of contradictory traits. She’s a nurturing mother figure for Sabrina, and later toward Lady Blackwood’s daughter, yet she murders her own sister repeatedly and resurrects her in the Cain pit. She’s ambitious but has limits even she hesitates to cross, like when Sabrina suggests having a female high priest in the church (though she later compromises on this).
The influence of the Church of Night, where black magic is treated as good and Satan as their lord, makes her positive traits express themselves in twisted and confusing ways. It can keep viewers guessing about how she’ll react to virtually anything, like when she supports ritually cannibalizing a witch, but not Sabrina marrying their Dark Lord at her age. Her power, wits, and unpredictability make her incredible to watch.
