News

A Folkloric Primer for Netflix’s ‘Sabrina’ Holiday Episode ‘A Midwinter’s Tale’

Published

5 years ago

December 14, 2018

Seances, ghosts, and a demon or two…sounds about right for a scary story on the longest night of the year, and Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina gathered them all together to spin their first ever holiday episode, A Midwinter’s Tale which debuted on the streaming service today.

**Author’s Note: This article contains a few small, necessary spoilers in discussing the folklore behind the holiday episode of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.**

As the episode opens, we find Sabrina and the rest of the Spellman clan preparing to celebrate the Winter Solstice, but they’re also still dealing with all those loose and fraying ends from the first season finale.

Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka)is trying to find common ground with the friends who now know she’s a witch, and Zelda (Miranda Otto) and Hilda (Lucy Davis) are caring for baby Lettitia, whom Zelda abducted to protect her from Father Blackwood. All the while, Ambrose (Chance Perdomo) is testing the limits of his freedom and exploring his growing relationship with the oh-so-delectable Luke (Darren Mann).

Of course, the holidays add a layer of tension to everything, and in the Spellman house, that generally means spells to cast and demons to vanquish.

While the episode is a little uneven in its opening letting us know that things are still awkward on almost every front, it finds its feet by the 20 minute mark and it does so by digging deep into the lore of Yule, the Solstice, and folkloric traditions from around the world.

It all begins with lighting the Yule Log. A long-standing tradition with roots in Germanic pagan practices, the Yule Log was burned through the long solstice night as a reminder that the darkest night of the year and the winter months themselves eventually give way to the light of the coming Spring as the wheel of the year turned. Its bright light was a balance to dispel the darkness, but also a promise of luck and prosperity.

The tradition continues in many pagan groups to this day, when the great Yule Log is burned save for a small piece that will be used to light the Yule Log the following year.

And you thought it was just a hokey background for schmaltzy Christmas music!

Of course, letting the fire go out before the dawn could bring dire consequences, and of course, that’s just what happens in the Spellman home!

Aunt Hilda (Lucy Davis) is ready for anything when things get weird in A Midwinter’s Tale on Netflix (Photo by Diyah Pera/Netflix)

The fire goes out when Sabrina and the Weird Sisters are performing a seance to contact the spirit of her mother which opens the house to an infestation by a group of pesky Icelandic spirits called the Yule Lads.

In the traditional lore, the Yule Lads are a bit like the Seven Dwarfs with mischievous attitudes and a tendency, in some instances, to dabble in cannibalism. In more modern tellings, they run amok in the days leading up to Christmas leaving gifts or the occasional rotting potato on children’s windowsills depending on the child’s behavior throughout the year.

There’s really only one person who could ever control the Yule Lads, and that was their mother, the ogress Gryla, who as it happens, also plays a major role in the episode. Gryla also has a history of eating disobedient children, but the writers on Sabrina softened her story, portraying her as a powerful witch mother who protects wayward, orphaned children.

This latter part of her rebranded mythology comes in handy when one of Sabrina’s friends finds themselves at the mercy of Mr. Bartel, an evil demon who has apparently watched House of Wax one too many times!

Bartel, as some of you may know, is the South Austrian name associated with none other than Krampus, the Christmas Devil, himself.

If it seems like that’s a lot to pack into one episode, you’re right, but somehow it all seems to fit into the magical world of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina quite nicely.

The real Winter Solstice will begin at 5:23 pm EST on Friday, December 21, 2018, and A Midwinter’s Tale might be just the entertainment you’re looking for to kick off the longest night of the year. Of course, you don’t have to wait, the episode is available today on Netflix!

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

5 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

6 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

8 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.