The end is nigh for the witches of Greendale when Chilling Adventures of Sabrina returns on December 31 with its fourth and final part. Over eight episodes, the witches will face some of the most horrifying foes: the Eldritch Terrors. Let’s learn about these nightmare creatures that seek to destroy the world, and how they tie into the Archie-verse.
Proceed with caution. We’re about to venture into spoiler territory for Parts 3 and 4 of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (CAOS) as well as the Afterlife with Archie comics.
The Eldritch Terrors, also known as the Eldritch Abominations or Cosmic Horrors, are powerful beings that exist outside of human rules and laws, and are older than the gods. Originating in the works of 20th-century horror author, HP Lovecraft, and first introduced in his book, Eldritch Tales, these beings can control reality and change the world.
Lovecraft’s influence can be seen in the works of everyone from Stephen King to Guillermo del Toro. And while Lovecraft is one of modern horror’s most notable figures, his legacy is tainted by the fact that he was a known racist and xenophobe. Most recently, HBO’s hit summer series Lovecraft Country combined the racist terrors of 1950s America with monsters straight from the pages of his tales.
Lovecraft’s Eldritch Terrors have also appeared in the Archie Comics universe. In the Afterlife with Archie comics, Sabrina uses the forbidden Necronomicon to resurrect Jughead’s pup, Hot Dog. In doing so, she accidentally releases a plague of flesh-eating zombies controlled by Cthulhu – one of the most well-known Eldritch Terrors. This monster has an octopus-like head, human-like arms and legs, and a dragon’s claws and wings. Then Aunts Hilda and Zelda are turned into ghouls and Sabrina is banished to the netherworld without her powers.
Later in the series, Sabrina is sent to a mental institution, run by a “Dr. Lovecraft.” He tries to convince her that she’s not actually a witch, and that it’s a mechanism to cope with the alleged loss of her aunts in a house fire. Sabrina eventually marries Cthulhu to end the zombie apocalypse.
At the end of CAOS Part 3, we saw Faustus Blackwood (Richard Coyle) summon the Eldritch Terrors from the farthest reaches of the cosmos to bring about the end of the world. Within Part 4’s first moments, the following Eldritch Terrors arrive: the Weird, the Returned, the Uninvited, and the Darkness. They bring an unstoppable force that makes previous foes look like amateurs. Before the final Eldritch Terror, the Void, arrives, will Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka), her aunts, and their witch allies prevent the end of the world?
Prepare to binge Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s final part beginning Thursday, December 31. And don’t forget to add Wiretap to your Chrome browser so you can read comments from friends and fans around the world. Or post your own as you watch.
