The moment you’ve been waiting all October for is finally here, 90s kids: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is on Netflix, in its first season entirety.
Starring Kiernan Shipka (as Sabrina), Ross Lynch (as her BF Harvey), Lucy Davis (as British Auntie Linda, and Miranda Otto (as the take-no-bullshit Auntie Zelda), the show has already received a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Yes, people are loving the darker, slightly camp version of ‘Brina. But while there are modern themes, spooky moments an an enjoyable Stranger Things-like aesthetic, there is one thing that’s seemingly pissing off everyone: the weird fish eye lens-like frame blur.
Numerous posts on Reddit speak highly of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s content and cinematography, but a majority have a collective disdain for the unfocused effect.
In magical shots, the corners and sides of the screen appear to have been smeared with vaseline, warping the perspective.
Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has received widespread praise, but what’s with that camera blur?
While it’s an excellent way to tell viewers that reality itself is shifting before their eyes, it’s also a great way to give them a headache.
“Love the story so far, but the blurry sides and camera work are distracting,” wrote one fan on r/Netflix. “I’m constantly taken out of the show because I keep wishing for a clear picture.”
In certain shots, one wouldn’t be crazy to think that it’s a streaming data issue.
“I’m glad I’m not alone I thought my Netflix was messed up. I’ve been trying to fix it all last night,” one added.
“I wish I had jumped to that conclussion[sic],” replied another. “Instead I started to panic thinking I needed glasses before I realized it was the show.”
Another thread, titled “Sabrina blurry effect..?” echoes the sentiment.
“Anyone else find this a really poor choice stylistically? It drives me crazy. It’s like a shitty instagram filter. It’s a good show otherwise but the out of focus stuff is driving me nuts. It’s like trying to take a picture with your phone but it won’t focus,” the initial post read.
Thankfully, the effect does feature less as the show progresses, but remember if you haven’t yet begun you binge: your router, eyes, and TV screen are probably all fine.
Feature image: Netflix
