supernatural, eric kripke

Right image by Genevieve, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

SUMMARY

  • ‘Supernatural’ began as Eric Kripke’s vision of a weekly horror movie exploring urban legends and monsters.
  • While initially focused on monsters, the show evolved to prioritize themes of family and personal connections.
  • Ultimately, it’s a celebration of human connection as the true meaning of life amidst chaos and darkness.

If road trips, rock anthems, monsters, and heartwarming moments are your thing, then you probably have stumbled upon Eric Kripke’s Supernatural by now. And let’s be real – once this show sinks its teeth in you, it’s as hard to shake it off as a vengeful spirit. For new viewers, don’t be mistaken; the monsters in Supernatural are the least terrifying part about it. What’s scarier is the fact that you will get hooked on it to a point of no return and you won’t even complain.

Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester in  Eric Kripke's Supernatural (2005-2020) A still from Eric Kripke’s Supernatural (2005-2020) | Credits: The CW

Supernatural is a feel-good show that you willingly watch despite the pain it brings. Eric Kripke sure did one hell of a job bringing it to life. The creator knew what he wanted his show to be like – a horror movie a week to grab the viewers’ attention.

Eric Kripke’s vision for Supernatural

Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki in Supernatural Season 1 Episode 05, Bloody Mary Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki in Supernatural Season 1 Episode 05, Bloody Mary | Credits: The CW

Starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as the lovable Winchester brothers, Supernatural is good at many things. Reinterpretation of lore, brotherly moments, perfect amount of humor, and of course, breaking our hearts every now and then.

But the one thing the show is the absolute best is keeping its fans hooked. Eric Kripke’s plan on what to do with Supernatural sure has a big hand in it.

Back in 2009, Kripke sat down for an interview with Maureen Ryan during the Comic-Con to talk about the show and its future. Coming to the topic of what he had in mind for Supernatural, Kripke revealed that he had planned to make it like “a horror movie every week.”

He stated,

When we started out, we were going to make a horror movie every week. It was about the monsters, and it was about Hook Man and Bloody Mary and the urban legends and, and the boys honestly, in the beginning, Sam and Dean were an engine to get us in and out of different horror movies every week.

Of course, the priorities changed with time.

It all comes down to family

A still from SupernaturalA still from Supernatural | Credits: The CW

While the show was originally all about “Saving People, Hunting Things, the Family Business“, it eventually became about the connections they built along the way. Whether it was an unbreakable bond between them and their right-hand angel or the sisterly vibes they got from Charlie or Jody’s maternal feelings towards the boys, Supernatural really is about family.

As the show progressed, family became more of a priority for Kripke. He told Ryan, “[Now] for me, the story is about, ‘Can the strength of family overcome destiny and fate, and can family save the world?’” It sure can, just ask the Winchesters.

Monsters will come and go, but Kripke believes that personal connections are all that matters at the end of the day.

 If I had a worldview, and I don’t know if I do, but if I did, it’s one that’s intensely humanistic. [That worldview] is that the only thing that matters is family and personal connection, and that’s the only thing that gives life meaning. Religion and gods and beliefs — for me, it all comes down to your brother.  And your brother might be the brother in your family, or it might be the guy next to you in the foxhole — it’s about human connections.

So, what started off as mini horror films, eventually turned into something much deeper. It became a testament to the fact that be it spirits, the apocalypse, or a literal God hell-bent on ending the planet, you can fight anything as long as you have your family by your side.

Supernatural is available to watch on Netflix.

Eric Kripkejared padaleckiJensen AcklesSupernatural

Written by Mishkaat Khan

Articles Published: 1664

Mishkaat is a medical student who found solace in content writing. Having worked in the industry for several years, she has written about everything from medicine to literature and is now happy to enlighten you about the world of entertainment. She has written over 1500 articles for FandomWire. When not writing, she can be found obsessing over the world of the supernatural through books and TV.