Netflix’s ‘Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen’ Is TV’s Scariest Binge

You may not want to watch Netflix’s new horror series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen right before bed. If the thought of tying the knot doesn’t scare you, this show absolutely will.

The Netflix horror series follows Rachel (Camila Morrone) and her fiancé, Nicky (Adam DiMarco), as they travel to his wealthy family’s lavish vacation home, isolated in a snowy wilderness. It’s the kind of picturesque setting that should feel romantic, if not for his deeply unsettling family and the equally eerie locals.

With just five days until their intimate wedding, Rachel finds herself trapped in close quarters with her soon-to-be in-laws, whose eccentric behavior quickly veers into something far more disturbing. Audiences are clearly hooked: the eight-episode debut surged to No. 2 on Netflix’s English TV list, drawing 4.5 million views in its first four days.

Created by Haley Z. Boston, who also served as showrunner and executive producer, and executive produced by the Duffer Brothers (Stranger Things), this series leans into psychological dread, blurring the line between intuition and paranoia. If you’re a fan of horror, this show is absolutely for you.

In an interview ahead of the March 26 premiere, Morrone discussed Rachel’s sharp instincts that something just isn’t right with Nicky’s family. Asked whether her character is neurotic, paranoid, or psychic, she instead referred to her as “intuitive.”

Rachel is wary of marriage and questions the idea of soulmates, even though she is deeply in love with Nicky. As a series of ominous coincidences and escalating horrors unfold, she’s forced to confront a chilling question: What could be more terrifying than committing your life to the wrong person?

“She’s very in touch with her emotions, and she’s an observer. She studies behavioral psychology. A big part of her is her interest in humanity, and in understanding why people behave in certain ways. She was also very isolated in her childhood, so that created a real sense of paranoia and an outsiderness to her,” Morrone explained.

To prepare, Morrone immersed herself in the genre. “I wanted to understand tone and pacing, and really look at performances, and see things that resonated with me that I feel worked in previous horror films.”

DiMarco described Nicky as flawed but well-meaning. “He’s not perfect, but, you know, who is? He’s obviously very in love with Rachel, and also stressed about her meeting his family, because they’re so crazy with a capital C. He’s a romantic at heart, maybe to a fault, maybe to a detriment.”

Boston drew inspiration from classic horror touchstones like Carrie and Rosemary’s Baby, framing her series as a different kind of transformation story. Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen is, in her words, about a woman becoming a wife.

“I have gone to weddings where people said in their vows, ‘I never once had a doubt.’ That just felt so insane to me that you wouldn’t experience that,” she said. “I have my own fear of commitment and it just felt natural to me to explore that in a horror show about a wedding and from there, the character of Rachel appeared and just the idea of following someone through this very stressful week, someone who is prone to anxiety, and dread and then, you know, feels like everything is a threat to her, and what that would be like. The idea came from there.”

Getting a project off the ground in Hollywood is no small feat, but Boston found strong creative allies in Matt and Ross Duffer.

“I had met them before, and I was really excited about the idea of working with them. I was a big fan of Stranger Things. One thing that was really just so great about them is that they taught me that I need to stand behind every creative decision I make,” she explained. “They really helped me figure out how to find my North Star with the show and allowed me to make the show that I wanted to make. They really supported that.”

Nicky’s family, led by his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh), may be the show’s most unnerving element. Yet Boston insists there’s more beneath the surface. “I think there’s a lot of love in this family.”

Case in point: they taxidermize and keep their deceased dogs. “I think it’s actually quite beautiful that they want to keep their family dogs with them,” she added.

Of the matriarchal family system, Boston concludes, “The three kids were loved a little differently, and you can see how they turned out because of that. There’s a lot of emphasis on tradition in this family. They’re strange and kooky, but I think ultimately, they mean well.”

As the saying goes, you’re not just marrying the person, you’re marrying their family. This series takes that idea and twists it into something far more terrifying.