Something Very Bad is Going to Happen is the kind of horror I’ve desperately wanted. Horror that turns things on its head, is centered on women, doesn’t rely on jump scare after jump scare, and has a glorious atmosphere. It’s made all the better by the fact that the showrunner is a woman, all the directors are women, and a primarily women writers room. And it really goes to show you that when stories about us are written by us, you can tell the difference.
At the center of the story is Rachel, played by Camila Morrone. She’s highly superstitious but has this rare ability to trust her gut. And she finds a partner in Nicky, someone who understands her freak and who she has agreed to marry. We as the audience join them as they make their way to his parents’ winter cottage for the ceremony. And from the very start, Something Very Bad is Going to Happen keeps us on edge, not as a means of scaring us but more so we see reality through her eyes. That shift in perspective also makes it so we also see danger in every interaction, no matter how small.
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This is where the lore comes in and Something Very Bad is Going to Happen absolutely shines. Because I entered this show thinking that the soon to be husband’s family was the horror that Rachel should fear. And in many ways she should. They’re narcissistic, obsessive, and a little too self-centered for my tastes. But back to Rachel and the lore. She’s the terror to watch out for. Or her bloodline is. And I loved how Something Very Bad is Going to Happen peeled back the layers of this lore while piecing the past with the present.
By the end of Something Very Bad is Going to Happen we’re left with something bloody and messy. But if there’s any fate to this show, or any truth to soulmates, this was Rachel’s destiny. Not one of getting married. But one of realizing how suffocating Nicky was in his perfection or his need to fix her. Rachel doesn’t need fixing. She needs someone to see her and accept her for who she is in the same way that she accepted Nicky. And her rebirth at the end of Something Very Bad is Going to Happen feels earned.
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There will be some that can’t make it past episode one of Something Very Bad is Going to Happen. It is admittedly a lot of atmosphere and the feeling that something just isn’t right in the beginning. But stick to it if you’re looking for a show that feels delicious in the justice served and how it tears everything apart to leave this woman a towering figure of resilience. If anything, I’d knock this show down a couple points for the lighting. It is dark. There’s no way around it. And I wish that Netflix would’ve given us just a little more light instead of going things the way of House of the Dragon.
Also, don’t let the Duffer Brothers disappointing Stranger Things conclusion throw you off. Something Very Bad is Going to Happen was created and written by a woman, Haley Z. Boston. It also has all women directors; Lisa Brühlmann, Weronika Tofilska, and Axelle Carolyn. And four out of six writers for the show are women. If anything, the Duffer Brothers are being mentioned left and right when it comes to this show because of “star power.” But they really didn’t do much besides throw their name behind it and some funding.
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So come for the spooks, the atmosphere, and the lore. Stay for the kind of storytelling that centers women from the jump and doesn’t end in a way that takes away our agency. If anything, Something Very Bad is Going to Happen encourages burning it all down, choosing yourself, and starting again. Because you can. Start over. Anytime you want.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is now available on Netflix.
