Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen

Something Very Bad succeeds in maintaining a sense of dread throughout its runtime, but you have to buy into the relationship of Rachel (Camila Morrone) and Nicky (Adam DiMarco), which appears both loving and terribly dishonest. From the first minute, Rachel is presented as broken, and we soon discover that Nicky is from a well-off family which presents its own baggage. But this is Rachel's story and we are with her all the way through the many turns of an impending marriage and meeting the family for the first time.

Those who aren't married or haven't experienced the "joy" of meeting a large, intense family all at once might not fully identify with our bride-to-be’s plight. For me, it was quite resonant. And yes, I may have once needed to order a sheet cake that said, "Sorry I thought you were trying to kill me."

Horror series are notoriously difficult to pull off. Movies depend on a limited runtime to build tension, reach a climax, and deliver a payoff before the brain catches up to how implausible supernatural shenanigans can be. Series lack that "get-in and get-out" methodology. Instead, they must weave in bits of tension, moments of character development, and endless mysteries to keep viewers engaged.

The series succeeds in building constant dread and portent. Much like the woodside cabin mansion, the story circles in on itself, revealing layers in a cleverly plotted way that entices without fully revealing its intentions. The moments of exposition come in plaintive ways that draw an intentional chuckle. Rachel is so earnest in accepting the proceedings with minimal fuss, which seems to contradict her doctoral studies in behavioral psychology.

This is a very well shot series filled with dark hallways, dim lighting, and the soft falling snow that suggests isolation and endings. Even in the wedding scenes, there is barely any light to be had as guests are consumed by darkness. Of course, no real house is like this and no event planner would ever allow it (think of the pictures!!).

The cast is perfectly filled out with the shrill Portia (Gus Birney), the acerbic Jules (Jeff Wilbusch), the disgruntled Nell (Karla Crome), and the cold madness of the matriarch (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Then there's sweet, affable Nicky, all doe eyes and unrelenting mama's boy energy, who can't seem to make a decision, offer meaningful support, or even tell the truth.

The pivotal moment comes in an awkward "how-they-met" story that is repeated to an exhaustive degree, only to be turned sideways. Somehow this didn't feel like the momentous reveal the screenwriters intended, which underscores the implausible undercurrent that runs through this series. The production commits to these broken individuals without making them unlikable antiheroes. They commit to the mysteries but quickly dissolve them. They commit to the supernatural but don't really show us anything. If the whole point of the show is a fear of commitment, they have succeeded admirably.

Despite these gripes, the series was highly watchable: I worked through eight episodes in record time! Could this have been a tighter six-episode run? Yes. Even at eight episodes, the story feels thin with plenty of unexplored potential. This is likely a Netflix requirement that corners writers into padding stories unnecessarily.

While this story ends here, a potential second season could explore previous generations to see how this curse started and expand the role of Rachel's father. I'd also like to spend more time with the Witness and find out what he does between weddings. Something very bad, surely.