“Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen”…and How

You might think you’ve seen the Wedding from Hell, but you probably haven’t experienced anything like the ceremony that’s the centerpiece of Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, a surreal and macabre series now streaming on Netflix. This eight-episode horror thriller tells the story of Rachel and Nicky, an engaged couple whose upcoming wedding is scheduled to take place at Nicky’s childhood home.

While driving there, Rachel and Nicky discover an abandoned baby at a rest stop, and temporarily split up to find help. As she searches for assistance, Rachel encounters a mysterious man at a quirky roadside bar. He questions her about her impending marriage and asks if she’s sure that Nicky is “the one.”

That’s just the beginning of this eerie tale, a clever mash-up of horror, family saga, supernatural terror, and suspense. There’s even a dash of serial killer creepiness thrown in for good measure. Rachel has a lot to contend with before she walks down the aisle, including Nicky’s family, who bring new meaning to the word “eccentric.” Everywhere she turns there are strange occurrences and ominous events, and things just keep getting weirder. It seems that there are a couple of dark secrets buried in Rachel’s family history, and Nicky’s family just might have a few skeletons in their closet as well. As the wedding day draws closer, there will be kidnappings, hauntings, taxidermy, murder, a bit of blood and gore, and a very different kind of bridal shower.

There’s a definite Twin Peaks-inspired look and vibe to several of the scenes and settings in this slow-burn series, especially Rachel’s encounters at The Swan Dive Bar, where she meets the strange man known as “the Witness.” He tells her about a deadly (and blood-drenched) family curse that will be enacted on her wedding day if she doesn’t marry her true love and soulmate. Another David Lynch-ian touch featured in the show is its use of vintage pop songs on the soundtrack. You might never hear Paul Anka’s “You Are My Destiny” the same way again. The moody score for the series was composed by Colin Stetson, and the atmospheric cinematography is by Bobby Shore and Krzysztof Trojnar.

Camila Morrone is terrific as Rachel, and she leads a fine cast which includes Adam DiMarco, Gus Birney, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Ted Levine. This wildly inventive series was created by Haley Z. Boston, who’s no stranger to the horror genre, having penned scripts for the Netflix chillers Brand New Cherry Flavor and Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen is an entertaining, addictive, and deliriously over-the- top drama. Just when you think things can’t get any more intense, offbeat, and bizarre, the show throws another “what the heck?” moment at you. If you think the infamous “Red Wedding” from Game of Thrones was unsettling, wait until you see Rachel and Nicky’s nuptials.

-John Visconti

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