Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen Reviews: Critics Heap Praise On Netflix Horror

If you’re a fan of a binge-able series with a central mystery that slowly starts to unfold, Netflix has a new addition you’re going to love.

Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen is an unsettling new series directed by Haley Z. Boston (best known for her unsettling work in the horror genre) and executive produced by Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers.

The show centres around a young couple – played by The White Lotus’ Adam DiMarco and Emmy nominee Camila Morrone – gearing up for their wedding, but as the big day approaches, a series of sinister events begins to unfold.

And that’s pretty much all the plot that the streaming giant wants us to know before settling down to watch the new series, which arrived on the platform on Friday.

Reviews so far have been pretty positive, with some of the more impressed critics calling the show “fresh and original”, a “masterclass” in tension and “one of the best Netflix horror shows of all time”.

The praise hasn’t been unanimous though, and while most would agree that it’s worth giving Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen a whirl if you’re intrigued by its premise, some have taken issue with the show’s pacing and the way it’s been shot.

Here’s a selection of what critics have said about the new miniseries…

The Times (4/5) 

“The plot is deftly crafted as it chronicles the tumultuous seven-day period before their vows, from unsettling beginnings through genuinely frightening revelations to a conclusion that will satisfy, although you may not want to watch with your dinner on your lap [...] While those in the market for jump-scares galore may be disappointed by the relative restraint here, the show is a masterclass in slowly building a sense of tension and anxiety while not being afraid to bring in the blood and gore when required.”

The Guardian (4/5) 

“I am not good with horror. Either it is Too Much – too bloody, too insistent, too preposterous – in which case I roll my eyes and become irate, or it is Too Effective – too uncannily at odds with reality, too nicely judged, too convincing – in which case I end up hysterical on the sofa and unable to sleep for four days [...] Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen has me firmly in the latter camp.”

The Hollywood Reporter

“[A] thrillingly creepy romantic horror show [...] The show excels at casting a spell through odd details, nasty red herrings, disturbing clues. And underlying them all is an unexpectedly sincere exploration of what true love can or should feel like, pitched right on the knife’s edge between sentimentality and cynicism.”

RogerEbert.com (3.5/4) 

“Just about anyone who has experienced the build-up to a wedding ceremony knows that the final week can be exhilarating and hopelessly romantic—but also filled with anxiety, misgivings, and extended family drama. Something Very Bad… shines a blood-spattered spotlight on these rituals with precise and insightful cruelty.”

The Telegraph (4/5) 

“It’s macabre and unsettling and filled with people dying in a particularly alarming way (if you faint at the sight of blood, give this a miss), but there’s a knowingness to it all, a gleeful smorgasbord of genre tropes.”

ScreenRant (9/10) 

“Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen includes a well-crafted storyline packed with fun twists and shocking reveals. It makes a promise from the get-go that something very bad is going to happen, and it follows through. While I can’t reveal the specific ‘very bad’ thing, I can tell you it’s worth the wait [...]  Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen will go down in history as one of the best Netflix horror shows of all time.”

Digital Spy (4/5) 

“Despite some flaws and untapped potential to push its impressive themes a little further, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen brings something fresh and original that’s absolutely worth your time.

“Without going into specific details, so you can experience it for yourself, episode four is a game-changer and sets the stage for a truly gripping series of events that takes the show in a new and unexpected direction. The final episode is also phenomenal.”

Radio Times (3/5) 

“Ever witnessed a wedding where a happily ever after just doesn’t seem on the cards? Netflix’s blood-soaked new horror series takes that fear to the extreme, shouting from the rooftops with every title card, that Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen by the end of its eight episodes. You can’t say you weren’t warned…”

Variety

“Ultimately, I quite liked the show Something Very Bad becomes once Boston and her team put their cards on the table. But that show is different enough from the initial presentation, and takes long enough to reveal itself, that I’m not convinced Something Very Bad is best served by its chosen format.”

Time

“By the third aimless episode, I felt more dread about having five more instalments to go than I did about anything that was happening to the characters [...] The back half of the season is better overall. The ending isn’t revelatory, in the sense that it doesn’t quite complete Something’s thoughts on matrimony or family or inherited attitudes toward either, but it’s clever and kind of exhilarating.”

Esquire

“There’s wit here. Some snappy edits draw out the specific horror of Rachel’s situation [...] but the overwhelming feeling is frustration. Potential lost to plod. The percussive soundtrack – dum, dum, dum, what’s around the corner? Is it a scary nephew? – started to drive me crazy in a good way. The greige colour palette – I was watching under optimal conditions: in bed at night with my screen brightness all the way to 11 – started to drive me crazy in a bad way. It all makes for a very long engagement.”

The Independent (2/5) 

“It’s a tedious axiom at this point to complain about Netflix’s allergy to good lighting set-ups [...] But the drab and colourless look of Something Very Bad undermines everything else about it, neutering horror and drama alike.”

Decider

“Camila Morrone’s compelling performance in Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen isn’t enough for us to get past the cartoonish supporting characters, the foreboding with little payoff, and a plot that just seems to consist of little more than tense moments.”

All eight episodes of Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen are streaming on Netflix now.