Do you believe your spouse is your soulmate and, if so, would you bet your life on it?
That is essentially the premise of Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, Netflix’s new horror miniseries starring Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco, created by Haley Z Boston and executive-produced by the acclaimed Duffer Brothers.
The eight-episode series follows engaged couple Rachel (Morrone) and Nicky (DiMarco) as they prepare to marry at his family’s cabin in the woods, a setting that feels uneasy from the start. The house is dimly lit, the atmosphere is heavy and the family dynamic is strangely tense. It quickly becomes clear that this is not a typical wedding story.
In the days leading up to the ceremony, Rachel begins to sense that something is off. What initially starts as pre-wedding nerves slowly shifts into something darker. She starts noticing strange warnings and symbols around her, small but persistent signs that suggest she should not go through with the wedding. The unease builds gradually, creating a slow-burn tension that runs through the first half of the series.
Eventually, we learn that at the centre of it all is a generational curse tied to Rachel’s family. It dictates members of her bloodline must marry the person they truly believe is their soulmate or face a violent, bloody death. If Rachel goes through with the ceremony without that belief, she dies. If she chooses to walk away, the curse passes on to Nicky’s family, becoming their burden to bear. Basically, the only thing she can do is convince herself that he is her soulmate if she wants to live. This is, unsurprisingly, easier said than done.
What makes the series interesting is how belief becomes its own kind of trap. Rachel is not only racing against time, but also against her own doubts. The more she questions Nicky and their relationship, the more uncertain everything becomes, creating a paradox where hesitation itself could be fatal. It blurs the line between psychological and supernatural horror, making it difficult to tell whether the real threat is the curse or the cracks already present in their relationship.
As the narrative moves closer to the wedding day, the pacing tightens and the horror elements become more explicit. The series shifts in tone, culminating in a chaotic and violent final act. Without giving too much away, the consequences of the curse are not subtle, and the show does not hold back in depicting them.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen keeps the audience successfully on their toes; just when it feels like you know where the story is going, it shifts direction. Moments that seem to offer clarity are quickly undone, with new twists reframing what came before and making it difficult to predict what comes next. The plot resists being easy to figure out. That unpredictability keeps the tension alive, even in slower stretches, as the series leans into the idea that certainty, much like the relationships at its centre, is never quite as stable as it appears.
At its core, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen hones in on the idea of belief: in fate, in love and in the narratives people tell themselves about relationships. The question of whether someone is truly “the one” is pushed to an extreme here, but it taps into a familiar anxiety: how well can a person really know another, and what happens when that certainty starts to unravel?
The inclusion of a figure known as The Witness, who is tied to the curse, along with the idea that it can be passed down or transferred, adds another layer.
Where the show occasionally falters is in its pacing across the middle episodes. There are moments when the tension stalls and certain things feel slightly repetitive, while others are left unanswered (why was the baby alone in the car?), raising questions that linger beyond the final episode.
However, it regains momentum in the final stretch, delivering an ending that is both bleak and thought-provoking. Visually, the series leans heavily into its horror aesthetic. The cabin setting, which is surrounded by forest (always a creepy combo), is used to create a sense of isolation, while the muted colour palette reinforces the show’s depressing tone.
Ultimately, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is less about the curse and more about the emotional stakes behind it. It asks questions about love and certainty, and whether those concepts can ever truly be proven.
It may not appeal to everyone, particularly those who prefer more straightforward storytelling, but for viewers willing to lean into its unsettling premise, it offers a tense and mostly gripping watch.
