Fear of Commitment? The Creator of Netflix’s “Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen” Has Built the Perfect Horror Series for You
This interview contains spoilers from the first seven episodes
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Haley Z. Boston (showrunner, creator, writer, and executive producer) spoke with IndieWire about crafting her atmospheric, moody, and often darkly funny limited series about the scariest thing in the world: marriage.
In each episode of Netflix’s new limited series “Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen,” the title appears on screen at the most unexpectedly humorous moment. But the title is no joke. Produced by the Duffer Brothers (creators of “Stranger Things”), the series delivers on its promise of escalating dread. It opens with a wedding that ends in a bloodbath before rewinding to “five days earlier.”
The story follows Rachel (played with intensity by Camila Morrone) and Nicky (Adam DiMarco), a couple preparing for their wedding at Nicky’s family’s luxurious summer estate. But as the ceremony approaches, everything—from Nicky’s strange family to the unsettling décor of the house—begins to feel ominously wrong.
IndieWire: Haley, what’s your honest opinion about marriage?
Haley Z. Boston: (laughs) That’s a big question. My parents have a strong marriage—they’ve been in love since they were 20. That actually created pressure for me because it set such high standards. I made this series to deal with my own fears of commitment and of choosing the wrong person, and the difficulty of leaving a relationship.
The series starts in different directions but suddenly shifts genre. What was your roadmap for that change?
My original pitch leaned less into genre horror and was more like “The Leftovers,” where not everything is answered. But I was told: you have to follow the rules before you can break them. Eventually, the story evolved so that Rachel first believes the danger is external, but later realizes the real horror comes from within. I mapped out her emotional journey from doubt to faith and then layered the horror elements on top.
I noticed influences like “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” in the first episode. How did you balance inspiration and originality?
Yes, that film definitely influenced me. I love works that take ordinary dynamics and then twist them in a way that reshapes reality—like “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” or “The Celebration.” The fun is in subverting expectations.
Small objects in the series—like lucky charms or broken mirrors—quickly become ominous symbols. How did that aesthetic develop?
It came from four years of writing. I even wrote an early version as a novella to better understand the characters. When you don’t rush, the world becomes richer. There are lots of Easter eggs so the characters feel embedded in their environment.
The family estate is also very unusual. What inspired its design?
At first I imagined something like the mansion in David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” but our director Veronica Tafilskaya suggested a mid-century style. We wanted to control how comfortable or uncomfortable the audience feels depending on Rachel’s emotional state. The house is a mix of luxury and rustic cabins. Even the house number (11376) references the release date of “Carrie.”
The casting of Rachel’s parents in flashbacks—Victoria Pedretti and Ted Levine—is a great nod to horror fans.
Camila Morrone wasn’t initially a horror fan, so I had to assign her 40 horror films to watch! Meanwhile, Pedretti and Levine are genre icons, and their presence is a tribute to hardcore horror audiences. Their chemistry in episode four helps deepen the idea of Rachel’s family curse.
What does the “curse” represent in the series?
The curse is really inherited trauma and expectations passed down through generations. For Rachel, it manifests as a fear of marriage rooted in her parents’ failures. The opposite of doubt isn’t certainty—it’s faith. The entire mythology of the curse serves the emotional story.
All episodes of “Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen” are now streaming on Netflix.
