It’s only been a few months since the Duffer Brothers wrapped Stranger Things’ run on Netflix, and already we’re getting their follow-up project, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. The miniseries stars Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco as an engaged couple whose wedding plans get derailed (presumably by something very bad). Critics were able to screen the horror show before it hit the 2026 TV schedule on March 26, and they’re mostly pleased with the results.
The Duffer Brothers, who serve as executive producers on the new Netflix series, know a thing or two about subverting the frustrating aspects of horror television, so hopes are high for what Angie Han of THR calls a clever and satisfyingly bloody spin on prenuptial jitters. Han continues:
Something Very Bad cultivates its aura of dread less through graphic gore than through surprise and suggestion, from abrupt smash cuts that disorient our sense of time, to a soundtrack full of ballads that sound almost haunting in their lovesickness (Paul Anka’s ‘You Are My Destiny’ is a key recurring track), to shaky camera angles that make us unwitting co-conspirators to some unseen someone or something. But as the plot turns gnarlier and then dips into the supernatural, it does not necessarily shy away from showing us, well, something very bad.
Belen Edwards of Mashable says the title is quite the undersell, with not just one but many very bad somethings happening during the upcoming horror TV show’s eight episodes. Thankfully, the critic says, binge-watching the series on Netflix wasn’t one of them. Edwards writes:
Article continues belowWatching it feels like submerging yourself in a murky pond, dipping in one toe after another until you're totally immersed in the unsettling, frigid world [creator Haley Z. Boston] and her team are whipping up. Small details, from unfriendly bartenders to haunting local frozen custard chains, turn this cursed wedding destination into a surreal, unique ride.
Noel Murray of AV Club gives Something Very Bad a B, writing that it crackles with originality. There are highs and lows, Murray says, and the series could have “easily” been cut down to six episodes. However, some elements work exactly as intended. The critic continues:
The chilly, remote countryside helps create the feeling that Rachel has strayed into some netherworld at the edge of reality. That feeling is emphasized even more by the Cunninghams’ house, with its labyrinthine hallways and its strange central area: an enchanting courtyard surrounded by windows that looks like a museum exhibit. Morrone and DiMarco fit well into this story too. They have a chemistry that makes it easy to buy them as companionable—and also easy to believe that they may not be right for each other.
Tai Gooden of Nerdist rates Something Very Bad 3 out of 5 stars for solid performances all around and its terrifyingly slow burn toward one hell of a bloody ending. Gooden says:
Did this series need eight whole episodes to get to its conclusion? Probably not. Admittedly it sags a bit in the middle with a little too much melodrama in some instances. But boy is that finale quite the finish for a new take on a ‘red wedding.’ Haunting, bloody, and chaotic, the conclusion of this story ends in a way that sparks a lot of joy, at least for me. I did find elements of the story to become confusing at this point with some plot holes scattered among the drama, but it wasn’t enough to make it fall flat.
Some critics, however, aren’t able to overlook some of the series’ downfalls. Judy Berman of Time says Something Very Bad falls on the wrong side of the thin line that separates suspense from boredom. Three episodes in, this critic says she felt more dread about having five episodes to go than anything happening on-screen. Berman continues:
[Haley Z. Boston] gives us what might have been enough character development for a feature film and spends the bulk of the season—and especially those first three prefatory episodes—loading up on generically spooky atmospherics: jump scares, darkened corners, found-footage framing, heavy breathing and other unnerving sounds, sudden spurts of blood and abrupt bursts of violence.
While the critics admit the miniseries has its faults, the majority seem to have enjoyed the Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things follow-up. If you’re intrigued by this dark soulmate story, the entire eight-episode series is available to stream now with a Netflix subscription.
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