If the fear of marriage or wondering whether you’ve truly found your soulmate terrifies you, then Netflix’s series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen will take that fear to another level.
Created by Haley Z. Boston, the series centers on an engaged couple, Rachel (Camila Morrone) and Nicky (Adam DiMarco), who travel to Nicky’s family cabin to get married in just a few days. What starts as a beautiful road trip quickly turns unsettling as Rachel begins to believe Nicky’s family is trying to kill her. If that wasn’t enough, she also uncovers a family curse that could stop the wedding before it even happens.
What is the plot of ‘Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen’?
Rachel and Nicky have one week until they get married at his family’s home in the woods. When they arrive, Rachel meets his family for the first time. Nicky’s mother, Victoria (Jennifer Jason Leigh), seems welcoming but off, while his father, Boris (Ted Levine), is distant and at times frightening, especially given his interest in taxidermy.
If his parents weren’t intimidating enough, Rachel also meets his snobbish sister, Portia (Gus Birney), crude brother, Jules (Jeff Wilbusch), sister-in-law and ex-girlfriend Nell (Karla Crome), and young nephew Jude (Sawyer Fraser).
As the wedding day approaches, a mysterious presence begins to loom over the isolated home, warning Rachel that something more sinister may be happening behind closed doors. A shocking family secret soon adds to her fears, forcing her to question whether her love for Nicky is real and whether this marriage could turn deadly.
What is Rachel’s family curse?
In Episode 4, the series takes a major turn when a horrifying family secret is revealed.
Rachel discovers her estranged father hiding in Nicky’s family home. She hasn’t spoken to him in over a decade, as he never recovered from her mother’s traumatic death. Through a haunting sequence, viewers see Rachel’s mother, played by Victoria Pedretti, on her wedding day in the same location.
After the ceremony, her mother begins to experience a nosebleed that quickly escalates, ultimately leading to her bleeding out and dying while pregnant with Rachel. Her father is then forced to make a devastating decision to save their child.
The moment, which was recorded, reveals to Rachel what truly happened and why her father has carried guilt ever since.
He then explains the family curse. An ancestor made a deal to bring back a loved one, but it required marrying a true soulmate. As a result, Rachel’s bloodline is bound to only marry someone they genuinely believe is their soulmate. If they marry the wrong person, the woman dies immediately, which is what happened to Rachel’s mother.
Now, Rachel faces an impossible decision. If she marries Nicky and he isn’t her true soulmate, she dies. If she refuses, the curse transfers to Nicky’s bloodline. With only days until the wedding, time is running out.
Who is the Witness?
Throughout the series, Rachel encounters a mysterious man known as The Witness (Zlatko Burić).
She later learns he is an immortal who once escaped the same curse. After fleeing his own wedding, the curse transferred to his fiancée’s family. Now, he is doomed to witness future weddings tied to the curse, ensuring its continuation.
He was also present at Rachel’s parents’ wedding, further connecting him to her story.
Does Rachel marry Nicky?
Technically, yes and no.
In the finale, the couple proceeds with the ceremony, and Rachel says, “I do.” However, Nicky ultimately refuses to go through with the marriage, insisting he doesn’t believe in the curse.
Despite his family’s attempts to change his mind, it’s too late. When sunset hits, the curse transfers to his bloodline, killing multiple members of his family, including his mother.
In a desperate attempt to save his sister, Portia, Nicky forces Rachel into marriage, but the timing is already past the deadline. Rachel dies, and his sister still doesn’t survive.
In the aftermath, The Witness finally meets his end, and Rachel is resurrected, taking his place as the new immortal tied to the curse.
Nicky, his father, brother, sister-in-law and their son are among the only main family members who survive.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is now streaming on Netflix