Spoilers for Something Very Bad is Going to Happen ahead.
If you’ve been watching the new horror series Something Very Bad is Going to Happen on Netflix, you might have noticed a reference to The Blair Witch Project when Portia (Gus Birney) is trialling flower arrangements for Nicky (Adam DiMarco) and Rachel’s (Camila Morrone) upcoming wedding.
It’s a fair comparison, given that Nicky’s family house — which is where most of the show is set — rests in the middle of woodland creepy enough for any 90s teenager to get lost in.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s the biggest classic horror inspiration for the show itself. As Rachel descends further into chaos while her wedding day edges closer, there are two key Easter eggs that you might have missed… and neither is to do with Blair Witch.
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According to showrunner Hayley Z. Boston, it’s the 1976 Brian De Palma masterpiece Carrie that SVBIGTH is subtly a love letter to, and I cannot believe that I didn’t make the connection sooner.
‘Carrie is always in there somewhere’
“Carrie is a big influence,” Boston explains. “There’s an Easter egg where the house number is 11376, which is the release date of the original movie.”
Granted, this Easter egg is incredibly well hidden. I only watched all eight episodes a few days before this interview, and I can hardly remember a house number being shown.
The next Easter egg, however, is as obvious as it gets. Boston continues, “Then Rachel wears the shirt in the first episode that has the Timberline Lodge on it, which is a place in Oregon where they shot the exterior of The Shining.”
It’s another fantastic reference, and the SVBIGTH storyline effortlessly has an air of “here’s Johnny!” about it. Give the cast some axes, and they’d probably have done the same level of damage.
“Those are the two big ones. Carrie, in particular, is such a big influence for me. I love that movie so much. It’s just the humor, the absurdity, and, of course, what happens at the end. So Carrie‘s always in there somewhere.”
Minus a literal bucket of blood suspended from a high school ceiling, I’d say. But once you’ve raced through the series, we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to which horror movies would make an incredible double bill. Thank you for your service, Boston.
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