Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘Something Very Bad is Going to Happen,’ a bride-to-be is plagued with doubts and questions as her wedding day nears, and a bubbling pit of dread fumes inside her. The story follows Rachel, who arrives at the cabin owned by her fiancé’s parents, where they are to get married. While the cabin, called Somerhouse, is supposed to be a cosy place that will host the landmark event of their lives, it turns out to be a place full of secrets and lies. In the same vein, there is another place, a bar called the Swan Dive, that becomes integral in figuring out what exactly is going on with Rachel and how to save her from the impending sense of doom. Both places are so important to the storyline that they function as characters that drive the plot in unexpected directions. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Swan Dive is an Actual Former Bar
One of the most important locations in ‘Something Very Bad is Going to Happen’ is the Swan Dive, a bar that falls in the way to the cabin owned by Nicky’s parents. The scenes featuring the bar were filmed at the Vienna Tavern, located at 152 Grenfell Street in Hamilton, Ontario. As of now, the bar is not functional, the reason behind which could be the fire in June 2023, which was allegedly caused by an incendiary device, damaging a significant part of the property. The now-abandoned bar has also been used for the filming of another Netflix series, ‘The Umbrella Academy.’
In the show, the bar serves as an important location, as this is where Rachel meets the Immortal Man, aka the witness, who gives her the whole picture of what’s really going on with her. She first comes across the bar while looking for help, and the weird encounter with the man leaves her shaken. The next time, she returns to the bar because she knows that the strange man knows more than he’s letting on. Her determination to get to the bottom of the truth brings her back to the Swan Dive, and it certainly opens her eyes to a lot of things, especially when it comes to her and Nicky’s relationship.
The Fictional Cabin House was Brought to Life by a Mix of Locations
While there are some detours and short trips, most of the story unfolds at Somerhouse, the cabin owned by Nicky’s family. For the exterior shots, the crew found a real cabin that would give a proper sense of scale to the wealth of the Cunninghams. For the interiors, however, they built their own sets in order to have more control over presenting the chaotic energy of the place and the sense of the walls closing in on the characters. The show’s creator, Haley Z. Boston, revealed that while writing the story, she had the house from David Fincher’s ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo‘ in mind.
However, once the show went into production and director Weronika Tofilska came on board, she brought her own version of the house. Instead of having a big mansion, she leaned towards having a mid-century kind of cabin, with a mix of rustic and modern sensibilities. When they found the house which provides the exterior of Somerhouse, they had a better idea of what they wanted the interiors to look like. Creating the interiors on sets allowed them the freedom to present a more unnerving tone, adding to the secluded cabin in the woods vibe.
Boston and the team also created a backstory for the house, which isn’t necessarily shared with the audience but is presented in the background details. Boston also paid homage to Brian De Palma’s ‘Carrie’ by designating “11376” (the date of the film’s release) as the house number for Somerhouse. Through details like these, the show’s creators ensured that the location had a realistic feel, while also emphasising the horror elements that make the story so compelling.
Read More: Is Something Very Bad is Going to Happen a True Story? Is Rachel Based on a Real Person?
