Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen filming locations: Where it's meant to take place and if The Swan Dive is real
Is it set in America, or somewhere else?
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is quite vague about exactly where it takes place – so let’s take a closer look and find out where the Netflix series was filmed.
Keep a light on (or turn it off, depending on how easily frightened you are). The new show, created by Haley Z. Boston (Brand New Cherry Flavour) and executive produced by Stranger Things’ Duffer Brothers, is a creepy, sometimes gruesome horror story.
It follows Rachel (The Night Manager star Camila Morrone), who journeys to her husband-to-be’s home to meet his family for the first time ahead of their wedding. As the title suggests, she’s constantly worried about something ruining the wedding – and, let’s just say, things do not go well.
As breathtaking as the surrounding scenery is, it’s not exactly a comfort (because it looks bloody freezing). However, you may have a tricky time nailing down its filming locations.
Where does Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen take place?
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen never states exactly where it’s meant to be set, but it looks like it’s supposed to be somewhere in the northern United States.
There are a few clues. When Rachel goes into The Swan Dive in the first episode, there’s an American flag behind the bar.
Secondly, while we never find out where Nicky is from, he mentions that Rachel comes from Oregon.
In episode 5, when Rachel is explaining the story of how she met Nicky, she says, “A couple years ago, I was travelling all over the country.” Now, Canada (which we’ll come back to) is technically part of North America. But, given all of the American references, it seems like she’s talking about the US.
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Rachel also says she met Nicky at an airport (she doesn’t say where) before she boarded a flight to Austin, Texas.
Finally, Rachel and Nicky had been staying in Cleveland, Ohio, before the wedding. So, is it possible they’re supposed to be in upstate New York, Maine, or perhaps even Wisconsin.
One confusing detail about Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen’s location
There is just one problem that we’re struggling to figure out. As noted above, Rachel and Nicky stayed with their friends in Cleveland before travelling to his parents’ house.
In episode 2, Rachel ‘loses’ her wedding dress. Fearing they left it in Cleveland, Nicky offers to drive all the way back to look for it.
“Isn’t it like an eight-hour drive?” Nell (Karla Crome asks).
Here’s the thing: this makes working out exactly where they are in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen quite difficult.
For example, assuming we’re going north, that gets us as far as anywhere between Heuvelton and Massena in New York.
There is one other option – but it would require travelling to a different country!
Where Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen was actually filmed
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen was filmed exclusively in Canada.
As noted by the closing credits of each episode, the series was produced with film and TV tax credit assistance from the Government of Ontario. In short, it cost less to make because it made use of assets and locations in Ontario.
Other parts of the show were filmed at Aspect Film Studios in Mississauga. Netflix is listed as one of its partners, with shows like Designated Survivor and Sex/Life also being filmed there.
According to Morrone, it was a 73-day shoot in some pretty physically taxing conditions.
“Canadian winter. *if you know, you know* Blood – plenty of it. Not a lot of sweat. Snow. More blood. Nights that bled into mornings. Then more nights. Then more snow. And in the middle of it all, tears. Blend of joy and delirium and exhaustion,” she wrote on Instagram.
This is a similar situation to Vladimir’s filming locations. That show was set in America, but it was filmed in Canada.
Is The Swan Dive a real bar?
No, The Swan Dive from Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen isn’t a bar you can go to. So, if you were hoping to enjoy a quiet, creepy pint with a weird guy who stares at you, you’re out of luck.
Instead, The Swan Dive is part-set, part-real pub – let us explain.
The team behind Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen transformed the Vienna Tavern, a permanently closed bar, into the show’s location.
Curiously, it’s based in Hamilton on a street with other buildings. In the series, The Swan Dive appears to be an isolated roadhouse, so there’s clearly some VFX and blue screen trickery going on.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen filming locations: The mystery of Ricky’s
There’s one big Canadian giveaway in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen: Nicky and Rachel eat at a Ricky’s diner.
For the unacquainted, Ricky’s is a restaurant chain with over 70 eateries across Canada. It’s an institution, and despite all the evidence to the contrary, it’d suggest that the series is actually set somewhere in Canada.
However, we’ve looked at dozens upon dozens of Ricky’s addresses on Google Street View, and we can’t place the exact restaurant seen in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen.
Is there a chance we’ve simply missed it? Yes! Could it also be possible that it’s a studio set that uses Ricky’s branding? Also yes!
Read more: The best Netflix movies you should watch right now
