Why Boris From Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen Looks So Familiar
When you name your horror miniseries "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen," you've thrown down the gauntlet with genre viewers who've built up a high tolerance to violence and general unpleasantness. These folks are primed to be put through the wringer. Failure to shake them up over the first few episodes could spell doom for the future of your show (provided said miniseries is designed to become a regular ol' series, which is generally how things work nowadays).
Created by Hayley Z. Boston, "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen," which hits Netflix on March 26, comes packed with terrifying potential. Having previously written Ana Lily Armipour's installment of "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities," as well as knocking out eight episodes of the Amazon Prime thriller series "Hunters," Boston clearly is comfortable with causing discomfort. And though she's unproven as a creator of original material, she's got some heavy Netflix hitters behind her in the Duffer Brothers. Their name alone should get a good number of subscribers to give the miniseries a shot, but she'll have to deliver the goods to keep them watching.
Per the trailer, Boston's cast two appealing leads in Camila Morrone ("Never Goin' Back") and Adam DiMarco (season 2 of "The White Lotus"), who play a soon-to-be-married couple, but the reason I'll be tuning in, at least initially, is to see Jennifer Jason Leigh and Ted Levine play Morrone's eccentric parents, Veronica and Boris. Though I'm a little put off by yet another meet-the-creepy-family yarn (so soon in the wake of "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come"), I consider Leigh to be one of our best living actors. As for Levine, if his name isn't familiar to you, you should be acquainted with what is, to date, his most famous role.
Ted Levine made his mark as serial killer Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs
Levine caught the eye of casting directors in the early 1980s when, alongside colleagues William Peterson and Gary Cole, he emerged from the thriving Chicago theater scene. He landed a recurring role on the Michael Mann-produced "Crime Story," but wouldn't make a deep impression with audiences until 1991.
There's a very good chance Levine's popped up in your nightmares thanks to his iconic portrayal of Jame Gumb aka Buffalo Bill in Jonathan Demme's horror masterpiece "Silence of the Lambs." Levine complements his deep voice with a marble-mouthed drawl that frays your every last nerve. Levine also performs an unsettling, improvised dance to Q Lazzarus' "Goodbye Horses," which ensured that Levine would be in demand as a serial killer or all-around freak for the rest of his career.
Fortunately, directors realized Levine wasn't a one-note talent. He was deeply affecting as Mare Winningham's sensitive husband in "Georgia" (which contains Leigh's finest performance), and has portrayed cops ranging from hard-cases to relatively decent dudes. He was also immensely sympathetic as the victim of a murderous mutant family in the remake of "The Hills Have Eyes." 35 years after the release of "The Silence of the Lambs," I expect Levine to be a nice guy when he turns up in a movie.
Sight unseen, it doesn't look like he'll be a sympathetic fella in "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen," but maybe Boston has some surprises in store for us. "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen" is now streaming on Netflix.