Netflix just dropped its new horror series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen on March 26, 2026, and viewers are already talking about one thing. The show introduces a terrifying figure called the Sorry Man, a creature who supposedly roams the woods hunting women. Many fans want to know if this character came from a real serial killer case.
The short answer is no. The Sorry Man is not based on a real person. But the name confusion comes from somewhere else. A real investigator named Larry Pool spent years hunting the Golden State Killer, one of America’s most brutal serial offenders. The similar names have caused some mix-up among viewers.
Who Is the Real Larry Pool and Why Does His Name Appear in True Crime History
Larry Pool is a retired detective from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in California. He worked for 16 years trying to catch the man now known as the Golden State Killer. This real criminal started as a rapist in Northern California in 1976. By 1979, he had moved to Southern California and became a killer.
Pool described this offender as the most brazen serial criminal in American history. The Golden State Killer would enter homes at night while people slept. He would shine a flashlight in their faces and show a knife or gun. He told victims not to look at him or he would kill them.
The real Larry Pool never stopped working on this case. He pushed for answers when others had given up. His dedication helped keep the investigation active for years. The Golden State Killer was finally caught in 2018, long after Pool started working the case.
The Sorry Man in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen Has Nothing to Do With Real Crime
The Sorry Man is a made-up story within the Netflix show. The character appears when Rachel Harkin (played by Camila Morrone) visits her fiance Nicky Cunningham‘s (Adam DiMarco) family cabin before their wedding.
Nicky’s sister Portia (Gus Birney) tells Rachel the legend. The Sorry Man believes his lost love lives inside another woman. If he smells blood, he hunts down the bleeding woman and rips her open. The story supposedly comes from Nicky’s older brother Jules (Jeff Wilbusch), who claimed to have seen the creature as a child.
Here is what actually happens in the show. Rachel’s family has a curse. Any woman who marries someone who is not her soulmate will die. Rachel’s own mother died right after marrying her father. Her father had to cut open his dead wife’s belly to save baby Rachel, repeating “I’m sorry” the whole time.
Young Jules was hiding under a bed nearby and saw everything. His child mind turned this traumatic event into the story of the Sorry Man. The “monster” was never real. It was always Rachel’s father trying to save his child.
What Inspired the Show’s Creator to Write This Story
Haley Z. Boston, the creator of Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, did not look to true crime for her story. She looked at her own fears. Boston told TheWrap that the show came from her personal anxiety about commitment and marriage.
She explained that she went to weddings where couples said in their vows, “I never once had a doubt.” Boston said she could not understand how that was possible. Those feelings led her to write a horror show about the fear of marrying the wrong person.
“It just felt like something I hadn’t really seen before, a horror show about the fear of commitment. It was something I was going through, so it was personal to me.” – Haley Z. Boston to TheWrap
Boston also shared that her own mother warned her as a kid, “You just need to make sure you don’t marry the wrong person.” That simple warning grew into the cursed bride story at the center of the Netflix series.
The Duffer Brothers, known for Stranger Things, signed on as executive producers. They said Boston’s script knocked them flat. They called her a major new talent with a unique voice.
The Real Larry Pool Connection Is Just a Name Coincidence
The confusion started because both names appear in entertainment media. The real Larry Pool has been quoted in news reports about the Golden State Killer for years. His interviews and case files are public record. True crime fans know his name well.
When Netflix released Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, some viewers saw the name “Larry Poole” or similar spellings in online discussions. The human brain naturally connects familiar names. People who knew about the real detective assumed the show’s Sorry Man must be based on his work.
But the show never mentions any real detective. The Sorry Man is a fictional legend created by a child’s trauma. The real Larry Pool has no connection to this Netflix series or its characters.
What Critics and Early Viewers Are Saying About the Show
The Hollywood Reporter gave the series a positive review. The critic praised Camila Morrone as a horror heroine, calling her performance grounded and relatable. The review noted that the show builds dread through surprise and suggestion rather than just gore.
The critic wrote that the series offers a clever take on pre-wedding nerves. The show asks whether true love is about fate or just making a choice. These questions make the horror feel personal and real.
Viewers who finished all eight episodes have taken to social media to discuss the Sorry Man twist. Many said they did not see the reveal coming. The show keeps viewers guessing until the end about what the “very bad thing” actually is.
The Curse and the True Meaning of the Story
The show uses the curse as a way to show Rachel’s internal doubt. Boston explained that if you remove the supernatural elements, the story is simply about a woman who doubts her relationship. The curse represents her anxiety following her through life.
Rachel must get to a place where she believes in her choice. The only way to beat the curse is to believe. But the ending takes a sharp turn. Nicky says no at the altar after learning his own parents’ marriage was not what he thought.
Boston called this the “Drag Me to Hell” ending. She said viewers forget that Nicky has his own emotional journey. The tragedy is that if Nicky had not changed his mind, everything would have been fine. They would have married and broken the curse.
The show ends with blood. Many wedding guests start bleeding from their eyes and noses. Boston said filming those final four days was fun. Her only direction to the crew was “More blood! It’s not enough!”
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Where to Watch Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen
All eight episodes of Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen are now streaming on Netflix worldwide. The series became available on March 26, 2026. Viewers in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and other regions can watch the complete limited series right now.
The show runs for eight episodes, each about 45 minutes long. It carries a TV-MA rating for violence and disturbing content.
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