Unfortunate news: Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events books have been developed into a Netflix original series for your viewing displeasure.

The streaming service acquired the rights to the bestselling young adult novels late last year and a trailer for the series has just dropped online.

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The books follow the misadventures of the Baudelaire orphans – Violet, Klaus and Sunny – as they attempt to escape the clutches of the evil Count Olaf.

In a statement from Netflix, Snicket, whose real name is Daniel Handler, said he was upset by the news.

“I can’t believe it,” he said. “After years of providing top-quality entertainment on demand, Netflix is risking its reputation and its success by associating itself with my dismaying and upsetting books.”

Snicket wrote 13 books in total and has sold 60 million copies collectively.

The books inspired a 2004 film starring Jim Carrey as Count Olaf. While it was a box office success, many loyal fans felt it strayed from the sombre tone of the novels and a rumoured sequel never surfaced.

The Netflix series appears to be appropriately creepy, but not much else is known about show, including its release date and cast.

Posted on a YouTube account belonging to Eleanora Poe (a character from the books), it features the requisite oddities: a leech from Lake Lachrymose, a book on arson, Violet’s signature hair ribbon and plenty of creepy crawlies.

You can see the full teaser below: