Bad Things
Directed by Stewart Thorndike
When a group of friends escape the city to spend the weekend in an abandoned hotel, a pervading eerie energy begins to illuminate the cracks in their little family unit. Ruthie Nodd (Gayle Rankin) inherits the hotel from her grandmother and with bad childhood memories threatening to burst to the surface, Ruthie wants to sell the hotel and never return. But her partner Cal (Hari Nef) drags her there in the hopes of returning it to its former glory. They are joined by their amiable friend Maddie (Rad Pereira) and mysterious grifter Fran (Annabelle Dexter-Jones). As the friends dance, cook, flirt, and fight, they find themselves entwined in the hotel’s seductive embrace and start doing bad things to each other.
A weekend getaway for a few friends at a snowy resort becomes a psychological tailspin and bloody nightmare.
Cast: Gayle Rankin, Hari Nef, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Rad Pereira
Member Reviews
Could have been cool - but wasn't. .
I respect what they were going for, and certainly stories with unreliable core characters can be valid and interesting. They certainly earn points for the way the queer characters are written, making their sexual orientations and gender identities largely incidental rather than causes for plot points. However, the biggest plot hole I can't get over, from scene 1, is just why these 4 "friends" would take this secluded trip together in the first place. That aspect only gets worse as the story progresses because you keep asking yourself, "Wait, why are they even here then?" "Whose idea was it to invite them?" "Why did they think it would be a good idea to invite that person?" "You think one of them is that bad and won't even lock your hotel room door?" as more and more knots in their friendship web are revealed. It's to the point of distraction from the core story which, honestly, kind of feels like two or more stories were spliced together without regard for closing the gaps. I'm fine with every question not being answered by the end of the film, but disjointedness is its own problem. It's almost like they wanted too many things to be the "reason behind it all" and decided to just go with as many as they could vaguely thread in. Ultimately respectable work, certainly better than most of us could ever make, but not something I'd want to rewatch or eagerly recommend.
got better and better
Shinning feel without the isolated vibe.
Very enjoyable for the most part, however doesn't really come together to deliver what's promised. So much potential. A little lack lustre in it's completion.