Bad Things

This is such an interesting film.

At first, I wasn't super into it.

But, once the paranoia set in...it had won me over.

The story revolves around a big city lesbian- named Ruthie- who has inherited her grandmother's rural hotel, and brought her closest friends to check it out, before she sells it.

Ultimately, the whole thing is a psychological horror.

But it's not exactly clear that such is the case, right from the beginning.

Which is what has left many other reviewers confused, I suspect.

Because things definitely get weird.

To the point where you question whether any of what you are watching is actually real.

What is clear, however, is that all the characters become paranoid, for different reasons, at different points in the film.

And that someone is attacking people.

It's just hard to pin down exactly who that is.

Making it all quite Lynchian in nature.

Up until the point that things do actually become clear, in the end.

Where the film takes on a bit of an Argento vibe.

With an aura of extreme paranoia, induced by severe childhood trauma.

And the strained relationships you experience in life as a result of this.

No doubt, it's a bit of a confounding- and rather weird- experience.

But it is actually quite a cleverly constructed film.

That you could easily place in the company of films like Vertigo; Beau Is Afraid; and Raoul Ruiz's epic psychological masterpiece, Le Territoire.

Just...not quite on the same level of those films.

You might be inclined to pair it with other, recent, lesbian oriented horrors, like Jagged Mind, and My Animal, from this year, as well.

Which would make for an interesting marathon.

Because, in the end...once you let it simmer, and come to fruition...there's really nothing not to love about this film.

It may be a bit of a slow burner...and have a pretty bizarre plot.

But it's actually kind of a sleeper hit, in my opinion.

So it get's my seal of approval.

And emphatic recommendation.

Don't let the haters make you pass this one by.

Because, while it may not be for everyone...it's most definitely worth a watch.

6.5 out of 10.

Bad Things might just be the worse film I've seen all year, 2023. I don't think the makers of this film have the basic knowledge of how to make any film and certainly not a horror film.

The central characters' friendship and intersecting romantic relationships, which are meant to be the film's grounding center, are described as having flimsy connections and dead air. The performances lacking chemistry and genuine feeling, leaving the film lacking emotional investment. The acting performances were abysmal.

It looks like they were striving for something along the lines of The Shining since it draws a lot of its inspiration from the Kubrick film. But they failed miserably.

Bad Things (2023) is a movie that was recently added to Shudder. The storyline follows a group of friends who are being supportive to a friend who recently inherited a hotel and hopes to either run it or sell it with her mom. It quickly becomes apparent that something isn't right and they believe it's someone not something causing their concern. Is the hotel haunted, is someone messing with them, or is it both?

This movie is written and directed by Stewart Thorndike (Lyle) and stars Gayle Rankin (Men), Hari Nef (Barbie), Annabelle Dexter-Jones (Ravage), Rad Pereira (Betty), Jared Abrahamson (Fear the Walking Dead) and Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles).

This had some unique elements and reminded me of a poor man's The Shining...like if it took place in the Poconos. The acting was actually pretty solid. There's some mental state subplots that were interesting. The characters are pretty unique too. Unfortunately, there was little to no horror elements until the very ending...then the last 15 minutes was impressive. The twists at the end actually surprised me that it was worthwhile with such a poor setup. There's some cool kills at the very, very end...but other than that this is fairly stale. I would score this a 4.5-5/10 and recommend seeing it once only for horror enthusiasts.

I give it 2 stars because it wasn't boring, precisely. It simply made no sense and wasn't scary in the least...that is, unless you count how frighteningly ugly and stupid the characters were. These people are friends?? I don't believe it. I was completely unable to suspend my disbelief and was acutely aware of the films shortcomings every moment.

Incredibly unlikeable characters (despite minimal development), a meandering and pointless plot that fleshed out exactly nothing, and an utter lack of logical support leave the film a nonsensical mishmash.

I'd seen the directors first offering, Lyle. A better film, though not good, it and Bad Things leaves me wondering if Thorndike is deliberately and actively trying to depict lesbians as unhinged, abusive, and dull-witted wastes-of-breath? And to ruin film?

For whatever reason I was swept up in the lesbian melodrama and I've frankly never seen Molly Ringwald looking so hot...but an opportunity was missed here. Instead of trying so hard to pretend this is The Shining (it's most definitely not The Shining) why not accept that Ruthie inherited a crappy motel and not a "hotel"? No one in their right mind thinks the building used in this film is a hotel, or that it was ever "the Four Seasons of the 80s." The motel portrayed here is a stock standard roadside motel and this movie could have been a lot scarier if it were treated as such. There is a lot more gritty dirt you can dig up in such a place - suicidal loners, teenaged drug-addled runaways, murders of street prostitutes in the days before GPS and cell phones (which was a real terrifying true thing, in the 70s and 80s - sex workers were constantly targeted before things like Internet and DNA testing). Plus on top of that there could have been the story about Ruthie's bad childhood and relationship with her mom.

But as it is, Bad Things is only fair-to-middling and because of the way it's presented it just keeps reminding you that it's Not the Shining, which is certainly a bad thing.