Written and directed by Stewart Thorndike, a group of friends go to a hotel for a weekend getaway and soon discover that women do bad things here. Starring: Gayle Rankin, Hari Nef, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Rad Pereira, Jared Abrahamson and Molly Ringwald.

There are some films that you watch and think to yourself: now that is perfect casting, and that’s undoubtedly the case with Gayle Rankin in Bad Things. Rankin is hugely underappreciated for the intensity and layered quality that she brings to her performances, both of which serve her flawlessly for this role. Right from the very start she makes you feel that there’s sides to her character we’re yet to see and it’s extremely enjoyable to watch them gradually unravel.

She brings such a captivating complexity, there’s so many different ways that you could interpret the character, as well as the implications of her past. On top of the relationships that she has with each of the friends that she takes with her to the abandoned hotel of her past, and her absent yet ever present mother. There’s a fantastic supporting cast in the form of Hari Nef, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Rad Pereira and Molly Ringwald who each have a different tone to add to the mix but there’s no arguing that Rankin steals the show.

Stewart Thorndike’s writing was a superb vehicle to do justice to Rankin’s talent because it has so much to offer. The pacing and progression themselves are slow and steady, it’s not one giant ramp up to a big finale, although granted it does let loose more in its final scenes. This is not your average horror, concerned with slashing and burning, it’s a bubbling pot of childhood issues, abuse, relationships and womanhood.

One of the fascinating things about it is that there’s constant games at play, even to the very end you’ll never truly know what’s real and what isn’t. Thorndike has a lot of fun playing with that line of reality and hallucination, and it’s really enjoyable to watch. It still brings that foundation of traditional and classic horror to the table but it’s used in such a way to explore this story of brokenness, darkness and trauma. You could spend a good deal of time unwrapping the layers and diving into how as a whole it could be considered a representation of the long term effects of abuse when it’s left to burn away in the back of the mind but that’s a conversation for another day.

That said, it would be misleading to imply Bad Things is all doom and gloom, it embraces that inevitability, yes but it also keeps in mind the fun side of horror. The way that it uses violence, the huge nods to The Shining, the clichés of lesbian relationships, and the entire handling of Annabelle Dexter-Jones’ character, are all done with a playful side. It fills itself with complexity but it doesn’t become heavy, it’s embracing the mystery and a big part of that is Thorndike’s directorial style.

It starts out on this massively atmospheric note and along with the editing work, it excellently captures that quintessential journey of horror, the descent to madness. Setting itself in an outdated hotel with all of its 1980s nostalgia was absolutely perfect. All of which is topped with an old-fashioned styled score and those two things, combined with the direction, create the feel of being trapped or lost in time. It enhances the isolation of their surroundings and plays even further into that messy line of reality.

Bad Things captures the powerhouse that is Gayle Rankin, the sheer complexity and endless potential that she brings to this character is enthralling. Stewart Thorndike has created a horror that gives you what you want and what you didn’t know you wanted. It uses classic themes and styles to explore a more modern story, one that will likely only improve with every watch. It is weird, wonderful and unexpected, it never entirely gives the game away and will keep you guessing even after the credits have rolled.

Verdict: ✯✯✯✯ | 8/10

Celebrated its World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival 2023 | Coming to Shudder on August 18