*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“It doesn’t seem that haunted…”

Bad Things released on Shudder on August 18th 2023. The supernatural horror film stars Gayle Rankin, Hari Nef, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, and Molly Ringwald. It runs for an hour and twenty-five minutes.

After inheriting an abandoned hotel, Ruthie and her friends decide to spend the weekend there, but they soon discover that there is another presence lurking on the property.

Here is the trailer:

Bad Things has an intriguing and chilling premise with ghostly potential, but does it do enough to be worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

The nods to The Shining work.

Bad Things clearly drew a lot of its inspiration from that iconic movie and I really loved those elements the most. The creepy hotel and the winter setting felt very much on point and there were a few strange characters that gave me plenty of nostalgia for that film in a positive way without compromising the identity of this modern film.

Well-executed cinematography.

Everything was shot really well. I particularly really liked the shots of the hotel hallway and I thought the muted color scheme channeled the eerie vibe this film was going for. The offbeat music also worked in its favor.

The Cons:

Sluggish pacing.

This film was on the shorter side, but I felt like I had been watching it for a very long time and not in a good way. Some of the conversations between the characters felt completely unnecessary and they did nothing to add any layers to them, which was frustrating.

Odd ending.

I really wasn’t a fan of the ending. This film started off with so much potential, but I’m not sure that it ever quite found its way. There were some genuinely creepy moments that had me interested, but once we got to the end, I wanted something a lot more…

So am I in or out?

I’m 50/50 on this one…

Bad Things has a haunting concept with some freaky moments sprinkled in, but it loses its way at the end.

There were a lot of things that I liked about this one, but I just wanted a lot more from it.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Bad Things in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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