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.

For in-depth thoughts on Bad Things, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical debut here.

Video Quality

The film debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio that does not come up short. There is no discernible damage or digital noise to foul up this transfer. Objects hold up admirably in the shadows and retain their depth with only some intermittent banding at hand. There is a discrete loss of detail when it comes to some of the roaming shots in the shadows, but it is not a notable issue throughout. The transfer provides deep black levels that do not stumble with crush or other shortcomings. The movie has a natural color palette that is faithfully saturated in reserved tones. Some colors have more of a robust presence, but we are more impressed by the detail and clarity at hand. You can delight in the subtle facets on display, especially in the production design and makeup effects overflowing with vital textures. Shudder has treated this well on Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

Bad Things arrives on Blu-Ray with a starkly executed DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that thrives on all fronts. Dialogue and sound effects stay deftly balanced throughout the duration. While not particularly bombastic, the movie digs deep when the narrative requires it, and environmental sounds provide an unsettling atmosphere for the story. The track’s low end provides some disturbing texture when things are hitting the fan. All elements play well with the music, where nothing gets lost in the track. Surround channels provide some effective activity with the interior tones and other developments throughout the narrative. The track earns top marks from beginning to end. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Stewart Thorndike and producers Lizzie Shapiro and Lexi Tannenholtz provide a track that provides some great insights into the production process, the background with the talent, the shooting locations, and more.

On Set Interviews: A selection of interviews are provided in which the performers discuss their roles in the film, some of the themes of the narrative, the production process, and more.

- Molly Ringwald (10:39)

- Hari Nef (31:11)

- Gayle Rankin (18:39)

- Annabelle Dexter-Jones (14:57)

- Rad Pereira (17:01)

- Jared Abrahamson (6:00)

Interview with Director Stewart Thorndike, Cinematographer Grant Greenberg, and Production Designer Amy Williams: A nearly 30-minute interview with the creatives in which they discuss how the film fits into a trilogy about motherhood, the challenges of being in one location for the production, creating the look of the film, and more.

Behind the Scenes Still Gallery

Video Essay by Alexandra West: An 11-minute visual essay is provided that takes a look at the parallels to The Shining, the queer perspective of the movie, the place of hotels in horror, the themes explored within the film, and more.

Original Trailer (1:26)

Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay “Trapped In Amber” from film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is provided here. This piece gives a well-rounded analysis of the themes of the film.

Final Thoughts

Bad Things may take inspiration from classics like The Shining, but it feels unfair to judge a low-budget COVID-era production against one of the great horror films in cinema history. The new film succeeds on many fronts while still struggling to solidify itself as a modern classic. The queer bent to the material yields some entertaining character beats as realized by talented performers such as Gayle Rankin and Hari Nef. The pacing is slow, and there are some oddball elements that will alienate some, but the eerie atmosphere and strong ensemble make this a worthy addition to the snowbound horror subgenre. Shudder has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. Recommended

Bad Things is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Shudder and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.