What Is Bad Things About?
The premise of Bad Things in 307 words, with nothing given away. The full story and the ending follow below.
Inheriting her grandmother’s long‑abandoned hotel, Ruthie finds herself drawn into a place that feels alive with memory. The faded corridors and silent rooms whisper of a history that never quite let go, casting a lingering chill over the sprawling property. The hotel itself becomes a character—its creaking floors and lingering shadows suggest that the past is more than just décor, and that the walls may still be listening.
Back in the present, Ruthie arrives with her girlfriend Cal, hoping the weekend will serve as a chance to mend their frayed bond and perhaps lay the groundwork for a new venture. Their relationship is already threaded with quiet anxieties, and the weight of the inheritance forces Ruthie to balance the pull of family legacy with the desire to forge a fresh start. As she navigates the space, she is haunted not only by the building’s atmosphere but also by lingering questions about the woman who raised her.
Joining them are Maddie and Fran, two close friends whose presence adds layers of complexity to the retreat. Old secrets linger beneath polite conversation, and the easy camaraderie of a weekend getaway gradually gives way to unspoken tensions. Each character carries their own baggage—past affairs, unfulfilled ambitions, and the urge to uncover what lies beneath the hotel’s polished veneer. Their interactions flicker between intimacy and rivalry, hinting at deeper wounds that the setting seems to magnify.
The tone of the story is suffused with an unsettling mix of yearning and dread. Reality begins to blur with desire, and the group’s exploration of the hotel’s eerie past mirrors their own internal journeys. As night settles over the decaying grandeur, the characters discover that the true darkness may not be confined to the building itself, but rather in the hidden corners of their own histories and the fragile connections that bind them together.
What Happens in Bad Things?
The complete story of Bad Things, from the first scene to the last, in 587 words (about 3 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 6 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Ruthie Gayle Rankin has recently inherited her grandmother’s abandoned hotel and returns with her girlfriend Cal Hari Nef, their friend Maddie Rad Pereira, and Fran Annabelle Dexter-Jones to spend a few days there, hoping to mend a strained relationship with Cal and maybe try running the place. The old halls feel unsettled, and Ruthie moves hesitantly through the space, balancing the pull of family history with a desire to start anew. She keeps watching hotel-management videos on her phone, among them those featuring Ms. Auerbach Molly Ringwald, a figure who seems to echo guidance and warning at the same time as the place creaks with memory.
When the groundskeeper, Brian Jared Abrahamson, arrives, he speaks with a blunt honesty about Ruthie’s estranged mother, who had been staying at the hotel but has now cut ties and left town. Ruthie reveals to Cal that her mother set up a meeting with a potential buyer for the property, a development that clearly unsettles Cal and stirs old anxieties about Ruthie’s past and present choices.
Privately, Maddie voices a growing weariness about Ruthie’s choices, wondering why Cal stays with her after Ruthie’s infidelity. Ruthie’s tension rises as Fran’s presence becomes increasingly intrusive; Ruthie has kept a secret affair with Fran, and the memory of that relationship still haunts her. The next morning, Fran experiences disturbing visions of former guests, and she becomes increasingly agitated. In her distress, Fran pleads for everyone to leave, but the others dismiss her as seeking Ruthie’s attention and they leave her at the train station, cutting her off from the group.
Back at the hotel, Ruthie begins to hear an echo in the videos, sensing that Ms. Auerbach is talking to her. Cal and Maddie notice Ruthie’s mental strain growing, especially when Ruthie insists that Fran has returned and is a murderer. The tension escalates as Brian unexpectedly returns and is attacked by a chainsaw-wielding figure in another wing of the building. Maddie is assaulted by the same figure, whom she believes is Ruthie herself, and fear drives the trio to lock Ruthie outside after they can’t secure a safe ride away from the hotel.
Ruthie stages a break-in, and inside she encounters a scene that shocks her: the buyers are there to discuss terms, and Ms. Auerbach is present as a consultant. Encouraged by Auerbach, Ruthie refuses the deal, and the group leaves. In the wake of the confrontation, Ruthie tries to locate Cal but instead discovers Brian’s body. Maddie and Cal, convinced Ruthie is the killer, overpower her and lock her in a room.
Inside the hotel, Ruthie is confronted by white liquid pouring from the ceiling and is awoken the next morning by Fran, who has returned to rescue her. Cal, believing Fran still to be a threat, attacks her, and Ruthie, desperate and emboldened, pushes Fran out of a window, sending her to a fatal fall into the empty pool. Maddie wakes and investigates a forbidden hotel room, where she finds the body of Ruthie’s mother, revealed to be Ms. Auerbach Molly Ringwald. Maddie rushes to warn Cal, who finally sees the truth when he notices Ruthie’s mother’s phone in Ruthie’s possession.
Maddie and Cal flee the hotel grounds, but Ruthie pursues them with a chainsaw, killing them in a strip mall parking lot as bystanders pass by without reacting. Ruthie returns to the hotel and finds her mother with Brian in one of the rooms. Her mother shuts the door on her, leaving Ruthie to roam the silent halls alone.
Bad Things Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
15 key events in the order they happen, from “Inheritance and arrival at the old hotel” to “Final pursuit and ending: murders and closing”. 15 events name a place, across 11 locations.
- 1
Inheritance and arrival at the old hotel
Ruthie inherits her grandmother's abandoned hotel and returns there with Cal, Maddie, and Fran to stay a few days. She hopes to repair her fraught relationship with Cal while weighing whether to run the hotel herself.
When:Opening Where:Abandoned hotel (grandmother's)
- 2
Ruthie studies hotel management videos
Ruthie spends time watching hotel management videos on her phone, including clips featuring Ms. Auerbach. The clips foreshadow a controlling approach to the hotel and hint at Auerbach's looming influence.
When:Opening evening Where:Hotel room
- 3
Brian arrives; mother history hinted
Groundskeeper Brian arrives and expresses disappointment that Ruthie's estranged mother, who had been staying at the hotel, has ended things between them and left town. His remark foreshadows the troubled family history that will haunt Ruthie during her stay.
When:Evening Where:Hotel grounds
- 4
Ruthie informs Cal about the buyer meeting
Ruthie informs Cal that her mother arranged a meeting for her with a hotel buyer, which upsets Cal. The revelation increases tension between them and hints at outside pressures on Ruthie.
When:Evening Where:Hotel room
- 5
Private tensions: Maddie and Ruthie's affair
Privately, Maddie questions why Cal stays with Ruthie after she cheated. Ruthie admits she has carried on an affair with Fran and has been trying to end it.
When:Night Where:Hotel
- 6
Fran's visions and abandonment at the train station
The next morning, Fran experiences disturbing visions of former guests and pleads for the others to leave. The others dismiss her, and they abandon Fran at the train station.
When:Morning Where:Train station
- 7
Ruthie haunted by Auerbach; Cal and Maddie wary
Ruthie begins to hallucinate that Ms. Auerbach is speaking to her through the videos, blurring fantasy and reality. Cal and Maddie grow wary as Ruthie insists Fran has returned and is a murderer.
When:Following morning Where:Hotel
- 8
Brian is murdered; Maddie attacked
Brian is murdered by a chainsaw-wielding figure roaming the hotel’s wings. Maddie is attacked by the same figure and believes Ruthie is the killer.
When:Night Where:Hotel – various wings
- 9
Ruthie is locked out after evidence
Having discovered videos of Ruthie and Fran together, Maddie and Cal lock Ruthie out of the hotel. The group treats Ruthie as a threat, further isolating her.
When:Night Where:Hotel exterior
- 10
Ruthie breaks in; buyers present; Ruthie refuses deal
Ruthie breaks back in and finds the buyers and Ms. Auerbach, who claims to be a consultant. Encouraged by Auerbach, Ruthie refuses their terms and they all leave.
When:Night Where:Hotel lobby
Show the other 5 events of Bad Things Hide the last 5 events
- 11
Discovery of Brian's body; Ruthie restrained
Trying to locate Cal, Ruthie discovers Brian's body in the hotel. Maddie and Cal overpower Ruthie and lock her in a room, accusing her of murder.
When:Night Where:Hotel interior
- 12
Liquid from the ceiling; Fran returns to rescue
Ruthie encounters white liquid pouring from the ceiling. She is awakened the next morning by Fran, who has returned to rescue her from the nightmare.
When:Night to morning Where:Hotel interior
- 13
Cal attacks Fran; Ruthie pushes Fran out the window
Cal sees Fran as a threat and attacks her. Ruthie pushes Fran out of a window, causing her death.
When:Morning Where:Hotel
- 14
Maddie discovers Ruthie's mother is Auerbach
Maddie investigates an unsafe hotel room Ruthie had forbidden them from entering. She discovers Ruthie's mother’s body and realizes Auerbach is Ruthie's mother in disguise.
When:Morning Where:Unsafe hotel room
- 15
Final pursuit and ending: murders and closing
Maddie and Cal flee the hotel grounds, but Ruthie pursues them to a strip mall parking lot and murders them. Ruthie then returns to the hotel and finds her mother with Brian in a room; her mother shuts the door on her, leaving Ruthie wandering the silent halls alone.
When:Final Where:Strip mall parking lot / Hotel corridors
Who Are the Main Characters in Bad Things?
7 characters, among them Ruthie Nodd (played by Gayle Rankin), Cal (played by Hari Nef) and Fran (played by Annabelle Dexter-Jones): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
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Ruthie Nodd (played by Gayle Rankin)
Played by Gayle Rankin
Inheritor of her grandmother’s hotel, Ruthie is driven to fix her fraught relationship with Cal while weighing whether to run the property. As the hotel’s isolation intensifies, she experiences paranoia and emotional volatility, which strain her bonds with Maddie and Fran. Her grip on reality becomes increasingly tenuous as secrets surface and the house eyes her back.
- 🧠 Complex
- 🗝️ Determined
- 🌀 Unstable
-
Cal (played by Hari Nef)
Played by Hari Nef
Ruthie’s girlfriend, who pushes for the hotel venture and urges Ruthie to confront their past. Cal is wary of Ruthie’s mental decline but remains drawn to the possibility of stability through ownership. Their relationship is tested by jealousy, secrecy, and a desire for control choreographing the crisis.
- 💔 Troubled relationship
- ⚖️ Cautious
- 🧭 Loyal
- F(
Fran (played by Annabelle Dexter-Jones)
Played by Annabelle Dexter-Jones
Fran is a friend with a complicated history with Ruthie, having carried on an affair with her. Visions and a mounting sense of danger push Fran toward desperation, and she becomes entangled in the hotel’s unraveling as trust dissolves. Her presence amplifies the tension and paranoia among the group.
- 👀 Complex relationships
- 🔪 Suspenseful
- 🌀 Disturbed
- M(
Maddie (played by Rad Pereira)
Played by Rad Pereira
Maddie is skeptical of Ruthie and distasteful of the relationship dynamics, which fuels her caution and fear. She faces a brutal encounter with the hotel’s danger, contributing to the escalating violence. Maddie’s perspective grounds the tension in a practical, wary lens.
- 🧭 Suspicious
- 🌀 Cautious
- 🗡️ Threatened
-
Ms. Auerbach (played by Molly Ringwald)
Played by Molly Ringwald
A mysterious consultant who appears to assist Ruthie with the hotel’s management, later revealed to be Ruthie’s mother. Auerbach’s presence blends guidance with manipulation, trapping Ruthie in a web of familial and professional pressure. Her true identity reframes the inheritance as a personal vendetta as well as a business deal.
- 🗝️ Manipulative
- 👁️ Enigmatic
- 🧬 Familial
-
Brian (played by Jared Abrahamson)
Played by Jared Abrahamson
The groundskeeper who voices disappointment about Ruthie’s mother and the hotel’s future. His murder early in the escalating violence marks the hotel as a site of danger that refuses to be tamed. Brian’s death intensifies the mystery and shows the cost of confronting the past.
- ⚰️ Mysterious
- 🪓 Violent
- 🧭 Unsettling
- YR
Young Ruthie (played by Ariella Josephine)
Played by Ariella Josephine
Visions and memories of a younger Ruthie provide context for her current trauma and how the hotel’s history has shaped her identity. Flashbacks reveal early cues of the distress that the inheritance brings to the surface. Young Ruthie’s presence helps explain Ruthie’s emotional reactions.
- 🧒 Flashback
- 🪞 Reflective
- 🌀 Haunted
Where and When Is Bad Things Set?
Bad Things is set in Grandmother's abandoned hotel, hotel grounds, nearby train station and strip… (Present day). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
Present day
The events unfold in contemporary times, with smartphones, online videos, and modern hotel management rhetoric playing a role. The characters move through a familiar urban setting, but the past intrudes through visions and memories connected to the inherited hotel. The atmosphere relies on current tech to heighten paranoia and ambiguity.
Where
Grandmother's abandoned hotel, hotel grounds, nearby train station, strip mall parking lot
The story centers on Ruthie returning to her grandmother's abandoned hotel to confront family tensions and decide whether to run the property. The eerie, decaying corridors and empty guest rooms set a claustrophobic stage for secrets to surface. The hotel becomes a character in its own right, shaping events with its claustrophobic layout and ominous mood.
- 🏨 Abandoned hotel
- 🪦 Haunting atmosphere
- 🧭 Inheritance conflict
What Are the Themes of Bad Things?
4 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Haunting, Betrayal and Inheritance.
-
01
Haunting
The hotel is saturated with echoes of former guests and unresolved trauma. Ruthie’s reality starts to blur as visions and whispers intrude in videos and from the building itself. The supernatural is more psychological than spectral, driving fear through memory and perception.
-
02
Betrayal
Ruthie’s relationships are tested by distrust and past infidelity within the group. Cal and Maddie question Ruthie’s stability, while Fran’s secrets compound the tension. The sense of betrayal fuels paranoia and spirals toward violent outcomes.
-
03
Inheritance
The abandoned hotel represents power, wealth, and control handed down through family. Ruthie’s decisions about the property reveal competing desires to own, protect, or sever ties with what the house implies. The revelation that Ms. Auerbach is connected to Ruthie’s mother deepens the theme of lineage and obligation.
-
04
Reality vs Illusion
Distorted perceptions and gaslighting blur what is real, especially as characters misinterpret each other’s motives. The line between manipulation and truth becomes unreliable, pushing Ruthie toward drastic actions. The narrative sustains a claustrophobic sense that perception itself is dangerous.
How Does Bad Things End?
The last act of Bad Things and what it means, in 366 words. The ending lands as bleak. Big spoilers: read the plot summary first if you have not seen it.
The final act, in full
Ruthie, Cal, Maddie, and Fran arrive at the deserted Comley Suite Hotel for what seems like a simple weekend getaway, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that their stay is haunted by the darker history of the place. The hotel, once a site of mysterious deaths and ghostly apparitions, begins to blur the lines between reality and hallucination. Ruthie, the protagonist, appears to be deeply affected by her troubled past, including her childhood abandonment by her mother, Ms. Auerbach, who was a real estate agent and had a complicated, possibly dysfunctional relationship with Ruthie. Throughout the film, Ruthie is shown watching a peculiar YouTube video where a woman, who turns out to be her mother, talks directly to her—highlighting her emotional connection and unresolved issues with her maternal figure.
As the characters experience increasingly terrifying and surreal incidents, it becomes uncertain whether the horrors are real or manifestations of Ruthie’s fragile mind. Ruthie’s own secrets—the secret affair with Fran, her emotional struggles, and her possible murder of her mother—suggest that her perception of reality is severely distorted. The climax reveals that the supposed murders of her friends—Cal, Maddie, and Fran—might all be hallucinations. Ruthie, driven to madness, kills them in a violent blackout, but the entire scene takes place in a setting where no one else witnesses it, and the surroundings seem eerily deserted, implying that Ruthie’s acts are likely figments of her disturbed mind.
The final scene shows Ruthie wandering the empty hallways of the haunted hotel, her mental state completely broken. It suggests that perhaps she was the only real person present all along, and that the terrible events and murders were hallucinations or memories distorted by her trauma. The reveal of suite 324, containing a decaying corpse and linked to her mother, underscores her traumatic childhood and the mental hauntedness that has consumed her. In the end, it’s left ambiguous whether Ruthie truly committed the murders or if they were all hallucinated, emphasizing the film’s central theme of how unresolved past trauma and loneliness can distort reality and lead to madness. Ultimately, Ruthie’s mental breakdown appears to be the true horror, leaving viewers questioning the nature of reality within the story.
What Kind of Film Is Bad Things?
Dark in tone, with slow pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Slow
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bleak
A slow-burning, deeply unsettling psychological horror that traps its characters in a claustrophobic, melancholic atmosphere where reality blurs, paranoid tensions escalate, and personal demons are violently unleashed.
- unsettling
- claustrophobic
- anxious
- melancholic
- paranoid
- oppressive
- haunted past
- supernatural horror
- psychological breakdown
- strained relationships
Content notes: graphic violence, murder, psychological horror, betrayal, infidelity.
Quiz
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