Bad Things (2023) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Bad Things takes place primarily in an abandoned hotel inherited by the protagonist Ruthie Nodd. The eerie, decaying corridors and empty guest rooms create a claustrophobic atmosphere where family secrets surface. The hotel grounds, a nearby train station, and a strip mall parking lot also appear in the story.

• hotel setting
• abandoned hotel
• location
• setting

Bad Things is set in contemporary times, with characters using smartphones, recording online videos, and discussing modern hotel management. The story unfolds in a familiar urban setting, though the inherited hotel intrudes on the present through visions and memories connected to Ruthie's family past.

• time period
• present day
• contemporary
• setting

Bad Things explores four major themes: haunting (psychological trauma and unresolved past), betrayal (distrust and infidelity within relationships), inheritance (family power dynamics and obligations), and reality vs illusion (distorted perceptions and gaslighting). The film uses these themes to examine how inherited trauma and family secrets destroy those who encounter them.

• themes
• haunting
• betrayal
• inheritance
• reality vs illusion

The abandoned hotel represents power, wealth, and control passed down through Ruthie's family lineage. It functions as both an inheritance opportunity and a trap, embodying the burden of family obligation. The hotel's oppressive atmosphere mirrors the psychological pressure Ruthie faces to either claim her heritage or sever ties with her family's troubled past.

• hotel symbolism
• inheritance
• family
• power

Ruthie Nodd is the protagonist who inherits her grandmother's abandoned hotel. She struggles with a fraught relationship with her girlfriend Cal while deciding whether to take on the property. As the hotel's isolation deepens, Ruthie experiences increasing paranoia and emotional volatility, with her grip on reality becoming increasingly tenuous as family secrets surface.

• Ruthie Nodd
• protagonist
• main character

Ms. Auerbach appears as a mysterious hotel consultant helping Ruthie with property management, but she is later revealed to be Ruthie's mother. Her presence blends guidance with manipulation, reframing the inheritance as both a business deal and a personal vendetta. This connection deepens the theme of family obligation and inherited trauma.

• Ms. Auerbach
• mother
• identity
• revelation

Cal is Ruthie's girlfriend who encourages the hotel venture and pushes Ruthie to confront their shared past. Though wary of Ruthie's mental decline, Cal remains drawn to the possibility of stability through property ownership. Their relationship is tested by jealousy, secrecy, and a desire for control that complicates the crisis unfolding at the hotel.

• Cal
• girlfriend
• relationship
• Ruthie

Fran is a friend of Ruthie with a complicated history, having carried on an affair with her in the past. As visions and danger mount, Fran becomes increasingly desperate and entangled in the hotel's unraveling. Her presence amplifies the existing tension and paranoia among the group, contributing to the film's exploration of betrayal.

• Fran
• affair
• betrayal
• friend

Bad Things leans toward psychological horror rather than traditional supernatural elements. The haunting is more psychological than spectral, with fear driven through memory, perception, and distorted realities. The supernatural intrusions come through visions, whispers in videos, and the building itself rather than explicit ghosts or demons.

• psychological horror
• supernatural
• haunting
• fear

Inheritance in Bad Things operates on multiple levels: Ruthie inherits literal property (the hotel), but also inherits family trauma, unresolved secrets, and cyclical dysfunction. The film suggests that what passes between generations includes not just material wealth but psychological burdens. Ruthie's mother Ms. Auerbach's involvement makes the inheritance deeply personal rather than purely financial.

• inherited trauma
• family
• generational
• legacy