Bad Times at the El Royale

Year: 2018

Runtime: 141 min

Director: Drew Goddard

Budget: $32M

DramaMysteryThrillerHorrorCrime

Seven strangers, each harboring a secret, converge at the El Royale, a once-grand hotel situated on the California-Nevada state line. Over the course of a single night, their lives intertwine in a series of unexpected and unsettling events. As dark truths are revealed, the guests are forced to confront their pasts, leading to violence, danger, and a desperate fight for survival within the hotel’s mysterious walls.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) – Ending Explained & Final Scene Breakdown

Still thinking about how Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) ended? Here’s a full breakdown of the ending, key final moments, major twists, and the deeper meaning behind the film’s conclusion.

At the film’s conclusion, only Darlene and Father Flynn survive the chaos that erupts at the El Royale. The fire and violence, instigated by Billy Lees and his cult followers, leave most of the characters dead after a night of torture and confrontations. Billy, a manipulative and violent cult leader, arrives at the hotel seeking the hidden money and begins terrorizing everyone, playing sadistic games to force information from his victims. The resistance from characters like Emily, Darlene, Miles, and others builds until Miles, a Vietnam war veteran, manages to kill Billy in a showdown. However, Miles is fatally wounded in the process, and Rose, in a fit of rage, stabs Miles before being shot by Father Flynn.

As Miles dies, he pleads for forgiveness for his past actions, which Flynn grants with a blessing, despite not being an actual priest. The pair then retrieves the stolen money, destroys the mysterious tape — which contains potentially damaging information about a famous visitor to the hotel — and leaves the burning building behind. The film’s final shot shows Darlene performing on stage the next day, watched over by the reborn Flynn. This ending signifies that Darlene, embodying virtue and resilience, escapes the night’s darkness, while Flynn’s presence hints at redemption. The flames that consume Billy symbolize evil, and Darlene and Flynn’s victory over temptation and violence offers a moral conclusion: forgiveness and the pursuit of one’s dreams remain paramount amidst chaos.

The tape, whose contents are never fully revealed, symbolizes the secrets and sins hidden behind the hotel’s façade, representing both the darkness of past sins and the desire for anonymity. Its secrecy underscores the film’s themes of morality, guilt, and redemption, showing that some truths are best left forgotten or burned away. Overall, the ending emphasizes that true salvation comes through resilience, virtue, and the willingness to forgive oneself and others, even in the face of monstrous evil.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 09:00

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