Bad Things Director Subverts The Shining, Celebrates Queer Women in Horror

Stewart Thorndike: Each actor brought their own unique qualities to the story, which I knew were necessary. I needed exceptional acting skills from each person because their characters go through so much. But when you bring them all together, it becomes something even more extraordinary. As a director, it’s about managing the chaos and magic, not being intimidated by it, and allowing it to shape the story.

As a director, you have your own perspective and instincts, but when you combine that with the alchemy of the actors, something special happens. I hope that answers your question.

Stewart Thorndike: When I met with Hari, I knew she had the charm and magnetism that Cal needed. She had this vulnerability and sadness that I didn’t expect, which added depth to the character. Hari is a soulful actress with a lot of pain, and it’s both unsettling and exciting to see her vulnerability shine through. Gayle brought a heartache to the role of Ruthie that I didn’t anticipate. She made me feel heartbroken for her character, even when she was orchestrating dynamics in a passive-aggressive way. Both actors brought something special to their roles.

Stewart Thorndike: Watching Ruthie grapple, she’s sort of at war with herself too, and I really wanted someone who could be larger than life and just have this wild energy and have the chops. I mean, Gayle’s such a phenomenal actress, and so it’s almost like just having a conversation with Gayle, there’s so much behind everything all the time. You just want to see her… Just let her loose and let her do her thing, kind of let her go wild. I don’t know if the wildness comes from her emotions or her brain or her vulnerabilities.

As for the visuals, part of the reason that I’ve always been attracted to horror is because of the visuals that you can… It leads to these altered spaces where you can have creativity and kind of express yourself visually so well, and that was an important part of this story, and it was very designed. All of us, we had the producers, the department heads, we all had this kind of grid about when you’re in the real natural world and when things start to topple and be questionable and be more psychological and spiritual, what shade of pinks that would be and how the vulva’s in the bed stands, and how it gets red and lactates. And all of that is very designed and very mathy, really.

I think that as Ruthie gets caught between being a healthy person that’s vulnerable and recognizes the truth of her unhealthy relationships and her attraction to this chaos of a woman, Fran, and then once the safety of denying all that, denying the past, denying… Those two worlds really dictate the avenues that the aesthetics take.

Stewart Thorndike: I think I crave expression. I feel very confined and angry. I want to yell and show all the corners. I want to see these actors do that. I don’t want them to be polite. I don’t want them to be subtle. I want them to show it all. And so I think I took them and put them into a new world, and then the world allows them to be whatever they want. And I think the way that people are conditioned to be in the world makes us have rage, and it’s just buried and it begs to explode. It’s an explosion of norms, and I am hungry to see where women go from that.

And we see men do it in movies all the time, and in life. We see men do that in life, and it’s called many things that are different from when a woman does it. So when a woman is heated or angry, it’s often shrill or unhinged. When a man does it, it’s powerful and determined. So that’s the shift.

Stewart Thorndike: I’ve always felt comfort in seeing my world reflected back to me, or my fears reflected back to me, more than an artificial representation of a happy place because I feel like the happy place that’s presented to me, at least as a kid, was very alienating and I didn’t relate to it. And so in a way that became more scary to me than watching a Twilight Zone or a melodrama. I was very attracted to melodramas and I wanted to see people and grownups, as a child, going through serious things. I didn’t like chases and I didn’t like artificiality.

And I think part of that was having a non-traditional single mom who’s kind of crazy, and being an artsy weird kid and having stuff happen to me, and being queer probably is… All the different things. We’re all so different, so to have these happy norms can, I think, be a burden too, to society and to people. So horror gave me comfort, I would say.

Somebody told me that men and women make different kinds of stories. Men make a story about there’s a monster, we need to kill it. And the story’s about trying to figure out how to kill a monster. And then women tell the story and they’re like, “There’s a monster. We need to figure out how to live with it.” And I thought that was interesting. But I’ve learned what really interests me is, “Is there a monster or am I imagining it?” That’s kind of where I dwell; that blurry, confusing space.

Stewart Thorndike: Let’s give a shoutout to Molly Ringwald because she is absolutely magnificent, such a talented artist. It’s truly a testament to her that she would take on this indie, provocative, and unique queer horror film. Usually, when you have an actor that you desperately want for your project, you send them a letter and hope they read it. Then you have Zoom meetings and it can take forever. Now, when you’re dealing with an icon like Molly Ringwald, the process can be even longer and you’re never really sure if they’ll even look at the script because there are so many people involved. But I think she must have read it within a couple of days because we were Zooming within two days and the next day she agreed to do it. Our conversation on Zoom was just lovely and inspiring.

A big part of working with someone is getting a sense of their energy and if you connect with them. And our meeting was absolutely beautiful. She was everything I had hoped for, and I needed an actress and talent of her caliber for this role because the film’s argument is that motherhood is the ultimate relationship. It’s like a spiritual connection, your first and most profound bond, and you can never escape it. I always imagine her presence to be larger than life. And boy, does she deliver!

Stewart Thorndike: When it comes to horror films, I’m all about the psychological aspect. It’s about creating that unsettling feeling, the sense of being disturbed, confused, and uncomfortable. That’s where the true horror lies for me. It’s different from the typical jump scares or gore that we often see in other films.

But what really frustrates me is the way women are portrayed in movies. While I celebrated the range of emotions that women and non-binary individuals were allowed to portray in this film, I couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast when it comes to male characters. Why is it always the woman running for her life, trying to hide her body? Why do we focus so much on showcasing her vulnerability? I wanted to shift the gaze and explore what it’s like for a man to be in that position, to be the one panicking and running. We don’t watch their deaths in the same way.

In traditional horror or slasher films, it takes three times as long to watch a woman die compared to a man. The experience is subjective and different. That’s why I decided to be behind the camera now.

Stewart Thorndike: I have a deep love for the horror genre. While I appreciate all types of movies, there’s something about horror that captivates me artistically. It allows me to explore unique and unconventional themes. Even when I come across a story I love, I always think about how it could be enhanced with a touch of the supernatural. Horror gives me the platform to express myself boldly. However, I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at a romantic comedy. I adore comedy, although I haven’t come up with a specific idea yet.

As for my current projects, both of them fall within the horror genre. The next one is the third installment in my motherhood trilogy called “Daughter,” and the other is “Frigid,” which focuses on older women in a slasher film.