Director Drew Goddard - who made the twisty horror delight The Cabin in the Woods - gives his audience all the information he believes is required to grasp the essential points, even if that means there are some lingering questions.īad Times unfolds slowly as guests arrive at the El Royale. When I say that, I mean it quite literally: Early on in the narrative, the viewer discovers that the motel, which straddles the California-Nevada border, is bugged to high heavens and filled with occasionally lucrative secrets.īut this is a mystery that's not exactly a mystery. There's a lot stuffed into the grimy walls of Bad Times at The El Royale, the ensemble crime drama starring Jeff Bridges and Dakota Johnson, among others.
