Cailee Spaeny’s Breakthrough Movie Was This Thriller Noir With a Killer Ensemble

While Drew Goddard’s brilliant feature film directorial debut The Cabin in the Woods was immediately hailed as one of the strongest horror films of its generation, his subsequent genre deconstruction, Bad Times at the El Royale, didn’t quite receive the same level of enthusiasm. Perhaps this was just simply the nature of the archetypes Goddard was deconstructing; while younger viewers would have been easily drawn to the inversion of the “final girl” clichés in The Cabin in the Woods, Bad Times at the El Royale was attempting to evoke noir films of the 1950s. The examination of social division, cult mentality, and the nature of faith are certainly reason enough to give Bad Times at the El Royale a shot, as it fits the definition of the type of cinema that Hollywood simply doesn’t make anymore. Although the ensemble is stacked with veteran actors, Cailee Spaeny is a scene-stealer in Bad Times at the El Royale as an obsessive young woman who has been enamored with a cult leader.

To say that Spaeny faced an uphill battle in Bad Times at the El Royale would be an understatement. Not only is it a long film that asks its audience to buy into many major twists that change the perspective of the narrative, but Bad Times at the El Royale doesn’t reach its most haunting moments until most of the cards are on the table. Spaeny was cast as a character who is intended to be sympathetic, even if the audience doesn’t expressly know why they should relate to her until the thrills have already started. Bad Times at the El Royale needed Spaeny’s intimate performance to pull off its conceit, and it subsequently became the role that kicked off an exciting period in her career.

What Is ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ About?

Set in 1959 when the tensions about the Cold War are at an all-time high, Bad Times at the El Royale follows a group of mysterious strangers who all find themselves at a lavish hotel on the border between California and Nebraska. The enigmatic Catholic priest Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges), the aspiring singer Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo), the charismatic salesman Laramie Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm), and hippie Emily Summerspring (Dakota Fanning) are all welcomed to the location by the kindly manager Miles Miller (Lewis Pullman), but things quickly take a dark turn when word gets out about the dangerous cult leader Billy Lee (Chris Hemsworth). Spaeny co-stars as the young cult inductee Rose, the younger sister of Emily who became indoctrinated in Lee’s teachings. Although Emily had tried to forcibly remove this vile influence from her sibling’s life, she finds that the person she once loved has almost completely disappeared.

Spaeny essentially has to play the shadow of a character that the audience never gets to really know. While there are a few brief flashbacks that detail how Rose first met Billy and joined his group, there’s never a significant amount of time dedicated to exploring what the indoctrination process was like. All the audience has to rely on is the testimony that Emily says about Rose being naive and sweet; these words are very jarring when Spaeny characterizes Rose as a completely subservient, almost robotic follower who follows Billy’s words without question.

Cailee Spaeny Is Both Tragic and Terrifying in ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’

Although Hemsworth is certainly exuding a lot of sexual energy with a typically charismatic performance, there’s not necessarily any hints of romance between Billy and Rose. Rather, Spaeny chooses to show that Rose treats Billy as a deity of sorts, with allusions to Charles Manson and the infamous murders in 1969 hanging over the film. Spaeny’s first appearance in the film instantly increases the tension. Bad Times at the El Royale is by no means a short film, but the slow build up to the reveal that Emily is Rose’s sister makes it all the more exciting when Spaeny shows up and begins threatening the other characters. Goddard certainly has a knack for writing clever dialogue, Spaeny is only given a few lines throughout the entire film. This perhaps represents the fact that she has no agency of her own, and only has confidence through imitation.

There are certainly moments when Spaney’s steely look of utter disgust is absolutely haunting, as her relative youth when compared to the older cast members in no ways makes her less intimidating. That being said, Spaeny is still able to turn Rose into a tragic character, as it is evident that Billy took advantage of her anxiety when she was at the most vulnerable stage in her life. Rose still struggles to completely go through with the violent acts, and specifically faces a crisis of confidence whenever she has to stand up to her sister. The tragedy of Bad Times at the El Royale’s story about the social upheaval of the era is that Rose and Emily never get to be celebrated for the time they spent together. Impressively, the chemistry between Spaeny and Johnson is so strong that it spells out an entire backstory that is never implicitly revealed.

‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ Was Spaeny’s Breakout Role

Bad Times at the El Royale proved that Spaeny was capable of playing strong, self-assured characters who weren’t put at a disadvantage because of their youth. It’s perhaps this reason why her award-nominated work in Priscilla was so impressive, as she is playing the more mature partner in a relationship with Jacob Elordi’s version of Elvis Presley. Even though the early responses to Alien: Romulus have been rather mixed, critics tend to agree that Spaeny’s performance fulfills the legacy that Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley established back in 1979. Bad Times at the El Royale may only end up being a footnote in what will surely be a long and prosperous career, but any fan of Spaeny’s output thus far owe it themselves to check out the role that put her on the map.

Bad Times at the El Royale is available to rent on Amazon in the U.S.

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