There really isn’t much bad about “Bad Times at the El Royale,” a fun ensemble with writer/director Drew Goddard channeling his inner Quentin Tarantino.

It’s an homage that ultimately works, with plenty of twists and turns and rapid-fire dialogue that makes for an entertaining experience.

“El Royale” is set in the late 1960s at a once bustling, but now rundown hotel on the California-Nevada border. Seven strangers converge on the establishment on one fateful night, each with skeletons in their respective closets. The strangers include a priest (Jeff Bridges), an aspiring singer (Cynthia Erivo), a femme fatale (Dakota Johnson) and a traveling salesman (Jon Hamm).

As their secrets are revealed, and a body count starts to mount, the tensions rise – reaching a boiling point when a Charles Manson-like cult leader (Chris Hemsworth) arrives with his henchmen looking to exact revenge on someone in the hotel.

Goddard, the writer and director of “Cabin in the Woods,” brings the same sort of flair to “El Royale” – a film that freely borrows from Tarantino but doesn’t try to hide it.

Goddard makes great use of a fractured timeline with the film full of flashbacks and overlapping moments that help flesh out the characters’ backstories and keeps the audience guessing exactly what is going on.

The dialogue is snappy, with a cast that seems to be having fun with the material.

Hamm and Bridges are their reliable selves, bringing a touch of depth to the characters that adds to the intrigue. Hemsworth may be having the most fun of all, getting to channel some of his charm that works so well in the “Thor” films in a much darker manner.

The revelation, however, is perhaps the least known member of the cast – Erivo. She steals the film as a struggling singer heading to Reno for what she hopes will be her big break. It’s clear that Goddard knew he had something special in Erivo, who will next be seen in “Widows,” with her fantastic voice put to good use in several extended sequences – including one of the film’s best scenes where her singing is a distraction for something else going on in the same room.

“El Royale” does start to slow in the final act – with the action threatening to throw everything off the rails – but the journey to get there makes that a minor quibble. Ultimately, there is enough here to appreciate – a pretty slick slice of pulp fiction that gleefully embraces its nods to Tarantino.

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo

Directed by: Drew Goddard

Rating: R for strong violence, language, some drug content and brief nudity

Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas (Glasgow)

Grade: B