Here is your first look at the queer conversion camp slasher film They/Them, which stars actor Kevin Bacon (Friday The 13th).
They/Them, pronounced “They-slash-Them,” is the directorial debut of John Logan. The “slasher horror film is set at an LGBTQIA+ conversion camp starring Bacon as Owen Whistler. Several queer and trans campers join Whistler for a week of programming intended to ‘help them find a new sense of freedom.’
“As the camp’s methods become increasingly more psychologically unsettling, the campers must work together to protect themselves. When a mysterious killer starts claiming victims, things get even more dangerous.”
Queer characters have been woven into horror for generations with queer coding as writers use traits to make a recognizably gay character without confirming it. While this has had positive uses like avoiding censorship, it often creates some unfortunate representation, like flamboyant villains and obsessive, violent lesbian stereotypes. Although some horror directors have been moving away from these stereotypes in recent years as they create more blatant and well-rounded LGBTQ+ representation like in the Fear Street trilogy.
Growing up as a gay kid who loved horror, Logan always felt a connection to monsters who were “othered“ and with They/Them, the genre can fully examine queer identity without having to hide it. On top of navigating his first directorial gig, Logan also wrote They/Them, and his previous successful scripts give high hopes for this new film. It appears that Logan is striving to avoid misrepresentation as he focuses on the sense of unity felt within the LGBTQIA+ community and highlighting the horror that comes from the mistreatment of the They/Them characters rather than turning these characters themselves into the horror.
Formerly titled Whistler Camp, They/Them will debut on Peacock on Friday, August 5.
The cast includes:
Kevin Bacon (he/him) plays Owen Whistler, the conversion camp director who runs Whistler Camp alongside several counselors including his wife, Cora.
Anna Chlumsky (she/her) plays Molly, the camp’s medic and newest employee.
Carrie Preston (she/her) plays Cora Whistler, a licensed therapist in charge of the campers’ therapy sessions, and the wife of camp director Owen Whistler.
Theo Germaine (they/them) plays Jordan, a transgender and non-binary camper from a religious background who has made a deal with their parents to legally emancipate if attending Whistler doesn’t “work.”
Quei Tann (she/her) plays Alexandra, a transgender woman whose parents have threatened to kick her out of the house if she didn’t attend the camp.
Austin Crute (he/him) plays Toby, a gay camper who negotiated with his parents for a trip to New York in exchange for a week at Whistler Camp.
Monique Kim (she/her) plays Veronica, a bisexual camper who wants to stop fighting who she really is.
Anna Lore (she/her) plays Kim, a closeted lesbian camper who puts on a perfectly crafted front for her family and friends, assuming that when she fits in, she’ll finally be loved.
Cooper Koch (he/him) plays Stu, a jock with aspirations of a swim scholarship and joining his father’s fraternity – things he doesn’t feel he can achieve if he’s open about being gay.
Darwin del Fabro (he/him) plays Gabriel, a sensitive gay camper tired of the persistent name-calling and bullying he’s endured his entire life. This is a movie that will likely attract younger audiences, and a recent study (via Statista) notes that 18-29 year-olds stream movies daily more than any other age demographic. A report from TV Technology noted that Peacock’s main subscriber demographic are 35-44 year-olds, so this could be a great way for to entice younger audiences to join the service, especially considering there are more young people identifying as LGBTQIA+ than ever before in history (per Ipsos).
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