Fans of Kevin Bacon, be ready. The official trailer for the upcoming slasher-horror film by Blumhouse Productions which has housed cult-classic movies such as Split, Get Out, Us, Truth or Dare, etc. has finally been released. Their newest production, They/Them — clever titling indeed — sees a group of LGBTQIA+ teenagers at the hands of an initially friendly-turned-creepy conversion camp leader, played by Footloose actor Kevin Bacon. Blumhouse’s latest endeavor has been described as a queer empowerment film.
Watch the trailer of the upcoming Peacock release below:
Read also: Famous Actors Who Have Never Been Oscar Nominated
The Premise Of They/Them
The film marks the directorial debut of screenwriter John Logan and features actors, such as Anna Chlumsky, Kevin Bacon, and Theo Germaine, among others. The movie sees itself in the typical slasher premise — the trailer shows a group of queer youth, each individual belonging to a different identity of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, being welcomed by Owen Whistler, the leader of a gay conversion camp program. We see one of the characters even say, “I have zero interest in not being gay.”
While the camp’s methods start feeling increasingly eerie and peculiar, things soon take a turn for the worst as a masked, unrecognizable ax-wielding killer starts hunting down his victims.
Kevin Bacon In The Trailer
In the trailer, we are initially welcomed to a seemingly friendly, empathizing Owen Whistler played by Mystic River star Kevin Bacon, whose introductory lines soon turn obscurely twisted and cruel in their underlying meaning. He says:
“I’m guessing some of you are not happy, maybe you don’t fit in, and people make fun of you. Well, I cant make you straight, but you give us this week and we might be able to help.”
We see our protagonist, Jordan played by Theo Germaine, state their pronouns as they/them, when the leader of the camp assigns the queer and transgender characters their cabins based on gender segregation. Throughout the trailer, we are merely teased about the cruel, and taunting practices that are set to occur in the camp.
From traditional gender conforming exercises to our protagonist undergoing a sinister “therapy” — the trailer merely gives us a peek into what’s about to come for these characters.
Read also: Netflix Surprise Releases Blumhouse Productions’ ‘Mercy Black’
The Final Verdict?
As is the case with most slasher films, we are introduced to a masked killer; a potential nod to how there are scarier, more twisted, and frightening scenarios about to occur. The entire film seems to set up a plot that feels similar to Blumhouse’s other projects, but with a new sense of irony present within their upcoming release. Conversion camps, unfortunately, are not a mythical concept. It is a real-life tragedy and horror. The movie seems to focus on psychological themes, with an infused taste of the commonly adored sub-genre amongst horror fans, slasher.
While the trailer seems promising, whether the film will be as clever, witty, and well-thought-out as its title is yet to be seen.
You may also like: Indie Horror Movies Like Insidious Who Overstayed Their Welcome
They/Them releases on August 5th, 2022 on the streaming service Peacock.
Source: YouTube
