Peacock has released the first trailer for They/Them, an upcoming slasher horror film set in a conversion camp for LGBTQIA+ people. The film stars Kevin Bacon as the organizer of the camp, an institution that promises to “cure” those who don’t conform to gender and sexuality expectations — which is the conservative way of saying it’s a place to torture and brainwash LGBTQIA+ people.
The trailer shows us Owen Whistler (Bacon), the conversation camp owner, greeting a new group of young LGBTQIA+ people who just arrived at the place. Located in the woods, the conversation camp presents itself as a place of peace and serenity. In the trailer, Owen also assures the newcomers that the institution is a “safe space” for everyone. However, the happy façade doesn’t last long, as the trailer teases the brutal methods Whistler Camp uses to assure campers conform to a violent society that doesn’t respect the many different ways of being human.
While short, the trailer teases that the campers will not willingly accept the conversion, as they will dance, party, and even find comfort in each other’s bodies during their time in Whistler Camp. However, Owen is always watching, and his grim face leads us to think he’ll do anything to punish the people who deviate from his twisted vision of gender and sexuality. The trailer also plays with the idea of duality, usually so present in gender discussions, by showing at the same time some images that reflect the peaceful front of Whistler Camp and others that tease the horrors LGBTQIA+ people will have to face there.
They/Them marks John Logan’s directorial debut. Before taking over the director’s chair, Logan has already received three Oscar nominations as a screenwriter, having written the script for major films like Gladiator, Skyfall, and The Aviator. Logan also wrote and executive produced They/Them.
They/Them also stars Anna Chlumsky (Inventing Anna, Veep), Theo Germaine (The Politician, Work In Progress), Carrie Preston (Claws, Dr. Death), Quei Tann (How to Get Away with Murder, Dear White People), Austin Crute (Booksmart, Daybreak), Monique Kim (High Expectasians, Looks That Kill), Anna Lore (All American, Doom Patrol), Cooper Koch (Less Than Zero, A New York Christmas Wedding), and Darwin del Fabro (Dangerous Liaisons, Novo Mundo).
They/Them comes to Peacock this August 5. Check out the new trailer below.
Here’s the official synopsis for They/Them:
Kevin Bacon plays Owen Whistler in this slasher horror film set at an LGBTQIA+ conversion camp. 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.