The Trailer for the New LGBT Horror Film They/Them Finally Dropped And It Looks Incredible

July 21, 2022
TOMMY

They/Them.

"They/Them" (read "They slash them") is one of the most anticipated new horror films of the last few years, if not THE most anticipated. The trailer for the new Peacock film from Blumhouse Productions dropped today and it looks terrifying, funny, sexy, and also poignant in message.

The movie stars Theo Germaine as Jordan, a nonbinary teen trying to emancipate themselves from their transphobic parents. Why did Jordan go to this particular camp in the woods? Well, it's a conversion therapy camp, so they're just one of a group of people, all under the Queer umbrella. The rest of the campers are brought to us as Alexandra (Quei Tann), Stu (Cooper Koch), Veronica (Monique Kim), Toby (Austin Crute), Kim (Anna Lore), and Gabriel (Darwin del Fabro), all Queer and all dealing with their struggle in different ways and for different reasons.

As if being a conversion camp wasn't terrifying enough, there is also a masked killer who starts targeting the campers. Because of the nature of this movie, they were obviously going to get a big name star to be head-of-the-camp, Owen Whistler. They seem to have knocked it out of the park in casting Kevin Bacon, who looks so fucking sexy still it's ridiculous. From the glimpse we get in the trailer, Bacon is simultaneously sadistic and casual, which makes his performance all the more chilling. Rounding out the cast is the wonderful Anna Chlumsky as camp medic Molly.

This movie has such incredible potential to really explore its messages. It appears They/Them will explore two specific horrors: that of being in the closet and told by others that you're not who you are/are broken because of you are, and that of a conversion camp and the realities of what goes on at places like this. Awful things go on like being strapped to a chair for certain "therapy" sessions, and fucked up manipulative comments from "therapists." Comments like, “Do you think your parents are disappointed in you?” To which a sad and scared Jordan responds, "Sometimes." “So what do you do?" the "doctor" asks. "You try to make yourself special. You become ‘they.’”

It looks like they're also going to explore the illogical nature of Queerphobia. At one point in the trailer, Jordan says, "I would understand it more if there was Bible thumping and queer bashing..." This makes me think that the conversion camp actually isn't going to be rooted in Christianity the way one might presume, but rather a hatred rooted in fundamental "othering." We shall see!

But don't worry... this doesn't seem like it's just a psychological horror where manipulative negative reinforcement is the sole name of the game. From the looks of the trailer, we are in store for a truly horrifying masked murderer story with all the bloody, gory shots we'd expect!

Take a look at the first full trailer for They/Them below! Enjoy.