Spoiler Warning: They/Them

Peacock is getting into the horror movie business with new releases like They/Them (you pronounce the “slash”). A modern take on the classic camp slasher film, They/Them reinvents the mold while also retaining what makes the genre so iconic.

LGBTQ+ films are not new (though their acceptance into the mainstream is relatively recent), and horror films are even older. However, the concept of combining the two is something that has been gaining steam. If They/Them were just another take on Friday the 13th (even down to the killer’s hockey mask), it likely would not have made a splash. However, taking that concept with an LGBTQ+ twist made it one of the more memorable horror films released this year.

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So, is this just a fluke, or is it the way that horror movies will go from here on out? Obviously, the traditional slasher where a masked killer terrorizes innocent victims will remain. But we will likely see a rise in films that explore more topical social issues while keeping what is familiar about the slasher genre. As we’ve seen with this film, the killer’s motive isn’t always to kill for the sake of killing. Sometimes, their acts come from a more “noble” place, you could say.

Here’s how They/Them reinvents the typical slasher films we all know and love.

Off to Camp They/Them Go

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A group of LGBTQ+ youth arrives at Camp Whistler, a conversation camp run by the cheery Owen Whistler (played by an always at the top of his game Kevin Bacon). At first, Owen and the camp’s other staff promise that they will not forcefully convert any campers. Rather, he hopes that they will come to a realization on their own. Predictably, the campers do not buy this, none more than the lead character Jordan (Theo Germaine), who is trans and non-binary. Most of the campers attended because their parents forced them, with Jordan saying they were promised emancipation if they went.

RELATED: Exclusive: John Logan and the Cast of They/Them Discuss Queer Horror

While at camp, the group participates in questionable activities, such as walking through the woods at night handcuffed to a partner or shooting the camp’s old dog to prove the boys were “real men.” Jordan sneaks into the camp’s office and discovers photos of past campers being tortured. The camp’s nurse, Molly (Anna Chlumsky), finds Jordan in the office and promises them that she will do what she can to help the campers. Around this time, a mysterious masked figure shows up and begins slaughtering people, starting with the camp’s groundskeeper.

One of the campers, Stu (Cooper Koch), is subjected to electroshock therapy in an attempt to “cure” him, after which an enraged Molly says she will go to the police. Owen threatens her, and the masked figure slaughters the camp’s athletic trainer and his fiancee. The campers come together to escape after finding the dead bodies, and the mystery figure is revealed to be Molly, whose actual name is Angie. She killed the real Molly and took her place after her own torturing at the camp when she was young. She kills Owen and offers Jordan a chance to come with her, saying they can “cleanse” all the other conversion camps. Jordan declines, saying they need to focus on themselves, and the group goes their separate ways.

So What Makes They/Them Unique?

On the one hand, this seems like your typical slasher film where a killer terrorizes a summer camp. However, these campers had already faced significant struggles before they ever arrived at the camp. They were rejected by their parents (the reason for so many of them attending) and just wanted to find some source of acceptance. Remove the masked killer element, and you have a group of LGBTQ+ sent to a conversion camp against their will. That is still a concept packed with potential for a strong horror film. One could make the case that the film may not have even needed the ax murderer element.

However, the “masked killer” concept is more recognizable to a mass audience. Promoting the film as a “summer camp slasher” likely helped it gain a wider appeal. It’s important to note that this is not meant to be dismissive of LGBTQ+ films. Simply put, they are not as accepted in the mainstream yet as conventional horror. Though the killer element was not absolutely necessary in They/Them, the film would likely not have been talked about in the mainstream without it.

On the flip side, without the conversion camp element, this would have just been another slasher film that we’ve seen endless times. They/Them needed both elements working together to succeed, which helps it to stand out against conventional horror.

The Killer’s Motive

Another way They/Them separates itself from the pack is through the killer’s motives. Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface – these iconic horror movie killers were never meant to be interpreted as “the good guys.” However, you could make that case for the killer, Molly/Angie, in this film.

For starters, she never harms any of the campers. Her rampage is targeted specifically at Owen and the rest of the camp staff, who all end up dead by the film’s end. On the surface, she has a solid justification. Angie was abused there as a child, and she wants to stop the camp from hurting more kids. Perhaps she could have gone to the police and reported the camp, but she saw this as “her mission.”

In that way, the masked murderer is not the antagonist. Though very misguided, Angie worked toward the same goal as the campers. Owen and the staff, who hid their malicious intent behind a cheerful demeanor, were the true villains of the story. Creating a slasher film where the hockey mask-wearing, ax-wielding murderer is technically on the same side as the protagonists is no easy task. But They/Them is not a conventional horror film. Don’t forget, you pronounce the “slash.” Get it, slash?