They/Them

Trailer.

Available Summary:

"A group of teenagers at an LGBTQ+ conversion camp endure unsettling psychological techniques while being stalked by a mysterious masked killer." -IMDb.

Jack's Summary:

Overall, this film isn't nearly as bad as the internet's knee-jerk reaction would suggest, even if I did predict the killer's identity very quickly. Memes comparing it to Morbius, in terms of quality, are unfair. I say that because They/Them tackles some seriously impactful subjects and does so successfully, even if the cheesier scenes do prompt the occasional eye-roll. Potential viewers should be aware that They/Them is set in a conversion camp and the filmmakers, to their credit, did not at all minimise the horrific reality of anti-gay conversion torture.

Some of the most confronting scenes in this movie include the forced outing and misgendering/deadnaming of a trans woman, the electroshock torture of a gay man following him being tricked into sex, and the sexual harassment of a lesbian by a female camp leader. The camp therapist is a cruel and accurate portrayal of transphobic/lesbophobic women who use a twisted combination of anti-lesbian and anti-trans bigotry to insist that AFAB trans people are just deluded lesbians. In an awful so-called therapy session, the therapist uses the d-slur to psychologically torment Jordan, a non-binary person who has been forced to attend the camp by their parents.

In this video review, members of the trans community criticise the film as being very, very bad. Personally, I don't think They/Them is that bad. It's confronting, as it ought to be if LGBT+ conversion therapy is being realistically tackled, and it's cheesy... but I have watched plenty of cishet slasher films that are much worse. No, this isn't a good movie, but it's watchable.

As someone who experiences second-hand embarrassment and hates Alecia Beth Moore-Hart (AKA Pink), I had to mute a scene where the LGBT+ camp attendees sing "Fucking Perfect" and launch into an impromptu dance session. Given Pink's history of glorifying abuse (the film clip for "Please Don't Leave Me" is horrific, as are the lyrics), I wish the filmmakers had chosen a different artist for this moment of cheer. But I know some people love Pink, so whatever.

All in all, this movie isn't as bad as the internet led me to believe it would be. However, filmmakers definitely chose the wrong ending, and the dramatic pacing was off. If you're in the mood for a bad horror movie, give it a watch.