Kevin Bacon explains why his new film 'They/Them' isn't your average slasher flick
"They/Them" is available for streaming Aug. 5 on Peacock.
"They/Them" is a slasher flick with a side of social commentary.
The film stars horror movie veteran Kevin Bacon as the sinister director of a so-called "conversion therapy" camp, where LGBTQ+ teens find themselves being hunted by a mysterious masked killer.
Speaking with ABC Audio about the new movie, which first premiered at the Outfest film festival in July before hitting Peacock on Friday, Bacon said he was a bit surprised when writer and director John Logan pitched him the role.
"He called me up and he said, 'You know, I actually wrote this part for you in mind,' and I read it and was like, 'Thanks a lot, pal!'" the actor shared with a laugh.
But once he heard Logan's vision for the story, he said he was sold.
"He really touched me with the notion that he wanted a young person who was feeling outside, who was feeling different, who was feeling bullied or feeling closeted or whatever, to be able to find the movie, and feel a sense of empowerment and maybe see a character that they could relate to up on a screen in a way that hadn't been delivered before," Bacon explained.
By packaging it in a genre people love -- horror -- Bacon said he hopes they can reach a wide audience and maybe change some minds.
"Hopefully we reach those kids who I described before, but also hopefully we reach people who do click on it because it is a horror movie and maybe think that maybe gay conversion isn't all that bad, and they can possibly change their mind about this and get a different kind of perspective," he said. "That would be the real win."
"Conversion therapy" is defined as any effort that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. It has been denounced by most mainstream medical organizations as dangerous, and has been shown to be harmful to LGBTQ+ people who are subjected to it.
"They/Them," also starring Theo Germaine, Anna Chlumsky and Carrie Preston, is now streaming on Peacock.
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