@@jeromychoe5702 Minors who are transgender weren't groomed into becoming transgender, they were born that way. I have a feeling you have no idea what grooming means.
I didn't have much issue with how far they went with the conversion therapy scenes, my biggest problem was with the slasher side and the fact that it didn't really come into play until there were less than 20 mins left! Felt so strange just waiting and waiting for the killer to show up, just to be the most obvious reveal of all time.
Yeah, my first guess on who the killer was the newest camp counselor (the girl who played in 'My Girl') Except at the end when Kevin Bacon's character wife dies and the next scene they show the camp counselor/nurse talking to the ABC folks outside the cabin discussing on how they're going to leave, then I was like "it can't be her there's no way she could kill the wife and be outside the cabin at the same time"...but it was her in the end lol. That scene was just horribly executed. The film wasn't really about the slasher/horror stuff. It didn't even appear the creators really cared much about that aspect of the story, it was more about pushing a narrative/propaganda...that's it. Pretty lame and gay af lol
@@aprox23 I'm totally fine with the film's message, but yeah the reveal was obvious just because she barely had any screen time and was "the nice one".
As a horror fan and a gay man I was super pumped for this movie! I heard it starred Kevin Bacon, had a summer camp setting, had a bunch of LGBTQIA+ characters and appeared to be a slasher. So I was sold! Like with all horror movies nowadays I just watch the trailer once, put in a save the date and didn't look into anymore material on the movie as I didn't want to be spoiled and always like to go into films with fresh eyes. This is probably the 1st and last time I ever say this but this horror concept would have worked much better as a TV/limited series. You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the best part of the movie was all the character development and the exploration of the conversion therapy camp. I think this would have been effective with the typical TV horror format of a dark drama, spending most the time honing in on the character development and have at least 1 shocking kill every episode. This was a weird viewing experience for me as being gay I could easily relate to all these characters, but as a HUGE slasher fan I was left with blue balls. I did love the setting, the characters were great, the acting was good. In terms of horror I found the most horrific scene to be the scene where the jock undergoes electroshock therapy but as you pointed out they DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH! they could have really prolonged that scene out and made it really shocking (I'm punny) Didn't like how all the gore and kills scenes were cut short. Did this film have Friday the 13th Pt 7's MPA panel review and make cuts?! 😂 This would have been perfect as an American Horror Story season. They would have made it even more campy, better kills and spent a lot of time with the characters exploring their backstories and character arcs. I did read this was a first time director, given that I think he did an amazing job making a film. The concept was great, casting was great, visually it was great all that was missing was someone in their creative team that really wanted to champion the horror elements of this movie. As usual Cody love hearing your thoughts on horror movies 👍
The MPA has killed horror movies in america (no pun intended) I settle for French & Japanese horror movies. I be so into it, even with the English subtitles.
I think you're right on the money. This would have by far worked better as a series. American Horror Story would have done this really well. The film just couldn't seem to help but pull it's punches. It wasn't terrible but wasn't great necessarily either. If the slasher elements had been more prevalent or just removed entirely, the film would've been much better. As it is, it's ok, but not really worth a rewatch.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the over abundance of characters lol. There was like 5 or 6 that didn’t even have a name or line of dialogue before conveniently exiting the story in the 3rd act.
As a queer horror fan I never thumbs up a horror film just for hyping lgbtq+ ties....I really felt that the slasher side of this was lacking. I was excited for Kevin Bacon to be in this but I think the actress from True Blood as the counselor was terrifyingly unsettling. I always enjoy your reviews. I wish it was a bit more involved with the characters and overall was a flop for me. If people are looking for a cool lgbtq horror flick I would recommend What Keeps You Alive. That movie had some great stuff!
I may give it a shot to see where I land. I loved The Hunt so much because of how it let loose on the left and right wings. So to hear that They/Them doesn't take risks is disappointing, but I still wanna see it to see what I think of it.
It sounds to me like it should’ve been made as a psychological horror film rather than a slasher. It sounds like the slasher element was tossed in just to bill it as a horror film. The premise of a horror film set in a conversion therapy camp could be excellent with the right execution, so it’s unfortunate that they pulled their punches. And to anyone who complains about a horror movie being political, I have news for you. It all comes down to how well the subtext is weaved into the story.
Yeah but with modern films I feel like they just focus too much on the message and forget to make a good movie. Like Night of The Living Dead had social commentary about racism, but it wasn’t constantly pushing it in your face to the point where it feels more like a lecture then a movie
That’s true, Candyman (2021) had that problem. It’s social commentary was put first instead of making it a good horror film first with social commentary used to enhance the horror.
@@x-ScaryBerry-x I actually thought that one was alright. I mean the original was very drenched in it’s political commentary, but it didn’t sacrifice it for the story or come off as preachy. While the new one was kinda preachy, I thought it had a decent story (although I’d prefer if they continued the Helen storyline).
Okay but can we stop calling anything that involves lgbt political? You people always say anything that is not heteronormative or straight is political and it doesn’t make sense! They’re PEOPLE. Stop correlating everything with politics
I'm gonna be honest I felt pretty indifferent about this movie when I first heard about it but maybe that's just because of something else but I agree with your point of 'you can't be safe and be horror' and how important it is to understand
This movie was so blan. I went into watching it with an open mind and honestly my imagination was going wild with what was about to happen but then it never did. They even picked a name for the killer infamous with another well know camp slasher and honestly when it comes to it I would rather have watched sleep away camp. I had some high hopes that since blumhouse was making it it was going to be sick and wild. Turn out to be dull and boring. Now the first hour is great it’s the other half i can’t get over. They literally did soft core porn in this and this movie was still bad
The thing is the slasher element could've worked had it been one of the kids who snapped or maybe a counsellor who took things too far. With a slasher an element of whodunnit is always fun; but when the killer targets a specific group of people it not only kills the tension but it also makes it too easy to identify the killer.
As a gay guy I would watch this movie. Not cause Im gay, but because I love horror and slasherflicks. But I HATE any woke stuff. Or politically themed movies. However I must say I think The Hunt is brilliant as it kinda falls right in the center and is really well written. Plus the main actress deserved the Oscar nomimation for that movie !
@@nah....6151 That is very very true. You say the ultra over the top people are a small minority that are very vocal and it drowns out the rest. I can tell you that's true because as a bi guy who is not involved with any LGBT stuff AT ALL because I'm not interested, I have been under the impression that everyone who is not straight these days are going insane. And reading your message now actually surprised me. My mind is more open now knowing that not everyone is going crazy, it's just a vocal minority.
I love these reviews. This is one of the few times I've gotten in the comments, mostly to see who missed the part where he says "Opinions are like assholes. Doesn't mean you have to be."
The movie had some ideas and I felt like it was a great attempt however it didn't stick to anything it really set out to do outside of its conversion therapy stuff. As you said, this movie was afraid to step on any toes and I felt that it utterly failed on the concept that it set out with. That said, I still had fun with what it ended up going with but I felt it would've been way better as a psychological thriller as opposed to a camp slasher.
As a gay man I was really excited for this film. I did like the movie, but I had a lot of issues…mainly with the slasher side. I thought the psychological horror and the drama and character work was great. The film was at its scariest when it focused on the camp therapy aspects. I hate to say it but the slasher aspect felt so undercooked, and I adore slashers. I would’ve cut that angle out and kept the camp as the main villains.
I'm gonna level with you. That P!nk scene was the most normal, sensible part of the movie. You start playing Fucking Perfect in a room full of queer young people and there's a 80% chance everyone of them starts singing
A fair review, and why I enjoy watching your content! As some have mentioned, if you are going to be a horror, then be a horror, by all means go ahead. However this is just another example where putting "the message" above all else, be it story, characters or context etc, you will end up with a very inferior product!
Cody you pretty much know how to talk about this film better than almost anyone else out there. That’s why you get all the cred. Good on you! We need more critics/commentators like you.
I think it was effective but it could be way better. I still think Knife+Heart is one of the better, modern LGBTQ slasher horror films out there yet this was a great watch. Just wish it was more on-screen kills. Carnage candy is necessary for me.
Not gonna lie, I was actually interested in this film, especially since it had Kevin Bacon coming back to what looked like a Friday-esque slasher. However, I figured they'd be pulling their punches, because to be blunt, the target audience is a group that you cannot offend, and this movie reflects that. As a result, I feel like this should've been a psychological horror/thriller film instead of a slasher. Good to know I was right that the killer would be part of the LGBT community as a twist though.
I'm indifferent to the message - this was just not a good movie. The one thing I did like was the twist that one of the campers was in on it. I forgot I was watching a horror film for most of it.
This would've been so much better if they completely removed the slasher aspect out of the film. They could've done an actual story about how sick and twisted these conversion camps are. But it's blumhouse. They will probably make a slasher film about climate change
@@themeangene you cant change if someone is trans or not. You cant make someone who is not trans into transgender and you cant reverse a trans person as well
one of the best review/cinema channels on YT. even when your opinion differs, its always interesting, intelligent and enlightening. I hope your channel continues to grow.
Loved aspects of the movie but was very disappointed with the over all outcome. I do want to say that I loved the mask & it was great seeing Kevin Bacon on a camp ground.
People want you to embrace how they want to live but it’s a choice/lifestyle. Doesn’t matter if people accept you or not. And it doesn’t make them a bad person for not. It was half ass done. It should of been on get out vibe.
It’s a great concept with a very disappointing ending, they built things up with no pay off. I feel this had a lot of potential but it fell flat on the 2nd half to me. I’d like them to make this movie again with better writing and not be scared to be too scary
You said it perfectly, what I was thinking, but couldn't figure out how to put it to words... It was like they were trying to please everybody... They didn't "go hard" into anything... Every aspect was done well or ok. but in a mediocre way... But, you should have added... If you are looking for great movie, this is not it... But, if you have an hour and a half to kill... And you are looking for a different kind of slasher movie, with a different kind of story... Then this movie is for you... The movie was NEVER slow of boring... I kept you into it... So, if you have nothing else to do, this is not a bad movie choice...
I thought it was a good popcorn movie. Don’t get me wrong I was kind of disappointed in it but seeing it rated 2.2 on IMDB is kinda crazy. I’d give it a 5.5-5.9 personally
Honestly I’m getting sick of these gimmicky horror films. Seems like someone said “hey what if we made a horror film and called it they/them, that’d be so funny right?” And then just wrote a generic movie around just that. The Black Phone and Nope, while not perfect, are examples of new horror films that still feel fresh and aren’t trying to be anything other than good horror films
I feel like Blumhouse at this point has just become inoffensive horror that really has nothing to say, just bland comfortable enough "horror." Least there's still A24.
And the same person who said “you have to protect” also said “we don’t need saving” after being saved it’s just inconsistent everything before the slasher came in was great
I wasn’t interested before your review. Now I’m even less interested than I was initially. Thanks Cody for helping me dodge that bullet, or rather that minefield lol
I really hated it, not because I have a problem with the concept or the "wokeness" of it, whatever that means. It's just a bad slasher film. None of the teenagers actually get killed, the killer is extremely predictable, and the motive is so shallow and ridiculous. Only thing I liked was Kevin Bacon, who did the best he could with what he was given. Also there's a musical number that might literally be one of the worst scenes I've ever seen in any movie.
Watched this Last Night. It's easily the worst "Horror Movie" I've seen so far this year. Kevin Bacon was the only redeeming part of this Dumpster Fire. 2/10 at best..
Just got done watching it & ouch. I'm one to give movies the benefit of the doubt so that being said Its been a long time since I actually said a movie was bad, but here we are 🤣 I went in open minded & let whatever happens happens & it had a promising beginning then just continued to go downhill to the point where I couldn't wait for it to end, the reveal was also so disappointing
I personally liked this film. On screen kills are not necessary for me to enjoy a horror movie. It ain't Jordan Pelle and I will admit that it could've been better, but I was still thoroughly entertained throughout it.
The movie itself isn't very good. Absolutely filled to the brim with cliches and stereotypes (funny considering it's trying to go against things like stereotypes), nonsense reactions passed off as "empowerment", like the main character not being afraid and even shouting at a figure in the damn woods at night or barely shacking after shooting a dog (main character honestly sort of feels like an unrealistic Mary Sue while other movies have written genuinely empowering characters that show signs of struggle and getting beaten down, even thinking of giving up, being more relatable to humans as a whole) the killer reveal in the end straight up doesn't make sense unless I missed something and as far as the slasher / horror aspect goes, it falls short in scaring, spooking, unsettling or even entertaining you. 1 kill happens early-ish, then that's forgotten for some time and the killer randomly appears in the end again to start killing person after person like a machine. Only 1 of the kills is remotely creative and entertaining, that being the chair one. The rest are flat stabbings. The movie is pretty slow up until the end where everything starts running. Overall, no. The camp itself makes stupid decisions that go against successfully brainwashing the kids, there's a couple of errors in the movie that form cracks in the believability of the whole thing (especially in that gun training segment, like damn) and nothing is really phenomenal, even the acting or cinematography which I thought were both nice. I get that this movie is a minefield but I'll speak my mind regardless. There are a couple of reviews on IMDB which are giving it straight 10s because, drum roll, they think the low scores are 100% coming from people against this movie's message but that simply isn't true. Just reading through them puts actual issues into light. Manipulating reviewing systems isn't cool, and that goes both ways. Just review the product, don't post a review based on nothing but "balancing things out", especially when that's a false alarm based on assumptions about the rest of the reviews. Go ahead and watch the movie if you want to, but I wouldn't recommend it, there are better movies of this genre that surpass it in many ways. If the message is what you care for, sure, that's there.
I'm Trans. I never seen this movie but have heard they used to do conversion therapy in Utah (they all deny it though) And I like Kevin Bacon too. My fav movie of his is Tremors.
There is a literal scene where the entire cabin of Gay 20yr olds bust out into a Musical of Pinks song Perfect? 1 hour before this they were all in fear for their lives. Because they had to bake pies and shoot guns.
Yeah it's an incredibly stupid scene that for whatever reason made me grin. I think I was so far from enjoyment at that point that it just hit me right.
7:40 Totally agree. Thats why I love horror. It can explore dark themes through an entertaining art form. I'm a gay dude and conversion camp is such a great theme to explore in horror. I don't wanna watch just real events style movie cause it would just hit to close to reality. But a horror? Absolutely. But, Like You said, This movie is to soft. How can You describe the horror of conversion camp if You're to afraid to show it.
I was actually excited for this movie as a bisexual like a whole movie of lgbt characters in a horror movie cause horror movies be afraid of killing these type of characters and I’m like no they aren’t special they shouldn’t be safe cause people are freakin sensitive. I liked the title cause it’s unique and liked the premise but if it got a skip it ima keep my expectations low.
They: -Shoots dog in the face without being begged or even threaten.- They: *Sets gun down* I wont shoot anyone, because I'm a better person. Dead dog: "Yeah, sure."
Such a great review! 100% Agree they coulda made this film revolutionary but just like most horror film concepts, someone will do it again. Better luck next time.
Just watched it; didn't like it. It started strong, but didn't finish that way. It also didn't even feel like a Horror Film and I definitely agree that they were afraid to really step into what this could've been.
It would have been better if the movie took the stepford wives approach and had the serial killer be someone whose brainwashing didn't work or was deactivated.
As someone that has lives from the straight world to the celebration and idiolation of the LGBT…. world AND WAS THE GAYEST PERSON in a LARGE SCHOOL---I never really felt physically threatened for being gay as kids will beat up and threaten anyone simply for being different or “offensive” in any way. Gay people used to fit it, now I can’t understand them at all; It’s like they are being driven mad. I was ashamed of being gay as I was taught it was wrong. With that said I always looked for the truth in things and found out my ways were wrong. GOD has saved me from my selfish hateful ways and my attraction to males has dissapeared. Even then I would never have understood sex changes as something like chopping your breats off seems like something out of a horror flick. Even if that’s what was right you are leaving huge gashing scars on your body.
I haven't seen it yet to judge myself, but I will say that the concept does somewhat remind me of what is probably my favorite season of American Horror Story. Season 2: Asylum. It's also got an LGBT lead who is forced to undergo conversion therapy, and they don't shy away from it. It's also got a masked serial killer on the loose, and Jessica Lange suddenly breaking into a choreographed song and dance routine with the rest of the inmates at one point. Check it out. You don't need to see season one or any of the other seasons if you don't want to as the season is its own self contained story, and I think it does an excellent job.
I watched it last night. It was lame. Kevin Bacon is why I wanted to see it. Was neither here nor there on the LGBTQ thing. It was cringe, but that's about it. The message was very real and the musical scene with all the kids singing was hilarious. The shooting range scene with killing the dog turned me off. I can't deal with animals getting hurt, killed. It happens enough in real life. That was the only real horror.
That's my problem with the film Cody, a very strong start with good character development but then, falls flat on it's face. Very disappointing because I really wanted this film to succeed
Cody, I just wanted to say thank you for reviewing this fairly without being politically biased (and also for using correct pronouns/phrases!). I really appreciate it as a bisexual viewer. I'm still considering whether or not to watch it despite everything I've seen about it being negative. I will keep your review in mind.
Just watch it. I actually liked it a lot. Bacon is great in this movie. Cody has his opinions, some of them I agree with. But he also thinks a toy doll is good horror, so I we defer on a lot. Also, it's a horror movie. How much analysis is really needed?
@@cookiesontoast9981 I'm bisexual because of the pronouns, if I throw in they/them, zee/zer or whatever the other ones are, it's no longer bisexuality, it's pansexuality. Bisexual is attraction to both men and women. Pansexuality is attraction to all genders. Which is why I identify as bi not pan, which is apparently offensive to say lol but just I'm clearing up confusion lol
“You ever walked in an open mine field? I’m about to.” Greatest opening ever
I'm not spending my money on a film that promotes transgenderism for kids and minors. Stop normalizing grooming of kids.
@@jeromychoe5702 Why do you care about a child's sexuality unless it is YOUR child. Pedo.
Touché mate, touché
@@jeromychoe5702 Minors who are transgender weren't groomed into becoming transgender, they were born that way. I have a feeling you have no idea what grooming means.
@@jeromychoe5702 it's a rated r movie so it's not for kids or minors this movie is for adults...
I didn't have much issue with how far they went with the conversion therapy scenes, my biggest problem was with the slasher side and the fact that it didn't really come into play until there were less than 20 mins left! Felt so strange just waiting and waiting for the killer to show up, just to be the most obvious reveal of all time.
This
Exactly
100% agreed. It fails as a summer camp slasher flick. I mean, we aren’t asking for a whole lot here.
Yeah, my first guess on who the killer was the newest camp counselor (the girl who played in 'My Girl')
Except at the end when Kevin Bacon's character wife dies and the next scene they show the camp counselor/nurse talking to the ABC folks outside the cabin discussing on how they're going to leave, then I was like "it can't be her there's no way she could kill the wife and be outside the cabin at the same time"...but it was her in the end lol. That scene was just horribly executed.
The film wasn't really about the slasher/horror stuff. It didn't even appear the creators really cared much about that aspect of the story, it was more about pushing a narrative/propaganda...that's it. Pretty lame and gay af lol
@@aprox23 I'm totally fine with the film's message, but yeah the reveal was obvious just because she barely had any screen time and was "the nice one".
This movie made me wanna wish I could go back in time when I never watched it.
me/them/they too.
I identify as she/them thank you
This is me! Fucking waste of time.
Me/too
😂
I watched "they/then " and "prey" today at work. I really enjoyed one of them, the other was a pretty underwhelming bluhmhouse experience.
I want your job
What do you do for work?
@@banewade9579 I'm in shipping, warehouse. When production hits a hiccup I get to catch up on movies. Pretty solid gig honestly
@@montybruce6079 same Monty lol 😆 I watch all the movies /shows at work
Get me a job
I agree, message or no message, if it falls in horror category you gotta go all in.
I would highly recommend reading the horror / supernatural novel "Horrorstor" by Grady Hendrix.
@@Bookspine5 cool thnx
With a title like this, it's definitely a comedy
Solid and fair review. That being said, hard pass on this one for me
As a horror fan and a gay man I was super pumped for this movie!
I heard it starred Kevin Bacon, had a summer camp setting, had a bunch of LGBTQIA+ characters and appeared to be a slasher.
So I was sold!
Like with all horror movies nowadays I just watch the trailer once, put in a save the date and didn't look into anymore material on the movie as I didn't want to be spoiled and always like to go into films with fresh eyes.
This is probably the 1st and last time I ever say this but this horror concept would have worked much better as a TV/limited series.
You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the best part of the movie was all the character development and the exploration of the conversion therapy camp.
I think this would have been effective with the typical TV horror format of a dark drama, spending most the time honing in on the character development and have at least 1 shocking kill every episode.
This was a weird viewing experience for me as being gay I could easily relate to all these characters, but as a HUGE slasher fan I was left with blue balls.
I did love the setting, the characters were great, the acting was good.
In terms of horror I found the most horrific scene to be the scene where the jock undergoes electroshock therapy but as you pointed out they DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH! they could have really prolonged that scene out and made it really shocking (I'm punny)
Didn't like how all the gore and kills scenes were cut short. Did this film have Friday the 13th Pt 7's MPA panel review and make cuts?! 😂
This would have been perfect as an American Horror Story season. They would have made it even more campy, better kills and spent a lot of time with the characters exploring their backstories and character arcs.
I did read this was a first time director, given that I think he did an amazing job making a film. The concept was great, casting was great, visually it was great all that was missing was someone in their creative team that really wanted to champion the horror elements of this movie.
As usual Cody love hearing your thoughts on horror movies 👍
The MPA has killed horror movies in america (no pun intended) I settle for French & Japanese horror movies. I be so into it, even with the English subtitles.
I think you're right on the money. This would have by far worked better as a series. American Horror Story would have done this really well. The film just couldn't seem to help but pull it's punches. It wasn't terrible but wasn't great necessarily either. If the slasher elements had been more prevalent or just removed entirely, the film would've been much better. As it is, it's ok, but not really worth a rewatch.
Pronouns are silly
I agree with everything you said. Movies are afraid to be edgy nowadays
@@BishopWalters12 i highly doubt thats true
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the over abundance of characters lol. There was like 5 or 6 that didn’t even have a name or line of dialogue before conveniently exiting the story in the 3rd act.
As a queer horror fan I never thumbs up a horror film just for hyping lgbtq+ ties....I really felt that the slasher side of this was lacking. I was excited for Kevin Bacon to be in this but I think the actress from True Blood as the counselor was terrifyingly unsettling. I always enjoy your reviews. I wish it was a bit more involved with the characters and overall was a flop for me. If people are looking for a cool lgbtq horror flick I would recommend What Keeps You Alive. That movie had some great stuff!
That movie you recommended isn’t that good… even in a vacuum
You're a fan of queer horror? Sounds pretty niche
Genuinely one of the most intelligent and thoughtful reviewers out there, surprised your channel isn’t bigger!
I may give it a shot to see where I land. I loved The Hunt so much because of how it let loose on the left and right wings. So to hear that They/Them doesn't take risks is disappointing, but I still wanna see it to see what I think of it.
It sounds to me like it should’ve been made as a psychological horror film rather than a slasher. It sounds like the slasher element was tossed in just to bill it as a horror film.
The premise of a horror film set in a conversion therapy camp could be excellent with the right execution, so it’s unfortunate that they pulled their punches.
And to anyone who complains about a horror movie being political, I have news for you.
It all comes down to how well the subtext is weaved into the story.
Get woke, you go broke.
Yeah but with modern films I feel like they just focus too much on the message and forget to make a good movie. Like Night of The Living Dead had social commentary about racism, but it wasn’t constantly pushing it in your face to the point where it feels more like a lecture then a movie
That’s true, Candyman (2021) had that problem. It’s social commentary was put first instead of making it a good horror film first with social commentary used to enhance the horror.
@@x-ScaryBerry-x I actually thought that one was alright. I mean the original was very drenched in it’s political commentary, but it didn’t sacrifice it for the story or come off as preachy. While the new one was kinda preachy, I thought it had a decent story (although I’d prefer if they continued the Helen storyline).
Okay but can we stop calling anything that involves lgbt political? You people always say anything that is not heteronormative or straight is political and it doesn’t make sense! They’re PEOPLE. Stop correlating everything with politics
I'm gonna be honest I felt pretty indifferent about this movie when I first heard about it but maybe that's just because of something else but I agree with your point of 'you can't be safe and be horror' and how important it is to understand
This movie was so blan. I went into watching it with an open mind and honestly my imagination was going wild with what was about to happen but then it never did. They even picked a name for the killer infamous with another well know camp slasher and honestly when it comes to it I would rather have watched sleep away camp. I had some high hopes that since blumhouse was making it it was going to be sick and wild. Turn out to be dull and boring. Now the first hour is great it’s the other half i can’t get over. They literally did soft core porn in this and this movie was still bad
The thing is the slasher element could've worked had it been one of the kids who snapped or maybe a counsellor who took things too far. With a slasher an element of whodunnit is always fun; but when the killer targets a specific group of people it not only kills the tension but it also makes it too easy to identify the killer.
Yup, I started to tell who was the killer I was right.
As a gay guy I would watch this movie. Not cause Im gay, but because I love horror and slasherflicks. But I HATE any woke stuff. Or politically themed movies.
However I must say I think The Hunt is brilliant as it kinda falls right in the center and is really well written. Plus the main actress deserved the Oscar nomimation for that movie !
@@nah....6151 That is very very true. You say the ultra over the top people are a small minority that are very vocal and it drowns out the rest. I can tell you that's true because as a bi guy who is not involved with any LGBT stuff AT ALL because I'm not interested, I have been under the impression that everyone who is not straight these days are going insane. And reading your message now actually surprised me.
My mind is more open now knowing that not everyone is going crazy, it's just a vocal minority.
all movies are political you're fucking delusional if you think art isn't influenced by real life issues to some extent lmao
I love these reviews. This is one of the few times I've gotten in the comments, mostly to see who missed the part where he says "Opinions are like assholes. Doesn't mean you have to be."
I still can’t get over how amazing the title of this movie is, regardless of the quality of the movie itself.
Stunning and brave.
yeah, it's a great title.
They/Them is an amazing movie name? The bar must be in the fucking ground then
@@Quest4Horror unironically using this term
then you'll be disappointed to know that it originated from a years-old tumblr post
The movie had some ideas and I felt like it was a great attempt however it didn't stick to anything it really set out to do outside of its conversion therapy stuff. As you said, this movie was afraid to step on any toes and I felt that it utterly failed on the concept that it set out with. That said, I still had fun with what it ended up going with but I felt it would've been way better as a psychological thriller as opposed to a camp slasher.
As a gay man I was really excited for this film. I did like the movie, but I had a lot of issues…mainly with the slasher side.
I thought the psychological horror and the drama and character work was great. The film was at its scariest when it focused on the camp therapy aspects.
I hate to say it but the slasher aspect felt so undercooked, and I adore slashers. I would’ve cut that angle out and kept the camp as the main villains.
I'm gonna level with you. That P!nk scene was the most normal, sensible part of the movie. You start playing Fucking Perfect in a room full of queer young people and there's a 80% chance everyone of them starts singing
Dare I say go off on it or ignore it based on the title somehow turning them away before they even give the film itself a chance.
It’s not really my cup of tea but I can see why people enjoyed it
I have heard a lot of bad reviews for this movie, I will probably pass on it honestly
I believe Animal House came before Friday Cody but yeah Friday was his 1st horror flick for sure.
A fair review, and why I enjoy watching your content!
As some have mentioned, if you are going to be a horror, then be a horror, by all means go ahead.
However this is just another example where putting "the message" above all else, be it story, characters or context etc, you will end up with a very inferior product!
Cody you pretty much know how to talk about this film better than almost anyone else out there. That’s why you get all the cred. Good on you! We need more critics/commentators like you.
I think it was effective but it could be way better. I still think Knife+Heart is one of the better, modern LGBTQ slasher horror films out there yet this was a great watch. Just wish it was more on-screen kills. Carnage candy is necessary for me.
Not gonna lie, I was actually interested in this film, especially since it had Kevin Bacon coming back to what looked like a Friday-esque slasher. However, I figured they'd be pulling their punches, because to be blunt, the target audience is a group that you cannot offend, and this movie reflects that. As a result, I feel like this should've been a psychological horror/thriller film instead of a slasher.
Good to know I was right that the killer would be part of the LGBT community as a twist though.
Should've been like sleepaway camp. Kevin bacon just standing there with his mouth wide open with a clam instead of a sausage.
FFS why did I read this comment.... the spoiler at the end. 🤦♂️
I'm indifferent to the message - this was just not a good movie. The one thing I did like was the twist that one of the campers was in on it. I forgot I was watching a horror film for most of it.
This would've been so much better if they completely removed the slasher aspect out of the film. They could've done an actual story about how sick and twisted these conversion camps are. But it's blumhouse. They will probably make a slasher film about climate change
@@themeangene no that's wrong too. They're both wrong. Both radical sides of the same coin
@@themeangene Imagine thinking that forcing people to change their sexual orientation isn't wrong tf🙄
@@themeangene you cant change if someone is trans or not. You cant make someone who is not trans into transgender and you cant reverse a trans person as well
Staring man-bear-pig as the killer!!! 🤣🤣
Finally got to watch this movie last night and it worked better as a psychological horror than the slasher it tried to be.
one of the best review/cinema channels on YT. even when your opinion differs, its always interesting, intelligent and enlightening. I hope your channel continues to grow.
Loved aspects of the movie but was very disappointed with the over all outcome.
I do want to say that I loved the mask & it was great seeing Kevin Bacon on a camp ground.
People want you to embrace how they want to live but it’s a choice/lifestyle. Doesn’t matter if people accept you or not. And it doesn’t make them a bad person for not. It was half ass done. It should of been on get out vibe.
The irony you conveyed at the end was hilarious 😂
You forgot his role as the intense and crazy wilderness rafe instructor in the 1986 movie "White Water Summer" along with Sean Austin!!!
Bacon got his start in 1978s Animal House.
It’s a great concept with a very disappointing ending, they built things up with no pay off.
I feel this had a lot of potential but it fell flat on the 2nd half to me. I’d like them to make this movie again with better writing and not be scared to be too scary
You said it perfectly, what I was thinking, but couldn't figure out how to put it to words... It was like they were trying to please everybody... They didn't "go hard" into anything... Every aspect was done well or ok. but in a mediocre way... But, you should have added... If you are looking for great movie, this is not it... But, if you have an hour and a half to kill... And you are looking for a different kind of slasher movie, with a different kind of story... Then this movie is for you... The movie was NEVER slow of boring... I kept you into it... So, if you have nothing else to do, this is not a bad movie choice...
I thought it was a good popcorn movie. Don’t get me wrong I was kind of disappointed in it but seeing it rated 2.2 on IMDB is kinda crazy. I’d give it a 5.5-5.9 personally
Honestly I’m getting sick of these gimmicky horror films. Seems like someone said “hey what if we made a horror film and called it they/them, that’d be so funny right?” And then just wrote a generic movie around just that. The Black Phone and Nope, while not perfect, are examples of new horror films that still feel fresh and aren’t trying to be anything other than good horror films
I'm not interested in this movie but curious enough to watch a Cody Leach breakdown.
I feel like Blumhouse at this point has just become inoffensive horror that really has nothing to say, just bland comfortable enough "horror." Least there's still A24.
And the same person who said “you have to protect” also said “we don’t need saving” after being saved it’s just inconsistent everything before the slasher came in was great
I wasn’t interested before your review. Now I’m even less interested than I was initially. Thanks Cody for helping me dodge that bullet, or rather that minefield lol
I really hated it, not because I have a problem with the concept or the "wokeness" of it, whatever that means. It's just a bad slasher film. None of the teenagers actually get killed, the killer is extremely predictable, and the motive is so shallow and ridiculous. Only thing I liked was Kevin Bacon, who did the best he could with what he was given. Also there's a musical number that might literally be one of the worst scenes I've ever seen in any movie.
I appreciate you just say your opinion Cody with no fear. Your my first go too for all movie reviews even when I disagree. Keep doing your thing!
Watched this Last Night. It's easily the worst "Horror Movie" I've seen so far this year. Kevin Bacon was the only redeeming part of this Dumpster Fire. 2/10 at best..
I thought it was interesting that the homosexual indigenous native aborigine Hebrew was called toby in this movie. I'll leave it right there...
I miss when Blumhouse made movies like Upgrade. Once Halloween is over it seems they got nothing on offer.
Blumhouse has put quantity over quality for some time now.
Just got done watching it & ouch. I'm one to give movies the benefit of the doubt so that being said Its been a long time since I actually said a movie was bad, but here we are 🤣 I went in open minded & let whatever happens happens & it had a promising beginning then just continued to go downhill to the point where I couldn't wait for it to end, the reveal was also so disappointing
This is disappointing because when I heard of this, I thought Kevin Bacon was young to be the villain in a drama.... Not some mis led slasher flick
The Hunt was great. I love Kevin as well. This is a crazy film tho.
I would like to see a tremors series review. Would be petty fun
Someone please just explain what the message of this movie was I'm trying so hard to understand
I personally liked this film. On screen kills are not necessary for me to enjoy a horror movie. It ain't Jordan Pelle and I will admit that it could've been better, but I was still thoroughly entertained throughout it.
As if conversion camp isn’t already terrifying, yeah let’s add a serial killer 😂
I’m guessing both AHS: Asylum and the ep of South Park were Butters is sent to conversion therapy handled the subject matter better
Im scared on if this ones gonna be preachy💀
The movie itself isn't very good. Absolutely filled to the brim with cliches and stereotypes (funny considering it's trying to go against things like stereotypes), nonsense reactions passed off as "empowerment", like the main character not being afraid and even shouting at a figure in the damn woods at night or barely shacking after shooting a dog (main character honestly sort of feels like an unrealistic Mary Sue while other movies have written genuinely empowering characters that show signs of struggle and getting beaten down, even thinking of giving up, being more relatable to humans as a whole) the killer reveal in the end straight up doesn't make sense unless I missed something and as far as the slasher / horror aspect goes, it falls short in scaring, spooking, unsettling or even entertaining you. 1 kill happens early-ish, then that's forgotten for some time and the killer randomly appears in the end again to start killing person after person like a machine.
Only 1 of the kills is remotely creative and entertaining, that being the chair one. The rest are flat stabbings. The movie is pretty slow up until the end where everything starts running.
Overall, no. The camp itself makes stupid decisions that go against successfully brainwashing the kids, there's a couple of errors in the movie that form cracks in the believability of the whole thing (especially in that gun training segment, like damn) and nothing is really phenomenal, even the acting or cinematography which I thought were both nice.
I get that this movie is a minefield but I'll speak my mind regardless. There are a couple of reviews on IMDB which are giving it straight 10s because, drum roll, they think the low scores are 100% coming from people against this movie's message but that simply isn't true. Just reading through them puts actual issues into light. Manipulating reviewing systems isn't cool, and that goes both ways. Just review the product, don't post a review based on nothing but "balancing things out", especially when that's a false alarm based on assumptions about the rest of the reviews.
Go ahead and watch the movie if you want to, but I wouldn't recommend it, there are better movies of this genre that surpass it in many ways. If the message is what you care for, sure, that's there.
"But I'm a cheerleader" is entirely more entertaining and way more helpful to the undertone message.
Great review. I actually really like the title, it's a cool title for a horror film. I love Kevin Bacon, I'm happy to see he's still working.
Gay
I'm Trans. I never seen this movie but have heard they used to do conversion therapy in Utah (they all deny it though) And I like Kevin Bacon too. My fav movie of his is Tremors.
@@Jharrison6014 Tremors is a classic!
@@renegadehero7393 💯 it rules!
There is a literal scene where the entire cabin of Gay 20yr olds bust out into a Musical of Pinks song Perfect?
1 hour before this they were all in fear for their lives. Because they had to bake pies and shoot guns.
Yeah it's an incredibly stupid scene that for whatever reason made me grin. I think I was so far from enjoyment at that point that it just hit me right.
Great reaction. Agree 100% that they failed to just commit.
I agree. The film didn't go as far as I thought it was going to as far as storyline and I kept feeling anticipation only to be let down.
I appreciate your honest opinion on this film
7:40 Totally agree. Thats why I love horror. It can explore dark themes through an entertaining art form. I'm a gay dude and conversion camp is such a great theme to explore in horror. I don't wanna watch just real events style movie cause it would just hit to close to reality. But a horror? Absolutely. But, Like You said, This movie is to soft. How can You describe the horror of conversion camp if You're to afraid to show it.
I know you said skip it, but being a huge Bacon fan, does he have anything in here worth suffering the rest for?
I was actually excited for this movie as a bisexual like a whole movie of lgbt characters in a horror movie cause horror movies be afraid of killing these type of characters and I’m like no they aren’t special they shouldn’t be safe cause people are freakin sensitive. I liked the title cause it’s unique and liked the premise but if it got a skip it ima keep my expectations low.
The scene with the singing was pretty good because that's when the campers united on the same page.
Parents who support their small children to become a certain way they feel at such a young age who clearly don't know, should be sent to these camps!
They: -Shoots dog in the face without being begged or even threaten.-
They: *Sets gun down* I wont shoot anyone, because I'm a better person.
Dead dog: "Yeah, sure."
Such a great review! 100% Agree they coulda made this film revolutionary but just like most horror film concepts, someone will do it again. Better luck next time.
It could of been on get out level but it was ass
Just wanted to know if they/thems got slashed or not. Thanks for saving me 80 minutes tho
What do you think about a children of the corn review series?
I would not watch this movie just because of the title alone. Call me close-minded. I don't care.
Just watched it; didn't like it. It started strong, but didn't finish that way. It also didn't even feel like a Horror Film and I definitely agree that they were afraid to really step into what this could've been.
Blumhouse is one of the biggest hit or miss company’s I’ve ever seen, I mean they did get out and insidious but also made this and night swim 😭
So funny! I watched this yesterday and thought “hmmm Cody needs to watch this”
Love your shirt dude! Definitely will check it out myself. Lots of new movies on streaming this weekend
Another Blumhouse fail. Shame because earlier this year, they gave us The Black Phone.
It would have been better if the movie took the stepford wives approach and had the serial killer be someone whose brainwashing didn't work or was deactivated.
Cody you think you can bring back the horror BG track you used to use from 2019-2021? It really fit the mood of your reviews :)
He said he doesn't enjoy using it anymore because it's annoying to him but they should have it on UA-cam for you to listen to
@@EpictasticJoshuaYT Ah. Didn't know, thanks for the info. Do you happen to know what said track is called by the way?
@@Erick_Moreno_A-Rex I don't know
This movie made me want to go to a conversion camp just so I could convince myself i didn't waste time watching this.
If you want to see a psychotic Kevin Bacon, you should do a review of White Water Summer from 1987. It's just great bro.
Big fan of that movie
Not enough people know about it. You should educate them
The River Wild
As someone that has lives from the straight world to the celebration and idiolation of the LGBT…. world AND WAS THE GAYEST PERSON in a LARGE SCHOOL---I never really felt physically threatened for being gay as kids will beat up and threaten anyone simply for being different or “offensive” in any way. Gay people used to fit it, now I can’t understand them at all; It’s like they are being driven mad. I was ashamed of being gay as I was taught it was wrong. With that said I always looked for the truth in things and found out my ways were wrong. GOD has saved me from my selfish hateful ways and my attraction to males has dissapeared. Even then I would never have understood sex changes as something like chopping your breats off seems like something out of a horror flick. Even if that’s what was right you are leaving huge gashing scars on your body.
I felt it wasn’t as bad as everyone is making it out to be. Prey was boring. At least this one was somewhat fun
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY! This could have been FUN and still have a message. What a waste!
Really well put and tastefully handled. You win at minesweeper today Cody.
I haven't seen it yet to judge myself, but I will say that the concept does somewhat remind me of what is probably my favorite season of American Horror Story. Season 2: Asylum.
It's also got an LGBT lead who is forced to undergo conversion therapy, and they don't shy away from it. It's also got a masked serial killer on the loose, and Jessica Lange suddenly breaking into a choreographed song and dance routine with the rest of the inmates at one point.
Check it out. You don't need to see season one or any of the other seasons if you don't want to as the season is its own self contained story, and I think it does an excellent job.
"ITS THE NAME GAME!"
Wasn’t that the rubber man or sum shit?
@@kainkong274 That was season 1. In Asylum, the serial killer was known as Bloody Face.
@@Vaajraath oh, coool
This movie drove me up a wall with frustration. This movie absolutely neglected the suffering of it's victims.
Hey, if it's an open minefield, at least you can see the mines.
Makes it hard not to poke them to see if they're live though 🤔
I watched it last night. It was lame. Kevin Bacon is why I wanted to see it. Was neither here nor there on the LGBTQ thing. It was cringe, but that's about it. The message was very real and the musical scene with all the kids singing was hilarious. The shooting range scene with killing the dog turned me off. I can't deal with animals getting hurt, killed. It happens enough in real life. That was the only real horror.
Let’s talk about the fact that the main character let’s the Camp leader be Murdered by the killer thereby making them an accessory to murder.
So it's Kevin Sausage, not Bacon? Idk.
0/4
Tl;dr - movies with a message suck. But I'll fence-sit anyway.
That's my problem with the film Cody, a very strong start with good character development but then, falls flat on it's face. Very disappointing because I really wanted this film to succeed
Cody, I just wanted to say thank you for reviewing this fairly without being politically biased (and also for using correct pronouns/phrases!). I really appreciate it as a bisexual viewer.
I'm still considering whether or not to watch it despite everything I've seen about it being negative. I will keep your review in mind.
Just watch it. I actually liked it a lot. Bacon is great in this movie. Cody has his opinions, some of them I agree with. But he also thinks a toy doll is good horror, so I we defer on a lot. Also, it's a horror movie. How much analysis is really needed?
I'm bisexual but I have no idea about these pronouns, too complicated for me to think about.
@@cookiesontoast9981 I'm bisexual because of the pronouns, if I throw in they/them, zee/zer or whatever the other ones are, it's no longer bisexuality, it's pansexuality. Bisexual is attraction to both men and women. Pansexuality is attraction to all genders. Which is why I identify as bi not pan, which is apparently offensive to say lol but just I'm clearing up confusion lol