Kevin Bacon is no stranger to horror. From Tremors to Stir of Echoes, he’s danced with monsters before. But none of those roles drew the same level of critical heat — or personal pride — as his performance in They/Them, a 2022 slasher that’s now considered the worst-rated film of his career on IMDb.
And yet, Bacon doesn’t flinch. If anything, he’s proud of it.
A Message Buried Beneath the Screams
On paper, They/Them had everything going for it. A genre-bending horror flick set in a gay conversion camp, directed by Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan (Skyfall), produced by Blumhouse — and fronted by a bold, queer cast. The title itself, They/Them (pronounced they-slash-them), was a clever play on both pronouns and genre tropes.
But once it hit Peacock in August 2022, reviews quickly turned brutal. Critics slammed the film for its awkward tonal shifts, shallow treatment of its themes, and uninspired scares. On IMDb, it currently holds a painful 4.0/10 — the lowest score for any Kevin Bacon feature to date.
Still, Bacon told /Film in a July 2025 interview that he felt “a real sense of pride” working on the project. “I knew what we were trying to do. And even if it didn’t land for everyone, I don’t regret it for a second.”
The Horror of Conversion Camps — and Real-Life Trauma
Set in the fictional Whistler Camp, They/Them follows a group of LGBTQ+ teens forced into a conversion program by their parents. Theo Germaine stars as Jordan, a nonbinary teen who refuses to back down — becoming one of the few nonbinary protagonists in modern horror cinema.
By day, the teens are subjected to disturbing therapy sessions and forced gender roles. By night, staff members begin dying one by one at the hands of a masked killer. It’s part Friday the 13th, part Get Out, part moral lesson. But none of it really gels.
Conversion camps aren’t just a horror setting — they’re real. In 2020, the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims labeled them a form of torture. And as of 2025, only 27 U.S. states have banned them.
For Bacon, that reality was part of the draw. “The topic was serious. These places exist, and they destroy lives,” he said. “I thought — if even one person sees this and starts questioning these places, maybe it was worth it.”
Critics Weren’t So Forgiving
Reviewers, however, didn’t let the film off the hook. Many argued it tried too hard to do too many things — be empowering, be shocking, be silly, be deep — and ended up doing none well.
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com wrote: “They/Them tries to be both campy and serious, yet fails to pull off that balancing act, much less engage with its themes in any meaningful way.”
Other reviews echoed the same sentiment: strong intent, poor execution.
And even horror fans — usually forgiving when it comes to camp — couldn’t quite embrace it. Online, many called it “toothless,” “confused,” or simply “boring.”
Bacon’s Role: Calm on the Outside, Chilling Beneath
In They/Them, Bacon plays Owen Whistler, the camp’s eerily soft-spoken director. On the surface, Owen is kind, thoughtful — even progressive-sounding. But under the polite facade is a man steeped in control, manipulation, and casual cruelty.
It’s a role that’s chilling because it’s so calm.
Bacon explained, “He doesn’t yell. He doesn’t beat people. But he’s dangerous because he thinks he’s doing good. That’s the scariest kind of villain.”
And to Bacon’s credit, most reviews praised his performance — even if they trashed everything else.
A Movie That Meant More Than Reviews
Despite the critical pummeling, They/Them resonated with some viewers, especially younger LGBTQ+ fans who saw themselves on screen — even if the film wasn’t perfect.
In interviews, Theo Germaine said they felt honored to represent a nonbinary lead in a horror film. For many queer actors, just having a seat at the table was a win.
Bacon saw that impact firsthand.
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“We got letters. DMs. People saying, ‘I’ve never seen someone like me in a horror movie before.’ That matters.”
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“Sometimes what a movie means is bigger than whether it’s good or not.”
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“And yeah, the reviews sucked. But it was one of the most meaningful projects I’ve done.”
For an actor with a filmography as long as Bacon’s — including Oscar darlings, cult classics, and forgettable flops — that’s saying something.
Bacon’s Career Still Going Strong
At 66, Kevin Bacon has little left to prove. He’s played everything from dancers to astronauts, psychics to pedophiles, heroes to villains. He’s had box office bombs and unexpected hits. And through it all, he’s maintained the kind of gritty, grounded charm that never really goes out of style.
So when he says They/Them gave him a sense of pride, you believe him. Even if the movie didn’t quite work, his commitment did.
Maybe, in time, the film will be re-evaluated. Or maybe it won’t. But for Bacon — and those who saw themselves in it — that doesn’t seem to matter much.
