They/Them Filmmaker Reveals Origins of the Killer's Mask

By Patrick Cavanaugh

There are a number of elements that are ingrained into the slasher subgenre, one of which is the use of an ominous mask to disguise a killer's identity. The new slasher from Blumhouse Productions They/Them honors that tradition, though with the number of masks that have been seen in the subgenre's history, writer/director John Logan was tasked with finding a way of setting his killer apart from its predecessors, yet while also honoring the iconic influences from horror history, as well as embracing the narrative itself to justify the disguise. They/Them debuts on Peacock on August 5th.

"First of all, you look at every mask that has ever been designed for every slasher movie since the beginning of slasher movies. You find things you like, things you respond to, things you don't respond to," Logan shared with ComicBook.com about designing the mask. "I'm very fond of the Jason Voorhees hockey mask, for all the obvious reasons, because that, to me, is the foundational text of slasher movies. But for our slasher, we wanted to do something more bespoke, because we're in the woods. We wanted it to feel very woodsy. And, also, our killer has, really, two sides to their personality, so the mask reflects one side that's calm and one side that's very angry and aggressive. I worked really closely with Tony Gardner, our brilliant mask designer, and Tony just came up with some great studies for it."

Kevin Bacon plays Owen Whistler in this slasher horror film set at an LGBTQIA+ conversion camp. Several queer and trans campers join Whistler for a week of programming intended to "help them find a new sense of freedom." As the camp's methods become increasingly more psychologically unsettling, the campers must work together to protect themselves. When a mysterious killer starts claiming victims, things get even more dangerous.

Interestingly, Bacon starred in the original Friday the 13th, which saw the debut of Jason Voorhees. However, in that film, it was his mother who was the killer, with Jason then returning to continue his mother's violent legacy in the sequel. It wasn't until Friday the  13th Part III that Jason secured his iconic hockey mask.

They/Them premieres on Peacock on August 5th.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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