Respect, Renew, Rejoice are the three words that greet visitors entering Whilster Camp, the fictional conversion therapy program at the center of John Logan’s directorial debut They/Them.

The camp and its surrounding seem (but only seem) to be like any other. In reality, however, the camp is a menacing site, where director Owen Whilster (Kevin Bacon) runs a week-long program to turn gay young adults into straight men.

Conversion therapy — a delusional concept — dates back to the 19th century, when German psychiatrist Albert von Schrenck claimed to have turned a gay man straight through hypnosis. His experiment set alarming precedent and birthed an entire field — now discredited by the medical community — of trying to “cure” homosexuality.

The treatments (in fact, tortures) ranged from hypnosis to electroshock. They never worked, and instead scarred recipients, dooming them to self-hatred and sham.

But instead of offering off-kilter comedy or coming-of-age drama, Logan examines the practice through the chilling elements of the horror genre.

Gay Directors. By Emanuel Levy. Columbia University Press.

Relying on firm cast led by particularly strong performances from Bacon and Theo Germaine, They/Them uses the format of camp slashers to tease out the psychological terrors of conversion and offer observations about queer identity.

Logan, who also wrote, gets right to the gore. They/Them opens with the gruesome murder of a woman driving through a backroad. As she tries to turn off spooky audiobook, her car tires flatten, leaving her stranded. Within minutes, her shrieks are heard as a masked axe wielder hacks into her skull.

In the next scene, Owen Whilster welcomes a group of LGBTI+ young adults to his camp. The motto “Respect, Rejoice, Renew” flashes before the screen. His recites a speech atypical of man dedicated to conversion therapy. Manipulative, he insists that God doesn’t hate them. “I can’t make you straight,” he says to the confused campers. “If you’re happy the way you are, then more power to you.” He just wants to help them accept themselves. Bacon’s delivery adds a prickly layer to this speech, allowing Owen to telegraph one mission while speaking of another. Even if he is not a Bible-toting Christian armed with scripture passages, viewers know something strange is afoot.

Jordan (Theo Germaine), a trans nonbinary camper, is suspicious too. They watch Owen carefully, scrutinizing and parsing each cheery sentiment. Germaine, a nonbinary performer, inhabits Jordan with intimacy. The animosity between Owen and Jordan, building with each competitive interaction, is one of the film’s more impressive threads.

Jordan struck a deal with their family: If they agreed to attend this program, they could legally emancipate upon its conclusion. Other campers are in a similar situation: Toby (Austin Crute), a Black gay kid and musical theater aspirant, gets to move to New York at the end of the week, and Veronica (Monique Kim) collects data for a paper on conversion therapy.

The functions at Whilster are meant to force trust within the group. Outside of mandatory icebreakers and imposed therapy with Owen’s wife, Cora (Carrie Preston), the campers form thoughtful relationships with each other. They begin to uncover the darker sides of the camp and its history, from the constant surveillance to the torturous methods.

Logan peppers They/Them with gory scenes, especially when the axe murderer gets to the camp. Those bloody moments are dutiful to the genre, but except for one grisly homicide, they are not as inventive or frightening as they could be.

They/Them is more confident in exploring the psychological terrors that the LGBTQI+ campers face at the ruthless, conniving hands of Owen and mates.