‘Whistler Camp’, A Horror Film Set At A Gay Conversion Camp, Coming From Blumhouse And ‘Penny Dreadful’ Creator John Logan
Conversion therapy, the bogus and cruel pseudoscience that attempts to force LGBTQ+ people to change their sexual orientation, will inspire the horrors ofWhistler Camp, a new Blumhouse horror movie that marks the directorial debut ofPenny DreadfulcreatorJohn Logan. The film is set inside a gay conversion camp and is described as “a queer empowerment story.” Logan is writing the film as well.
Blumhouse announced the news that they’re teaming with John Logan forWhistler Camp, a horror movie described as a “queer empowerment story set at a gay conversion camp.” And that’s really all we know! I wish we had some more info, especially since I can’t just end the post right here. That said, this is a fascinating premise. Conversion therapy is a terrible and discredited practice – in the United States, 20 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and 85 municipalities (primarily located in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Minnesota), have banned conversion therapy on minor clients (D.C. is the only U.S. jurisdiction whose ban also applies to adults). Using a conversion camp as the setting of a horror film sets the stage for something both disturbing and socially conscious.
John Logan will direct the film, marking his feature directorial debut, and Deadline reportsWhistler Campis currently in the midst of casting. The official announcement doesn’t confirm who is handling the script forWhistler Camp, but I’ve confirmed with the good folks at Blumhouse that Logan is writing as well as directing the project. That makes sense since Logan has spent almost his entire career as a screenwriter. Not only did Logan create and write nearly every episode of the excellent and criminally underrated horror seriesPenny Dreadful, but he’s also responsible for the screenplays for movies such asSkyfall, Spectre, Gladiator, The Aviator, Hugo, The Last Samurai, Sweeney Todd, Rango, Alien: Covenant,andAny Given Sunday. Recently, Logan also created and wrote several episodes ofPenny Dreadful: City of Angels, a spin-off of the originalPenny Dreadfulthat wasn’t as well received.
Jason Blumwill produce the film.Michael Aguilar(Penny Dreadful,Kidding) will also produce.Ryan Turekis the creative executive overseeing the film for Blumhouse. There’s no release date forWhistler Campjust yet, and it’s unclear when it will begin production. The film joins an ever-growing list of upcoming Blumhouse titles, includingThe Forever Purge,Halloween Kills,The Black Phone, and many, many more.
