Campfires and strip clubs go hand in hand for an upcoming R-rated Boy Scout movie, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. This Friday “the Scouts honor” image will get an upgrade as three boys put their leadership to the test while fending off blood sucking zombies accompanied by a female stripper clad in daisy dukes and see-through shirt.
The real Boy Scouts aren’t exactly happy campers about the whole thing though, especially since the organization has already received a fair share of criticism for caving to political correctness. But the organization’s concerns are legitimate in that pop culture often portrays Scouts in an unsavory light. Which brings us to Scouts slaying zombies.
According to Boy Scouts of America communication specialist Gina Circelli, the scouts are in no way affiliated with the upcoming flick. She writes:
“The Boy Scouts of America is not affiliated with this movie and in no way endorses its content or depicted themes. The film is rated R and contains material which does not reflect the BSA’s values. This film is not appropriate for our youth audiences, and we don’t believe the behavior of the characters in this film represents how Scouts should live out the Scout Oath and Scout Law.”
For most, the Boy Scouts represent leadership, integrity, bravery, and overall wholesomeness. So what kind of actions in the movie merit these Scout actors an R-rated badge? The movie is basically a teenage boy’s fantasy complete with a woman to objectify for 93 minutes. The film’s whole “geeks save the day and get the girl” theme is heavily peppered with nudity, drinking, partying, sexual material, violence, gore, and of course language that could make a sailor cringe.
"We wanted our film to be entertaining in a wild and outrageous way, so we decided to create our own fictitious scouts that we could weave a fun, over-the-top tone into," says producer Todd Garner. "Because of that, we chose to work independently from the Boy Scouts of America."
Circelli made it clear though:
The characters in the film, referred to as “Scouts,” are portrayed wearing uniforms with badges and other design so close to the BSA’s official uniform that movie-goers might assume the characters are actual Boy Scouts. To be clear, they are not …. we strive to be careful of what pop culture references we align ourselves with. We do not approve of nor associate ourselves with films like Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse that do not represent the values and ideals BSA promotes.
So, “be prepared” America. Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse may make a man out of young boys, but it probably won’t be the morally straight, Scout’s honor kind.
