Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Starring: Hannah Einbinder, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Fix, Jack Haven, Sarah Sherman, Eva Victor, Zach Cherry, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Patrick Fischler, Jess McLeod, Dylan Baker

Director: Jane Schoenbrun

After breaking out with her first independent film, Queer filmmaker Kris (Einbinder) has been hired to reboot the Camp Miasma franchise. Execs are hoping her point of view regarding gender will help revive the once very popular, if not controversial, flagging movie franchise. Hoping to lure the reclusive final girl of the original film Billy (Anderson) back to the franchise, Kris visits her at Camp Tivoli, which is where the original Camp Miasma was filmed. As she pitches this new iteration to Billy, Kris begins to unlock not just a connection to Billy but also to the Camp Miasma franchise itself. With the shadow of the film's main villain Little Death (Haven) looming over both of them, the two women find themselves on an emotional journey of self discovery that will change their lives forever.

Everyone knows I have a love of the Scream franchise. Its simultaneous meta commentary on horror films while placing characters in the world of one has no equal. Maybe I should change that has to had.

I have been eagerly awaiting Jane Schoenbrun's follow up to 2024's spectacular I Saw the TV Glow. In fact Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma feels like a spiritual sequel as both tackle nostalgia and sexuality in fresh and thought-provoking ways.

What sets this film apart from Schoenbrun's previous effort is a much more distinct and present sense of humor while paying homage to the horror genre. Much like Scream, the film has an obvious love of the genre and clearly takes shots at classic horror franchises such as Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp. Kris' explanation of why she was selected to direct the Camp Miasma reboot feels like it is not too far from the truth in terms of studio mentality. Queer filmmaker Kris is brought in as a response to "wokeness" in order to remake a dead franchise while fixing transphobic aspects of the original films, in a direct nod to the final twist of Sleepaway Camp. It just makes too much sense. Kris' filmmaker backstory brings up a lot of laughs as well, as the film that got her noticed and selected for the project was a movie like Psycho but from the perspective of the shower curtain. I'm still laughing at that and is it bad that I absolutely want to see that movie?

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma also has a lot to say about the role nostalgia plays in our lives, especially when it comes to films. Are we able to look past problematic aspects of art thanks to when they were made? Take for example a scene where Kris and Billy are watching the original Camp Miasma and Kris makes it a point to point out all of the problematic aspects of the film while Billy just shakes her off. Billy clearly is drawn into the nostalgia of making the film. Why else would she live at the place where the original was filmed and still looks like the movie set?

For a long portion of its running time, this is Schoenbrun's most commercial film and focuses on the meta aspect of the story and how Camp Miasma connects to our two main characters. Once it shifts into recreating the events depicted in the first film, the film becomes bloody entertaining in a much different way. The film is incredibly well shot, with the recreation of Little Death's attack on the campers in the film being a jaw dropping standout. And while not a true horror in the sense of the word, fans will enjoy the amount of blood and sex Schoenbrun brings to the table. And once again, Schoenbrun throws her heart, soul, sadness, and frustration into every inch of the film.

Like I Saw the TV Glow, Schoenbrun's story is an intimate portrait of sexual self discovery through a meta lens and it is anchored by two great performances by Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson. Anderson, in particular, knows a thing or two about nostalgia thanks to her time on what I consider to be the best television show ever: The X-Files. Their chemistry is electric and on display from their first meeting over a dinner of KFC and dipping sauce. I love that Anderson is venturing back to the genre and hope she continues to make bold choices like this film. And although I am unfamiliar with Einbinder from her role on Hacks, I enjoyed the earnestness and almost sinister glee she brought to the end of the film.

Schoenbrun continues to be a major talent and I can't wait to see what she does next!

Grade: A-