Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma explores childhood fixations through a painterly yet often irritating lens on VHS horror and slasher films. The director, known for I Saw The TV Glow and We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, returns with a higher-budget project that attempts to dissect the intersection of thanatos and eros.
The film follows Kris Williams (played by Hannah Einbinder), a queer indie filmmaker tasked with rebooting the fictional ’80s slasher series “Camp Miasma.” The studio desires a trendy, elevated horror approach, while Williams aims to atone for the original series’ transphobic elements. To do so, Williams seeks out Billy Presley (Anderson), the original star who now lives reclusively on the campgrounds where the original was shot. As their conversations about art and intimacy evolve, the lines between fact and fiction blur, and a killer emerges from the lake.
A key motif in the film is a single frame from the fictional horror series, showing the killer’s reflection in Presley’s widened eye during a climactic moment. Williams wants to untangle their complicated relationship with this violent imagery, and Presley is willing to engage in this ritualistic revisiting.
Camp Miasma functions both as a spoof of the pseudo-academic reassessment of genre filmmaking and as a participant in that discourse. Williams, who appears to be a self-insert for Schoenbrun, is portrayed as overwound and neurotic, frequently delivering long-winded monologues about their vision. The film bluntly labels its metaphors and references, even directly acknowledging comparisons to films like Sunset Boulevard, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, and Sleepaway Camp.
While the script can be obnoxious, Schoenbrun’s direction stands out. Their ability to create specific, striking imagery and visual language is notable. The film’s defensive tone limits its confidence, making it feel like a conversation with itself rather than inviting broader participation, despite its focus on fostering a personal relationship with video nasties.
Like much queer psychosexual horror, Camp Miasma shines when embracing decadence, exemplified by a memorable killing spree set to Counting Crows. However, the film’s self-consciousness and heavy-handedness sometimes undermine its impact.
Overall, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a visually compelling but uneven exploration of horror, identity, and nostalgia that struggles to balance its satirical and atmospheric ambitions.
Engage with the film’s themes of identity and nostalgia—what are your thoughts on its approach to horror?
