‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ is blood-soaked psychosexual horror for the ages 

Director Jane Schoenbrun thrusts fans into a new immersive, dream-like world in their latest film, “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.” After the cult success of their 2024 release “I Saw the TV Glow” and debut film, “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” Schoenbrun has solidified their position as a leading force in queer horror. With a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 96%, “Camp Miasma” works to continue that legacy. 

The surreal film, which debuted on streaming exclusively on MUBI on Oct. 2, follows young, aspiring queer filmmaker Kris (Hannah Einbinder) as she tries to reboot an over-milked horror franchise, “Camp Miasma.” She ventures to the franchise’s original filming location, an abandoned summer camp, where actress Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson), the franchise’s original “final girl,” lives in isolation. While attempting to convince the aging actress to star in the remake, Kris develops a relationship with Billy, leading her to places she couldn’t have imagined. As their relationship progresses, Billy starts to convince Kris that the franchise’s villain “Little Death” (Jack Haven) doesn’t just exist in the movies. 

When Billy shows Kris her copy of the first movie, the audience gets to see into the world of the original “Camp Miasma.” The movie-inside-a-movie provides excellent world-building and exposition, slowly guiding fans into the madness. As the plot blends fantasy and reality, the audience must decide for themselves what’s real and whether that reality even matters at all. 

While the film begins with a coherent plot, it slowly becomes absurd, and by the third act it has fully devolved into Shoenbrun’s dream-like signature style. The set itself serves as a catalyst, utilizing obviously painted backdrops to aid the surrealism. Parodying the classic slasher genre, the movie leans into the bloodsoaked gore, but presented as comedically as possible, with buckets of blood spurting from wounds and decapitated corpses delivering punchy one-liners. 

Einbinder and Anderson share incredible on-screen chemistry, bringing their roles to life. Despite the movie’s surrealism, Einbinder paints a hyper-realistic picture of a young, insecure artist stepping into the real world and finding a new sense of self. 

Schoenbrun explores themes of self-realization and shedding sexual shame in the almost two-hour film. They also delve into the modern commodification of relationships with tongue-in-cheek references, like Kris’s contact being saved as “Your Client” in her agent’s phone, or a participant in a Zoom call being listed as “Queer Assistant.” 

Very few directors can successfully blend horror and comedy while delivering a gut-punch of a message, and Schoenbrun masterfully does just that. “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma”

is a beautiful, stirring, yet comedic take on the slasher genre. A must-see for any horror fan, especially those with a passion for LGBTQ+ media.