Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Miasma- an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere which surrounds or emanates from something.
“This is your place.”
“Now if it gets too real, you can always turn it off.”
“Let’s do it. Let’s make a movie.”
In Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma , we follow Kris Williams (Hannah Einbinder), a young gender-fluid filmmaker who has been tasked with crafting a remake/lega-sequel/reboot of the undead 80s slasher franchise, Camp Miasma (a horror film hybrid of Sleepaway Camp and Friday the 13th with a killer named Little Death, a clear reference to climaxing). A mega fan of the franchise, Kris struggles to find her own unique take on the project. She travels to the location used for the titular camp in the movies, Camp Tivoli, now owned by the original film’s starring actress Billy Presley.
Billy has turned into a Norma Desmond-esque recluse who is obsessed with the first film and spends her free time painting and drawing. Kris aims to talk to Billy, whom she wants to appear in her film, and hopefully find some creative inspiration. As the two form an intense relationship, Kris finds herself delving deep into her own psyche, unlocking trauma, desire, and repression along the way.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is queer wunderkind Jane Schoenbrun’s latest filmic fantasy. They use a filmic language to convey emotions and themes throughout. Schoenbrun is a long-time fan of the horror genre, something they fearlessly make known by lovingly sprinkling their film with references and deep cuts to horror films of the past. Some could argue Teenage Sex and Death relies a little too heavily on the references, but luckily Jane has more on their mind here. They explore the interconnectedness of sex and violence in horror films, the modern horror movie landscape, the relationship between queerness and horror movies, the prevalence of meta-textual commentary in the horror pictures of today, the melding of real life and movies that occurs for many super-fans of film, horror audiences’ subconscious wants and desires, and so much more.
As per usual, Schoenbrun writes and directs with passion and enthusiasm. They continue to display a very unique and personal voice you don’t see very often. They remain a true generational talent. The multiple needle drops featured here help to establish a sense of tone and place that, much like in ‘I Saw the TV Glow’, draws the viewer in and places them under Schoenbrun’s spell. Eric Yue is cinematographer and consistently wows with his visuals. The film often looks like our leads have stepped foot into a painting. Matt Hyland and Brandon Tonner share production designer duties and craft backgrounds, landscapes, and sets that look gorgeously fake and perfectly filmic. The editing by Graham Mason is stellar as well.
Hannah Einbinder makes for a very cute and likable lead as Kris, whom most horror fans will likely be able to relate to. It’s easy to get invested in Kris’ journey as she struggles to create her own unique film while dodging studio interference and the demands of her agent, fellow creatives, and actors. Gillian Anderson (affecting a classic, filmic, transatlantic accent), however, is the real star here as Billy. She makes her character kooky and unpredictable, keeping audiences on their toes as to what she will do next, the secrets she may or may not be hiding, and her motivations. Anderson easily commands the screen, and when she’s on it’s hard to tear your eyes away from her.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is another hypnotic and transportive movie from Jane Schoenbrun. Don’t expect your typical horror film as this is more about Kris’ psyche than following a slasher-killer. It’s very talkative and cerebral, and is painfully unique, original, and fearless. It’s quite unlike any movie I’ve seen this year so far and will likely remain that way. Schoenbrun makes exactly the movie they want to make. There are quite a few unexpected and out-there scenes throughout (such as an extended portion where we get to watch a good deal of the original Camp Miasma with our leads). Did I mention this film is also fun and cool as hell?The bigger a fan of horror you are, the more likely it is you will enjoy this wild, weird, and meaningful little flick (same goes double if you’re queer).
4.5 STARS