Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (2026) provides a refreshingly vibrant reworking of the 80s slasher genre. The film follows young, queer filmmaker Kris – played by Hannah Einbinder – in her quest to reboot the beloved fictional Camp Miasma film franchise. The premise of these movies follows a transgender camper who is murdered by their campmates and becomes the serial killer ‘Little Death’, a name that comes from the French idiom for an orgasm, ‘la petite mort.’ In Kris’s search for the right way to reboot a franchise so close to her own heart, she tracks down Billy Presley, the star of the first Camp Miasma movie who had been living in voluntary isolation since the film’s release.
The film itself, while slightly muddled and surreal to watch, feels like an instant cult classic – a film designed for queer youth to rewatch, obsess over, and ultimately form their growing personalities around. Its landscapes are dreamlike and ethereal, and the film’s horror elements come in as satirical displays of gore, making the on-screen murders just absurd enough to maintain the film’s witty, comedic tone. In fact, Schoenbrun in no way tries to hide the inspiration pulled from the classic kitschy horrors of the 80s–think Friday the 13th (1980) or Sleepaway Camp (1983).
That being said, Kris and Billy’s dynamic and growth as two initially opposed figures is undeniably the film’s highlight. It is not only Einbinder and Anderson’s chemistry that is so fascinating, but also the clash between Kris’ hyperawareness of herself, body, and sexuality as opposed to Billy’s invitation to completely surrender to desire, fantasy and belief in what could be.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is ultimately a triumph, a film that feels simultaneously fresh and exciting whilst also using such familiar and well-loved tropes. It is artistically shot and fast-paced, and is sure to be a hit for those who enjoy Jane Schoenbrun distinctly camp filmmaking style.
Illustration by Hermione Grant (@H3rm1one) for The Student.
