‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ Review: Jane Schoenbrun’s Affectionate Ode to Slashers, Orgasms, and Gillian Anderson
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- Jane Schoenbrun's third feature "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma" — a sapphic slasher — premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, with MUBI releasing it theatrically starting Friday, August 7.
- Hannah Einbinder stars as Kris, a 29-year-old filmmaker hired to direct a "woke" 21st-century reboot of a transphobic '80s slasher franchise called "Camp Miasma."
- Gillian Anderson plays Billy Presley, the original franchise's final girl who declined every sequel and now lives a hermetic life on the actual campground — described as a Norma Desmond figure with a husky Southern accent, velvety clothes, and a fedora.
- The film's central villain is Little Death, a spear-armed, bloodthirsty ghost and former sleepaway camper who was teased for their transness and drowned at Camp Tivoli — a winking sobriquet that doubles as slang for orgasm.
- Returning collaborators include musician Alex G (acoustic songcraft), cinematographer Eric Yue from "I Saw the TV Glow," Jack Haven inside the Little Death suit, and "SNL" star Sarah Sherman as Kris's hyperactive agent.
- The film frames Kris's relationship to her own body through a therapist's line — "When you're in the movie, you shouldn't be watching the movie" — and builds to an executive Zoom meltdown styled after "Inland Empire."
Why it matters: The film marks Schoenbrun's pivot from the allegorical gender dysphoria of "I Saw the TV Glow" to a more literal post-transition meditation on sexual awakening, with Anderson's dream-casting adding queer-icon wattage. Its industry-satirical elements — a Kris meltdown under executive pressure — will resonate with film insiders, while the slasher packaging courts horror's growing queer audience on MUBI's arthouse platform.
