The Final Instalment in Schoenbrun's "Screen Trilogy"

Sex, Death, and Camp. Three things that I believe make for an incredible story. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma by no surprise captures all three of these elements beautifully.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma2026

Synopsis (No Spoilers)

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, follows an up-and-coming director Kris (Hannah Einbinder) who is tasked with directing the reboot of the classic 80s slasher Camp Miasma. To help immerse herself and understand the original story better, Kris drives up to the abandoned camp grounds the original movie was shot at to meet with the films lead actress and ‘final girl’ Billy (Gillian Anderson).

Kris becomes enamoured by Billy and the idea of casting her as the lead for the new reboot. Together they explore the original films’ themes, the characters, and eventually each other ;)

My thoughts

I have not stopped thinking about this movie since I left the theatre. Despite being advertised as horror, the film surprised me with how funny it was.

Throughout the first act, I found myself waiting for the horror. I wanted jump scares and cheap thrills but in a gay campy sort of way. However, once I noticed Sarah Sherman’s character was named “Kris’ Agent” in Kris’ contacts and Schoenbrun’s absurd use of product placement, it was then that I accepted that this movie was not going to take itself too seriously. I decided to sit back and enjoy the hilarious, yet touching, ride Schoenbrun was going to take us on.

I personally found this to be a pleasant surprise from Schoenbrun’s previous films. This being the third film in their “Screen Trilogy”, I would’ve expected to have my worldview flipped and to be in a sobbing mess much like I was with their pervious two films. In some ways it still did both those things but with a much different approach. I Saw the TV Glow and We’re All Going to The World’s Fair forced me to confront my own uncomfortable thoughts and feelings on my identity that I may have been suppressing. Whereas Camp Miasma almost hides its meaning and true feelings behind the comedy, something I can relate to. I think there is something for everybody in each Schoenbrun film, whether you can completely relate to the themes or not. But Camp Miasma felt like my film, in that I completely understood the main character. It felt as though at some points Schoenbrun had read my diary.

Kris is almost insufferable at moments, as are most cinephiles. When asked to talk about herself she can only talk about film and her work. At times she expresses herself by mimicking characters from the movie. Even at her most vulnerable, she uses the movie to explain her feelings. What bothers me most about characters like this, is that it feels as though a mirror is being held up in front of me. Every cringy line about cinema is something I have definitely said and using movies to explain myself is something I am all too familiar with. Kris is exactly why I connect with this movie so much.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma isn’t perfect. It starts discussions that it doesn’t fully dive into, it can feel slow at times and lose direction, and everything I listed above could be what turns certain viewers away. Although, it was exactly my kind of movie. A week before I saw this, my friend and I discovered while listing our favourite musicals (we’re a hoot and half!) realized that our favourite forms of media tend to include Sex, Death, and/or an extreme amount of theatrics. Having gushed over movies like Rocky Horror, anything Lynch, and Camp Miasma’s inspiration, Sleepaway Camp. We both love the weird and unusual side of cinema and Camp Miasma doesn’t shy away from that. To us, a perfect character, story, or even visuals come second to us because we believe in having a good time. I always say that the worse thing a movie could be is boring and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is far from it.