By George & Josh Bate
After an acclaimed feature directorial debut that largely flew under the radar, Jane Schoenbrun cemented their status as a filmmaker with a distinctive voice and something unique to say when I Saw the TV Glow stunned audiences with its profoundly powerful and original interpretation of being trans.
The widespread commendation for I Saw the TV Glow inevitably endowed any subsequent effort from Schoenbrun with immense anticipation, a level of expectation that Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma not only meets but resoundingly exceeds.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma follows Kris (Hannah Einbinder), a queer filmmaker hired to direct a reboot of the long-running Camp Miasma slasher franchise. In preparation for the movie, Kris visits Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson), the reclusive actress who played the final girl in the original Camp Miasma, who is living where the original movie filmed. As Kris and Billy come to know one another, Kris’ vision for a Camp Miasma reboot becomes more vivid and unusual.
Most salient during the slasher boom of the early 1980s, commentators, academics, and general moviegoers have long debated the relationship between sex and the slasher genre. From Friday the 13th to Halloween to The Burning and more, promiscuous characters engaging in premarital sex fall victim to a masked killer, often through penetration via a pointed object, while the sole virginal girl is remarkably the one to survive. The tendency for slasher films to so rigidly follow this pattern gave rise to the ‘sex equals death’ rule of slashers. Movies like X and It Follows have inventively reconceptualized the moralistic punishment ingrained in most slashers by turning sexual encounters into the conduit that triggers the numerous bloody deaths that follow.
Jane Schoenbrun’s newest film firmly exists in this lineage of sex-obsessed slasher classics and yet, arguably more than any other movie in history, exhibits an unwavering willingness to subvert expectations of the genre and offer an intricate, thought-provoking dissection of the slasher genre’s relationship with sex.
A brilliant opening credit sequence orients the audience to the fictional slasher franchise at the heart of the film. From the camp setting to the masked killer to the increasingly crazy sequels to the font used on poster art, Camp Miasma is clearly inspired by Friday the 13th above all other slasher franchises. And, given that it has been nearly 20 years since a new Friday the 13th movie was made, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma scratches an itch for hungry Jason fans, albeit not in the manner one would expect.
Hannah Einbinder, best known for her Emmy award winning performance in Hacks, plays the ‘Sundance Wunderkid’ tasked with reinventing the dated, misogynistic, and overtly transphobic slasher franchise for modern audiences. Conversations she shares with her agent and producers of the upcoming reboot offer ample opportunities for Schoenbrun to provide meta commentary on the inner-workings of the film industry, the nature of remakes, Hollywood’s overreliance on established IP, performative kindness and political correctness, and more. In this sense, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma feels a bit like Scream, in particular Radio Silence’s 2022 film, although it has decidedly more to say.
Einbinder’s character makes the arduous journey to the location where the original Camp Miasma filmed, which is now home to Gillian Anderson’s reclusive Billy Presley. Anderson is exceedingly mesmerizing and alluring in the film, in turn evoking in the audience the same kind of visceral reaction that she evokes from Einbinder’s Kris. Anderson draws on the likes of Gloria Swanson to craft a character that feels like an old school movie star through and through, albeit one that serves KFC fried chicken and feasts on Sour Patch Kids. Her Southern drawl and eccentric sense of humor accompany a personality that seems both warm and potentially threatening and render Billy a fascinating character one simply can’t take their eyes off of whenever she graces the screen.
Much of the film centers around tantalizing conversations between Einbinder and Anderson. The two talk about Billy’s decision to vanish off the face of the Earth, Kris’ potentially unhealthy relationship with her work, and more as they grow closer amidst a somewhat uneasy situation.
All the while, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma serves as both a beautiful love letter and resounding reconceptualization of the slasher genre, namely Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp. Extended cutaways to the original Camp Miasma midway through the film show that Schoenbrun is unabashedly a fan of the admittedly problematic slasher franchises and proves that one can both have nostalgia and reverence for something while acknowledging its issues.
Then, as the film transitions into its third act, Schoenbrun subverts any and all expectations by flipping their movie on its head. Without delving into spoilers, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’s third act needs to be seen to be believed, such is how ambitious and bold it is willing to be.
While teetering on a bit too abstract and not entirely converging on the most precise of messages, this third act is what makes Schoenbrun’s film stand apart as a truly singular cinematic event. The ways in which they explore sexual repression and the detriments of unfulfilled sexual longing, destigmatize and even normalize what would be considered by many to be troublesome sexual fantasies, and exposes the inherent horniness of slasher movies renders Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma stunningly original. This is the most original slasher movie since Scream and easily one of the decade’s most original movies so far.
VERDICT: 8/10
Jane Schoenbrun follows up the profound and powerful I Saw the TV Glow with a third feature directorial effort that ranks among the most original movies in years. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma intricately and intelligently dissects the slasher genre’s relationship with sex with razor sharp humor, clever meta references galore, and a deep reverence for films like Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp. Picturesque, dreamlike landscapes serve as the backdrop for a fascinating tale that explores sexual repression and exposes the inherent horniness of slasher movies with both wit and insight. Hannah Einbinder superbly leads the film with a humorous performance deftly attuned to the hidden sexual vulnerabilities and insecurities of her character, while Gillian Anderson is simply mesmerizing as she evokes Gloria Swanson and Hollywood legends of old to craft a truly unforgettable character. Both a stirring love letter and damning critique of slashers, Schoenbrun’s film proves most singular in a wild third act that, while ultimately a bit too abstract and not being precise enough in its messaging, affirms that they have crafted an extraordinarily thought-provoking film that addresses longstanding questions about slashers and sex with novelty and subversiveness.