Jane Schoenbrun’s ‘Camp Miasma’ explores horror and self-acceptance

Jane Schoenbrun’s new film, ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,’ serves as a meta-commentary on the horror genre while exploring themes of radical self-acceptance and queer liberation.

The story follows Kris (Hannah Einbinder), an intellectual filmmaker tasked with rebooting the fictional ‘Camp Miasma’ franchise. In an attempt to find inspiration, Kris seeks out Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson), the actress who starred in the original film and lives on its abandoned set. As the two women connect, the film explores Kris’s journey toward sexual and personal self-actualization, challenging social norms and previous problematic elements of the franchise, such as transphobia.

Critics note the film’s unique visual style, including the use of painted watercolor backgrounds, and its departure from Schoenbrun’s previous work, ‘I Saw The TV Glow,’ by focusing on a character’s successful journey toward self-acceptance rather than a struggle against it.