Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
An original, thrilling and comic meta-horror film about a queer director tasked with reviving a slasher franchise. To do so, she pays a visit to the mysterious star of the original film series.
Filmmaker Kris (Hannah Einbinder) has been hired to reboot the horror film series Camp Miasma. The series is on its last legs after an endless string of poor sequels and remakes, but Kris, herself a huge fan of the series, has a plan to revitalise the franchise. To do so, she sets out to find Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson), the ‘final girl’ from the original film. After her breakthrough performance, the actress chose a life of anonymity. Kris tracks Billy down at her home far from civilisation and tries to persuade her to return to the big screen. At first, Billy seems like a diva who – like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard – has lost her mind, but perhaps that is merely an act. A strong attraction develops between the women, and Billy confronts Kris with sexual desires and feelings she has long suppressed.
Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw The TV Glow) has rapidly emerged as the most prominent trans filmmaker. Their new film, Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma, is both a tribute to no-budget slasher films from the VHS era and an intelligent analysis of the influence of (sex in) horror films on young, impressionable viewers. What’s more, the film is also a particularly witty satire on the way in which Hollywood film studios endlessly milk successful film concepts. The film was one of the highlights of the recent Cannes Film Festival.
Written by MV