Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma Is a Queer Ode to This Iconic Slasher Franchise 

Jane Schoenbrun is one of the most exciting voices working within the American movie industry right now.

Their debut feature, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, is a haunting slice of screen-life trauma that plays like a real-life CreepyPasta story. Schoenbrun then followed that up with the beautifully devastating I Saw the TV Glow, and their latest offering, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, has been making waves since winning the Queer Palm at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. 

Schoenbrun’s first film was about the relationship between teenagers and the ungoverned internet. Their second was a love letter to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Camp Miasma focuses on the VHS generation.

No genre benefited from the '80s boom in home video entertainment more than horror. Suddenly you didn’t need a massive budget to reach an audience, and movies that struggled at the cinema were often given a second chance on VHS. It was during this era that the concept of a cult movie really took shape as audiences weren’t restricted to just watching what was playing in their local movie theatre.

In Miasma, Schoenbrun digs into audiences' fascinations with these types of movies, setting their sight on one popular horror franchise in particular, and has crafted a wonderful ode to slashers like it in the process. 

What is Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma About?

As with I Saw the TV Glow before it, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma places its own fictional property at the centre of attention. For I Saw the TV Glow, there is the television series ‘The Pink Opaque’; this time it is the ‘Camp Miasma’ slasher franchise.

During the opening credits, Schoenbrun fills in the history of the series onscreen via newspaper clippings and web pages. As the updates arrive at the present day, the onscreen text announces that the problematic slasher is getting the reboot treatment with up-and-coming director Kris (played by Hacks star Hannah Einbinder) at the helm. 

Camp Miasma unfolds across several days and chronicles Kris’ visit to the secluded home of the star of the first Camp Miasma movie. The enigmatic Billy Preston (brought to life by a sensational Gillian Anderson) famously refused to return for any of the subsequent slasher films, but is intrigued by Kris and her idea. As the two women draw close, Kris finds herself struggling to keep the line between professionalism and die-hard fan in check. Together, Kris and Billy bond over their memories of that first Camp Miasma movie, leading to an unexpected development. 

The Slasher Franchise that Inspired Camp Miasma, and Where to Watch It

From the opening moments of Camp Miasma, it is crystal clear exactly which slasher franchise the in-universe movie is homaging. The summer camp setting immediately marks it as a Friday the 13th-style movie series, as does the information shared during the credit sequence.

Friday the 13th famously has a lot of sequels and even a reboot. This is mirrored by Camp Miasma as a pile of VHS tapes with the different chapters all referencing variations on the franchise. There’s even a news story that mentions an ill-fated attempt at turning Camp Miasma into a television series. A Friday the 13th series has long been in gestation, and should - if all things stay on track - arrive in late 2026 with Linda Cardellini playing the role of Pamela Voorhees. 

While (spoiler!) Pamela is the killer in the original Friday the 13th, the franchise is now synonymous with her hockey mask-clad, machete-wielding son, Jason Voorhees. Along with Freddy Krueger, Pinhead, and Chucky, Jason became an icon of ‘80s horror, and is still as recognisable today as he was at the height of his popularity. A memorable killer is the key to the success of a slasher franchise, and Schoenbrun has leaned into the eccentric to ensure that her villain, Little Death, is not forgotten.

Played by Jack Haven, Little Death’s mask is essentially an air vent, the massive cube overtaking Haven’s slight frame to create a very eerie silhouette. Little Death’s weapon of choice is a double-edged spear, but, like any other slasher killer, Little Death can turn any mundane object into a weapon of ultimate torture.

The repeated death and resurrection of Jason Voorhees can be found streaming on Paramount+ in the UK, which has the bulk of the original movies, as well as the reboot. The crossover movie, Freddy vs Jason, and Jason’s trip to space, Jason X, aren’t available on the platform due to rights issues, but can be easily found across the many other streaming options.

The Other Lesser-Known Slasher Series Behind Camp Miasma

Although Friday the 13th is the overriding influence for the Camp Miasma franchise, the series’ problematic issues are a direct nod to the Sleepaway Camp movies.

The first film has come under criticism for being transphobic, due to the revelation (spoiler again!) that the killer, Angela Baker, is actually Angela’s brother Peter. Angela is revealed to have died as a child, and in the aftermath Peter was forced to dress and behave like his deceased sister by his unhinged aunt.

Without spoiling too much, Little Death has a similar backstory, with Schoenbrun using the character and the rest of the film to rebalance Sleepaway Camp’s controversy.

Films to Watch Ahead of Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is set to release on 21 August in the UK (though select previews are scheduled before then), so there's still time to get into the right headspace to fully enjoy it before then.

Experiencing both the Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp movies in their entirety is essential pre-Camp Miasma viewing. As are Schoenbrun’s previous movies, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and I Saw the TV Glow. Schoenbrun has a very unique way of storytelling that is simultaneously visually stimulating, ethereal, and intimately sensual. It’s a tone that takes some settling into, so doing some Jane Schoenbrun homework is a must. 

For films that homage movies like Friday the 13th, a perfect choice is The Final Girls. Starring Taissa Vermiga, Malin Akerman, Nina Dobrev, and Adam Devine, The Final Girls is a horror riff on Last Action Hero. A group of teens are sucked into the film they are watching. The group are then stuck on a loop, the movie beginning again every 90 minutes, and must use their knowledge of the film to survive beyond the end credits and make it home.

A more meta reworking of the Friday the 13th formula can be found in In a Violent Nature. The film famously presents a summer camp slasher movie from the perspective of the killer, the camera sticking with the mute mask-wearing Johnny as he hacks his way through countless victims. Featuring some eye-watering kills that will get your guts all twisted together, In a Violent Nature requires a cast-iron stomach, but is well worth the challenge.