American filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun loves fucked-up horror stories. In 2021, they broke through with We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, a gnarly coming-of-age story with a creepypasta vibe. Three years later, Schoenbrun delivered the critically heralded I Saw the TV Glow, which used a fictional Buffy the Vampire Slayer-like series to explore emerging trans identity. Now, with Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Schoenbrun offers a tale of queer joy in the mold of a slasher comedy.
Hacks‘ Hannah Einbinder stars as Kris, a queer indie filmmaker entrusted with resurrection the “zombie IP” that is Camp Miasma. The iconic slasher film begat eight increasingly deranged sequels and immortalized its Southern-fried Final Girl, played by Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson). To get the reboot right, Kris travels to the abandoned summer camp where the first movie was shot so she can meet Presley, who’s now an eccentric recluse. Together, they talk fried chicken, desire, and Little Death (Jack Haven), the slasher who rises from the lake to wreak havoc on Camp Miasma counselors.
To dive into the depths of Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Schoenbrun and Einbinder visited Mashable’s Say More studio to speak with Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko. Together, they explored the inspiration points for this surreal and silly slasher, celebrated the return of horny movies, and (naturally!) compared gummies and talked Counting Crows.
Be warned: If you’ve not seen Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma yet, there are some light spoilers ahead.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is now playing, only in theaters.
