“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” screams with passion and queer identity

Female-focused films like Ready or Not and the ballet baddies in Pretty Lethal have helped the “final girl” (the victorious last woman standing in any scary flick) fully reclaim her blood-curdling scream in recent years. The new movie Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma lands along that empowered line, embracing the final girl’s fresh legacy while expertly exploring queer identity.

The spooky genre has had its meaty contenders coming out all summer long. For example, Obsession, which began streaming on Peacock in July and broke box office records after its May release in theaters, delivered an original shit-your-pants-while-watching story. Likewise, Miasma, which was released in select theaters earlier this month, also deserves the spotlight. The film purports a beautiful love story between two women etched in legacy and insatiable lust.

In this summer’s soft-core surprise, newly crowned Emmy winner Hannah Einbinder stars in a sapphic twist on a slasher flick. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, from talented transfeminine and nonbinary filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, bleeds passion by the bucket full.

Hosting vibrant colors and scenic backdrops, the movie is aesthetically brilliant and brings a near-psychedelic experience to digesting it.

Einbinder’s director character, Kris, is handed the reins of the failing Miasma franchise. Years of unimpressive reboots have ignited a quiet passion in the queer creator who wants her upcoming iteration to matter. She’s then invited to stay at the lake used for the original movie by former final girl and first Camp Miasma star (Gillian Anderson). Sparks fly, and more than just a movie is made.

The unfiltered chemistry between the leads is a major reason to see this film in the theater. It’s rare to see a different-generational connection as heated as theirs.

Living out your fantasy and finding that special media queer people not only gravitate toward but glow in is a major theme in Schoenbrun’swork. Much like I Saw The TV Glow, Miasma brings transformation and change into a radically real light for all audiences to enjoy.​

The specter-filled spectrum of horror movies has expanded: Farewell, Frankenstein. Modern monsters move in ways other than the standard tearing out of throats. A unique psychological villain, Little Death, played by nonbinary actor Jack Haven, fits right into this new era of fright.

The film rewards viewers with a campy blood-soaked story that brings the worlds of these two women crashing together. The magic of Miasma isn’t in an intricate plot of overwhelming action as seen in other horror. Still, it paces itself to bring an authentic exploration of fantasy come-to-life. How one would act if they got their dream job, directing their dream girl, makes Einbinder’s Kris one to watch. The actor’s awkward charm still rings true beneath the overtly writerly glasses. The performance is restrained and intimate, culminating in a comedic bonfire set ablaze by passion.

Although it’s all contained to pretty much one location, the film is a wild ride. Miasma makes the most of its few sets and talented, tight-knit cast of actors. A budding romance propels Miasma toward a satisfying crescendo.

The movie, soaked in both blood and sapphic magic, balances the uncanny and heart incredibly well. While lust for your muse has been a man’s journey for eons, Schoenbrun revives the trope and queerifies it (as they are oft to do well), purporting a new romance not really seen yet on screen.

On June 1 at the NewFest festival in NYC, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma had its North American premiere, kicking off a Pride Month celebration with a beautiful tribute to the community, the connections that bind us and the people we’re meant to become when brought together.

NewFest champions diverse films and LGBTQ+ stories. Its Pride lineup featured several film premieres, with Miasma closing out the celebration. Before entering the theater for 500, rows of jittery fans lined a nearby park, shades of blue and pink hair bouncing with unfettered excitement

The Q&A after the film gave insight into Schoenbrun’s creative process. While her first two films took inspiration from her transition, this project focused more on the “happy and gay” aspects of queerness. While a devastating performance is still delivered and the artistry is dialed up to the max, the story keeps that core of lesbian joy that is so sorely needed in more media.

Reflecting on her body of work, Schoenbrun explained: “My past movies were the films to make immediately after transitioning … about a specific experience I was going through. Transitions are like SSRIs: the bad side effects come first, but then it all evens out and you get the good stuff. Like tits.”

Einbinder jumped in to add that the film is about the “messiness of gender … it’s Carol for freaks,” referencing the 2015 movie about an aspiring photographer who develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York, according to imbd.com.

 Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma was released in select theaters Aug. 7. It had a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes on Aug. 21.