August 21 2026, 16:42

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Director: Jane Schoenbrun

Release year: 2026

Filmmaker Kris has signed up to reboot a famous eighties horror film franchise set at a summer camp. The studio wants it to be "woke" to attract a young audience, but Kris wants to make something artistic. She sets out to meet the reclusive original final girl, Billy Summers, who lives alone in the woods at the original film location. On meeting Billy, Kris begins to question her own motivations and finds the real purpose of Camp Miasma’s killer, Little Death.

It’s clear from the opening that Kris (Hannah Einbinder) isn’t happy with her studio executives or the direction the film is going. Her polyamorous relationship with Mari (who is also seeing a man called Thor) seems shallow and shaky. Kris is skilled at intellectualising feelings to avoid dealing with them. In their first meeting, Billy (Gillian Anderson) is quick to call this out, and because Kris is desperate to work with Billy, Kris has to start to open up, and she quickly realises Billy needs to be the lead of the film.

The slasher villain, Little Death, is an on-the-nose metaphor for Billy’s secret history with the original film and Kris’s inability to enjoy sex. The growing intimacy between them enables Kris to stand up to the studio executives, and then, as her creative power grows, harness Little Death to fully unblock her creativity. As in a therapeutic relationship, change can be sudden and strong in the presence of someone paying the right sort of attention. Billy has what Kris needs and is willing to give it.

The kills are played for slapstick humour, with the blood mostly cartoonish, and there’s a tremendous, extended slaughter scene to an amusing needle drop just after the halfway point. However, this isn't a horror film, it's a romantic comedy about creativity, and it wouldn't work without the tender chemistry between the two leads. I had a great time watching this!

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