Jane Schoenbrun's 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' Review: Overthinking the Slasher

Jane Schoenbrun's third feature film, 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,' premiered in 2026 and is distributed by Magnolia Pictures. The film stars Hannah Einbinder as Kris, a 'Sundance wunderkind' tasked with remaking a fictional '80s slasher franchise, and Gillian Anderson as Billy, the original final girl. Set in winter at an iced-over summer camp, Kris seeks Billy to convince her to star in the remake, driven by a personal connection to the original film as a sexual awakening. The review, published by CULTURED on August 12, 2026, critiques the film for being overly self-conscious and reliant on references, lacking emotional depth. Schoenbrun, who identifies as queer and uses they/them pronouns, explores themes of dissociation and overidentification with media, as seen in their previous works 'We Are All Going to the World's Fair' (2021) and 'I Saw the TV Glow' (2024). The film references Carol J. Clover's theories on the 'final girl' from her 1987 article and 1992 book 'Men, Women, and Chainsaws,' and includes nods to directors like Brian De Palma, Michael Powell, Sam Raimi, and Gus Van Sant. The review notes the film's painted backdrops and split diopter shots, but criticizes its 'stilted extended discussions' and 'relentless allusions,' concluding that it offers 'little new to desire or identify with.' The film's title and content address taboo subjects like BDSM and roleplay, but the review argues it 'backs away from the question of taboo.'