A first look at a new slasher from a rising horror auteur
Mubi has shared the first images from Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, the much-anticipated follow-up from writer-director Jane Schoenbrun. The handful of promotional stills position the film as a feverish, stylistic return to slasher territory: a warm, claustrophobic portrait of Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson together, and a striking shot of a hand rising from a lake clutching a harpoon — an image that deliberately echoes classic Friday the 13th iconography.
Where Schoenbrun is coming from
Schoenbrun made waves with their narrative debut We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and cemented their status with the A24 release I Saw the TV Glow, the latter earning significant critical attention in 2024. Those films blended psychological unease with intimate themes of self-discovery and gender identity, and helped define Schoenbrun as a distinctive voice in contemporary queer horror. With Camp Miasma, the filmmaker appears ready to shift gears toward something more overtly carnage-driven while still retaining a personal, meta approach to genre.
Premise: meta-horror meets slasher revival
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma follows a young filmmaker, played by Einbinder, who has been handed the chance to reboot a once-popular horror franchise centered on an isolated summer camp. The original Camp Miasma has faded into obscurity after years of formulaic sequels, and the new director’s challenge is to find a fresh, meaningful angle. Seeking inspiration, she tracks down the reclusive actress who once embodied the franchise’s “final girl” — portrayed by Anderson — and soon becomes enmeshed in a “blood-soaked world of desire, fear, and delirium,” where admiration curdles into obsession.
Tone and themes: homage with a personal edge
While the film nods to 1980s slasher tropes — masked killers, lakeside killings, decaying franchises — Schoenbrun’s work suggests a more self-aware, psychological overlay. Early descriptions and imagery indicate the project will examine fame, fandom, and the toxic allure of resurrecting cultural artifacts, framing those ideas through a queer lens that has been central to the director’s previous films. Schoenbrun has also signaled that this entry will be bleaker and more explicit than their earlier, more psychological efforts: in a past interview they promised the next project would contain “enough blood, gore, sex, fluids, nudity, etc.” to push into more mature territory.
Cast and collaborators
The film pairs Anderson — best known for X-Files and her long career in film and television — with Einbinder, whose profile has risen after acclaim for Hacks. They lead a supporting ensemble that includes Amanda Fix, Arthur Conti, Eva Victor, Zach Cherry, Sarah Sherman, Patrick Fischler, Dylan Baker, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Quintessa Swindell, and Kevin McDonald. Jack Haven, who appeared in I Saw the TV Glow, re-teams with Schoenbrun in a supporting capacity.
Plan B is producing the picture, and Mubi financed and will handle worldwide distribution.
Release information
Mubi has slated Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma for theatrical release beginning August 7. More marketing material and additional details about the film’s festival trajectory and wider rollout are expected as the date approaches.
Why this matters for modern horror
Camp Miasma arrives at a moment when retro slasher aesthetics and meta-commentary about fandom are popular playgrounds for filmmakers eager to interrogate genre history. Schoenbrun’s track record suggests the film will balance affectionate homage with incisive critique: using the familiar language of slashers to probe identity, celebrity, and obsession. With two high-profile performers at its center and a provocative first look that leans into both nostalgia and unease, the movie is shaping up to be one of the more talked-about horror releases of the season.
What to watch for next
Expect a steady rollout of trailers and featurettes that clarify the film’s balance of gore, camp, and introspective drama. Pay attention to festival bookings, critical early reactions, and interviews with Schoenbrun and the leads — those will help indicate how much the film leans into classic slasher spectacle versus the intimate emotional work that marked their earlier films.