Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and all the images you see in this review are owned by Mubi
Directed by Jane Schoenbrun
I can’t say I was the biggest fan of I Saw the TV Glow, but it definitely left me with the impression that Jane Schoenbrun was a talented filmmaker to keep an eye on. Perhaps it was an issue of subject matter as I’ve never been much of a fan of Buffy which their previous film took a lot of inspiration from, and am much more of a slasher geek which is what their newest feature is mostly about. Well, that and a bunch of other ideas about identity, sexuality, and the terrifying reality of being yourself, but I think the slasher stuff is what’s gonna clinch it for me. Is this another masterpiece from an up and coming star director, or will this struggle to capture the same lightning in a bottle success of their last feature? Let’s find out!!
Kris Williams (Hannah Einbinder) is an up and coming indie filmmaker who has been tapped by a bunch of studio suits to modernize the long running Camp Miasma franchise; a series of slasher films with a problematic past that could use one of those woke adaptations that the kids are all talking about these days. In the hopes of making a truly authentic reboot, Kris goes to see the reclusive star of the original film, Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson) who just so happens to live on the campgrounds that the film was shot on long ago. With the hopes of a young artist and the cynicism of a young adult, Kris tries to sell Billy on her new ideas for the franchise, but she’s gonna need to impress her with more than just meta-commentary and a more diverse cast if she hopes to get her endorsement. Kris is gonna have to delve not just into the nitty gritty of the venerable franchise, but into the depths of her own soul if she’s going to find any way to connect with Billy and get this project off the ground. Will Kris open herself up to the Billy’s eccentric world view and the mysterious nature of this camp? Why does she chose to live here, and is there more to this old set than memories and gaffers tape? I mean, if I was gonna be toyed by a potentially malevolent diva who may or may not be planning a ritualistic murder… yeah, I’d go with Agent Scully too.
With The Backrooms, Obsession, and now this, we seem to be entering a golden age of young directors making their marks in the horror space, and it’s a shame that this won’t get nearly the same attention because it is a genuinely brilliant film that comes from a place of affection while also challenging horror fans to really examine their own love of the genre. So many horror movies include sex and violence, but rarely have they actually been about it in a meaningful way; especially in the kinds of shlock that my generation grew up on. Even modern reinterpretations that take a critical eye to the shlock of the past, such as the 2021 Slumber Party Massacre, still only address it on a surface level; willing to talk about it, but not open up about it. This movie is unbearably honest which makes it far more uncomfortable and foreboding than any number of Saw traps or Blumhouse jump scares, and it speaks to something real that sits inside a large number of horror movies fans. See, I got my driver’s license right before the Netflix-ification of the world, and so I spent two solid years driving to the Blockbuster every week to rent movies; mostly horror films and mostly terrible ones because I would check the back and see if there was any nudity first before picking it up. Was this healthy? Who the hell knows, but I doubt I was the only one to do this; especially after seeing just how perfectly this film manages to capture that perverse mindset. Plenty of people my age have fond memories of the slasher films from the eighties, but there’s a depth and complexity to its understanding that no other movie has been able to capture. I think it just took someone of our generation to really put into words what it was like to not just be a fan of horror, but to be weird about it too.
The movie finds its strongest moments in the way it builds itself up to its biggest revelations and most cathartic moments. Hannah Einbinder as the mousy director tasked with finding a new angle on the trashy Camp Miasma franchise carries an understated energy that becomes harder to contain as her journey to connect with Gillian Anderson’s aging starlet awakens her to the mysteries she could never solve about herself and her obsession with these kinds of movies. The screening of the original Camp Miasma was certainly the highlight for me as it not only captures the absurdity of those movies, but the rose tinted hedonistic joy of watching something you really aren’t supposed to. The boundaries between this movie, that movie, and the mind of our protagonist start to blur, and culminates in a slasher sequence that I would place among the best that any horror movie has produced in the last fifty years. It’s truly revelatory in its simplicity; using very simple techniques to convey an ocean of meaning that left a sizable impression on me and will certainly connect to anyone who spent way too many nights staying up to watch Friday the 13th films.
For me, however, the movie peaks right at this point, and it’s where I feel I no longer become Jane’s target audience. After this, the focus shifts to a more explicitly personal journey through sexuality that’s very well done but it doesn’t feel as brilliantly realized as the rewatch of Camp Miasma with the jaw dropping slasher scene. For me, it’s an issue of framing. Camp Miasma as a vehicle for exploring our dark and embarrassing desires is fascinating and well executed in the first half, whereas Camp Miasma as a metaphor for exploring our dark and embarrassing desires feels a little less coherent; a lot fuzzier around the edges as the ideas seem much more inwardly focused while clashing with the idea of Camp Miasma being a conduit of such things. The effect is a little bit confusing and quite a bit silly once we get to the crescendo in the final act which is very compelling to watch, but in a way that I felt at arm’s length by. Perhaps even this, the movie at its most over-the-top, will still be eminently relatable to a certain audience, and you know what, I’m happy for them! Whatever feelings they’ve been holding close to the chest, I’m glad they have something like this to give it voice and acknowledgement.
Some movies aren’t meant to appeal to everyone and I found myself on both sides of that axiom while watching this movie. The first half is a genuine masterpiece for anyone who has affection and reverence for the trash cinema of our youths, and while the second half doesn’t quite click for me the same way, it’s still abundantly clear that Jane Schoenbrun is speaking from a real place that will touch the hearts of those who have been in the same boat. I’ve enjoyed a lot of movies this year, but few have really stuck with me for long and I’ve found it harder and harder to keep up with the new releases when all of them just kind of blend together. This is the breath of fresh air that I needed, and while it’s not a perfect movie for me, it gets very close and should be the standard by which all elevated horror is measured by going forward. Either that, or get her butt on a proper Jason movie, as I’ve been jonesing for one since 2009! Heck, I’ll accept a sequel to Jason X if that’s what it takes!
The Reviewers Unite 