Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

I didn't see We're All Going to the World's Fair and I only saw the first half of I Saw the TV Glow before my projector broke and I basically stopped watching movies at home. I really struggle to enjoy movies on my TV. I need that big projected image. I'm a size queen I guess.

That said, I was very excited for Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. I had no expectations other than that it would be something different what I'd seen before in this genre. The "slasher" genre.

It was certainly that.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is Jane Schoenbrun's dissection of the slasher genre and its place in the context of modern gender and sexual norms.

Full disclosure: I'm a horror fan, but I'm generally not a slasher fan. The formula is boring to me. The whole slasher subgenre feels the least amount of trying a person can do when making a movie, in terms of storytelling and character building. Scream, Halloween, Jason, they're all weak as hell to me. I feel like most slasher movies are basically made of modular interchangeable characters and story beats. There are certainly exceptions to the rule when it comes to my taste for slasher movies, but over all, I'm not really interested.

THAT said, I'm also open to anyone doing something new in horror, and this movie was something new.

What Jane Schoenbrun did was make a movie in a genre about punishing women for being sexual that explores and celebrates female pleasure and sexuality. It did this while taking every part of the slasher genre and giving us a new way to think about it.

I don't know if it's obvious, but I'm still processing this one. It was a lot to take on in one viewing, and I'm already thinking about going to see it again just to make sure I got it all into my brain.

Though there is so much to talk about regarding the various ideas presented in this movie, I don't think enough can be said about the two leads, Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder. They are electric, both individually and especially together.

Also, I want to say, right now, that Hannah Einbinder is about to become my new obsession. She was so likable and relatable in this movie. I wanted to be friends with her character.

Anyway. The way this movie both handles and sugarcoats the subjects it addresses, is profoundly impressive. It's both thoughtful and direct, while never losing sight of the ultimate goal of making a kick ass movie. The ideas about gender, the way modern culture and society treats trans people, and the way horror movies portray women and trans characters. These subjects are presented both thoughtfully, entertainingly, and through a personal lens. There's no doubt, watching this movie, that we're seeing someone's real story being told.

Not just a horror story about a woman who survives a night of mayhem, but a deep exploration of what it means to be a woman in that industry, and in that genre as a character and as a filmmaker.

I'm gonna stop there, because I've decided to go see it again, if I can before it leaves the theater. I'll follow up when I do!