Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: A Queer Slasher Reimagined

(2026) is the latest feature from trans filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun. The movie revives the fictional “Camp Miasma” slasher franchise, positioning queer director Kris (Hannah Einbinder) to helm a new installment. Kris partners with the original “final girl,” Billy Presley, to confront the killer, Little Death (Jack Haven). The film premiered in New York City in early August 2026 and earned the Queer Palm at Cannes.

Metro Weekly

Schoenbrun uses the slasher framework to explore post-transition sexuality and the tension between danger and safety. She notes that the genre’s “DNA” intertwines fear, desire, gender and normativity, allowing trauma to be examined. Candy and junk food appear as “safe” props that let characters—and audiences—pause a frightening moment and “just eat some gummies” to reset.

Deadline Hollywood

Hannah Einbinder portrays Kris, a queer filmmaker who is both an academic “prude” and a passionate creator. Gillian Anderson appears as the reclusive Billy Presley, the original “final girl” who now lives on the abandoned camp property. Jack Haven embodies Little Death, an avatar of dissociation modeled after trans-phobic slasher villains.

CNN

A discrepancy exists in reporting the teenage character Billy. Deadline identifies Billy Presley as the adult actress played by Gillian Anderson, while CNN describes a teenage Billy, portrayed by Amanda Fix, who experiences her first sexual encounter in the film. Both accounts agree the character serves as a catalyst for Kris’s exploration of intimacy, but the casting details remain unresolved.

CNN

Critics have highlighted the film’s blend of horror homage and queer intimacy. The Queer Palm award at Cannes underscores its resonance within LGBTQ+ cinema circles.

Metro Weekly

The director argues that fiction and reality “echo off each other,” suggesting that cultural norms depicted in horror can both inspire and liberate audiences.

Deadline Hollywood

• “There is this idea that if it gets too real, you can turn it off, that you’re exploring something dangerous, doing it in a way that’s actually safe,” — Jane Schoenbrun, director

Deadline Hollywood

• Casting of Billy: Deadline reports Billy Presley as an adult character played by Gillian Anderson, whereas CNN identifies a teenage Billy portrayed by Amanda Fix who experiences her first sexual encounter. The sources do not clarify whether the film features both an adult and a teenage version of the character or if the discrepancy reflects differing interpretations.

CNN

• Genre Classification: Indiewire describes the film as “more than a simple slasher,” emphasizing its homage to 1980s horror, while Deadline and CNN focus on its slasher framework as a vehicle for queer storytelling. The extent to which the film is positioned as a horror-comedy versus a serious erotic thriller remains ambiguous.

Deadline Hollywood