Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma Movie Review

“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” is a movie with an usual title. It represents a fictional “Camp Miasma” as an old 1980’s “Slasher Film” franchise. This series has spun off so many low-quality sequels that the entire franchise is now toxic. A young hot-shot Director has been given a chance to revive the concept again. She is paired with the now-reclusive lead actress from the first movie — the ‘Final Girl’. Can they raise the dead, and is that a good idea?

“Camp Miasma” was a huge “Slasher’ type hit about 30 years ago. The actress in the ‘Final Girl’ role was Billy Presley (played by Amanda Fix). The movie is shunned nowadays, since it was very transphobic and homophobic. The main killer was a ghost who rises from the lake with a spear. The original boy was killed by his camp buddies after being bullied. Now dead, the spirit fiend is called ‘Little Death’ (played by Jack Haven).

The boy was mixed up about his gender. His parents would dress him as boy one day – then as a girl the next day. The other mean boys would hound him and he drowned in the lake. Now, Little Death rises out of the lake with the deadly spear and his head covered with what looks like an Air Vent. He gets the name — the “Air Vent Slayer”.

Billy played the only survivor from the first movie. She reprised the role for many other sequels. But after a while, she was sick of that character. She retired from acting and became a recluse. The much older Billy Presley (played by Gillian Anderson) now lives alone at the closed summer camp that was used in the first movie for ‘Camp Miasma’. She has not starred in anything since then, and spends her days rewatching the original movie.

A very up-and-coming Director is assigned the task to revive the ‘Camp Miasma’ series. This is Kris Williams (played by Hannah Einbinder) who made a splash in Cannes with her first movie. The film made a splash, but it didn’t make any cash – since the premise was so far-fetched. Her effort was ‘reimagining’ the movie “Psycho”, from the point-of-view of the shower curtain.

Kris knows that the only way to get into the mindset of the original creators of ‘Camp Miasma’ is to meet with Billy Presley. Billy is way off the normal path, far out into the woods. Kris is not certain what outcome might be in store. Everything hinges on Kris and Billy getting along, and getting Billy geared up for a fantastic return to being the Star.

Billy Presley is welcoming to Kris, and they bond over a dinner of fried chicken and junk food. Billy has a very deep Southern accent, one that sounds like it was borrowed from Dolly Parton. Kris Williams is very unassuming and somewhat shy. She has almost a great a love for the original ‘Camp Miasma’ as does Billy. Much of their time is spent just watching Billy’s own personal copy of the movie.

Kris hears from the studio heads and her personal agent (played by Sarah Sherman). They tell her that she is free to reconstruct a new version of ‘Camp Miasma’. Because Kris is gay, the new movie will not have the stigma of the original one. The version Kris will make will not considered transphobic and homophobic. She has total control over the new remake.

But just remember: this has to be ‘elevated horror’, and it must be inclusive and non-judgmental. It has to invoke fear of the murderous “Air Vent Slayer”, but at the same time it will need to respect the perspective and history of the abused ghost. It needs to have a fresh outlook on the mystery, but it will also need to embrace the same amount of death and blood and gore as the original movie. This new one needs to have a totally new cast, but make sure that Billy Presley will have a role in it also.

Yup, Kris will have no interference from the studio at all. Billy scoffs at all of this. She says that the real reason that this movie needs to be made is because ‘he’ is still out there. ‘He’ is still alone at the bottom of the lake. ‘He’ is still hungry, and ‘he’ will need to make a return. Kris is confused. Who is going to return? Of course, Billy is referring to the real “Air Vent Slayer”.

But that is just from a movie, right? Billy knows that the idea abut the killer came from a real story. It was at this same camp in the woods, many years ago. The young boy’s death was unintended. But it brought about a real killer ghost. That reality was captured on the movie screen, in ‘Camp Miasma’. Then in every single sequel and remake and reimagining – the “Air Vent Slayer” will make a return.

Since Billy and Kris seem to be on the same wavelength, they develop a very personal, intimate relationship. Billy has been alone for so very long, it is great relief to here having someone around to share her feelings. Kris was very unsatisfied in her current relationship. Kris and Billy find many things to bond over, such as a love for junk food and the ‘Camp Miasma’ movie.

The new-found love and attraction between Kris and Billy gets the notice of the real  “Air Vent Slayer”. There are a lot of extraneous people who come into the camp area at the last moment. They are around there to check up on Kris and see what progress has been made on the outline of the movie. But should these people not be warned that the actual, real “Air Vent Slayer” is back on the prowl – then there is going to be another major bloodbath and massacre that is going to occur.

It will be an over-the-top killing frenzy, just like in the original movie of ‘Camp Miasma’. History might not repeat itself, but sometimes it rhymes.

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“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” has a definite stamp of the Writer/Director – Jane Schoenbrun. They have a morbid sense of black humor and how to center most topics around gender confusion. There is a large portion of the movie involving gender fluidity, but that is offset by fluids of another type. There is a copious amount of fake blood and guts, mostly to show the over-the-top nature of typical “Slasher” movies.

The background sets look as though they could have borrowed from a near-by Wes Anderson movie. The movie in general meanders between the current day, and back for long portions shown in the original ‘Camp Miasma’ movie.

Gillian Anderson plays Billy as modern-day ‘Norma Desmond’, a formerly famous actress living in isolation. The accent that she chooses is somewhat distracting, since it sounds like any moment she could pop into a Country song. Billy’s experiences, in the original movie, have taught her that the evil “Air Vent Slayer” ghost is real.

Hannah Einbinder plays Kris as a fairly obvious copy of the real Director. Einbinder plays the unproven Director as an intellectual, yet still very naive person who is still unsure of her self. Kris becomes more empowered as she an Billy fall in love, yet she still has no idea of where to take her movie that is to be made.

The overall story has a interesting premise, with the ‘Zombie IP’ of a movie franchise (‘Camp Miasma’) that has been run into the ground. But there so little that this movie wants to do with those ideas. It meanders all over, and when comes to a conclusion — it really doesn’t. The movie goes on and on, and could have used a few tighter edits for the ‘Final Cut’.

“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” takes a long time to get to a point that really remains unclear at the end. Miasma leads to Ennui – a disappointing pathway…