"Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma" Movie Review

With their previous movie, I Saw the TV Glow, Jane Stromberg showed the impact that a cult television series could have on someone.

And now with their newest movie, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, they explore the effect of 80s slasher films, and from the opening titles, I was completely hooked into the satire on the horror film industry.

Stromberg approaches this story with the assumption the audience will be familiar with these references, and then plays into that in so many funny and creative ways.

And much like their previous film, it digs into our relationship with art, and why we find ourselves gravitating towards certain work.

The movie seems to exist in its own world parallel to our own, particularly with how it tells us the backstory of this slasher franchise.

Anyone familiar with series like Friday the 13th and The Nightmare on Elm Street will recognize what the in-universe Camp Miasma franchise is paying homage to, and the attention to detail with depicting its history is incredibly well done.

There are so many clever little touches that play into our knowledge of the genre.

Even casting Kevin MacDonald as a hotel clerk is saying a lot about the way filmmakers approached horror in the 80s.

Then there are the conversations that horror director Chris has with CEO executives and her agent, which provide some of the funniest moments in the movie.

Through its satire, the film addresses the modern perception of these movies and the aspects that invite a certain conversation through a modern lens.

Camp Miasma is celebrating the impact these films have on pop culture while also smartly addressing some of the messages they may have implanted.

However, it does in a way that's thoughtful rather than grating.

Then there are the scenes we actually see of the 80s movie Chris' remaking, which perfectly recreate that period in horror filmmaking.

There's also a moment that flips things by depicting a typical slasher scene through the villain's point of view, which provides one of the highlights.