“Speaking of desire…do you like dipping sauce?”

Story: Kris, a queer filmmaker eager to reboot the 80s slasher series Camp Miasma, decides to meet Billy Presley, the actress who played the final girl in the first film. But when they meet, discussion turns to horror, sex, and the intersection between the two. Is the fact that Billy lives at the camp that was the filming location for the first film starting to warp Kris’ reality? Or is there something more to that film series that’s affecting them both?

Genre I’d put it in: Surreal Coming-of-age Horrors
Release Date: 2026
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Wildly original

Gotta say: When I saw the trailer for Miasma, I got big Final Girls energy. Then when I realized the director had done I Saw the TV Glow and We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, I knew I was headed for a trippy time. And Miasma had me in a consensual choke hold. Did I understand everything that was going on? No. Did that make any difference to me at all? Also no.

As with Girls, Miasma has an extremely surrealistic feel. Both films focus on the idea of horror films becoming reality. But while both are campy fun, Miasma veers toward how horror films – specifically 80s slashers – can awaken a kind of sensuality in viewers. Most especially, the scene from Friday the 13th Part 2, where a couple mid-coitus are skewered by Jason and his big spear. Freud is holding on line one, y’all. (BTW, that scene in 2 is itself a homage to Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood. Horror-ception!) This is the kind of surrealism that’ll settle into your brain after time gives you a chance to figure out WTF you just watched. I want to watch this again, just to try and absorb all the tidbits I missed. Like, Kris is extremely focused on junk food, candy especially. So junk food wrappers are present in ways that have nothing to do with consumption. Well, not consumption of food, anyway.

Writer/director Jane Schoenbrun mixes various genres and tropes together to portray the confusion and fear Kris feels – and Billy felt – about sex and intimacy. Hannah Einbinder portrays Kris as someone who’s quietly detached, looking at the world as if through a lens, rather than experiencing her life physically. I was put off by Einbinder’s performance at first; her Kris is so numb to everything (except candy) that she was off-putting. But as an echo of the experience of feeling uncomfortable in your own body, she nails it expertly. Schoenbrun has said Miasma is about “about learning to enjoy sex after transition….[and how] having good sex in the wrong body was impossible.” That’s quietly shown in the way both Kris (relatively new to Camp Miasma) and Billy (a seasoned veteran played by the amazing Gillian Anderson) come across to each other, and how they hold space in the world. It’s actually freaking brilliant.

As much as I was amazed by Fair and Glow, for me, Miasma is the most accessible of Schoenbrun’s stories. I don’t know if that’s because she’s dumbed it down for lunk-heads like me, or that she’s grown as a storyteller. Both? Perhaps both. The art direction is excellent as well; painted backdrops are cotton candy colored woods, obvious in their Bob Ross-ness. The cinematography blends sharply focused HD with grainy VHS-tape vibes, switching from one to the other, and then blending into something wholly it’s own as the Kris becomes pulled into Billy and Miasma’s reality. Then there’s the over-the-top gore, with the series’ killer Little Death causing literal geysers of blood when they decapitate someone. Bodies crumple to the ground like empty trash bags, as if they were simply blood transportation devices. If you’ve got friends who are interested in the queerness of this film, but are shying away due to the genre? They’ll most likely be just fine with this hilariously too much interpretation of 80s slashers.

Then there’s the sex. The camera focuses on faces and emotions, rather than the nitty-gritty of the act. It’s still intimate, and even hot (because hello, Gillian Anderson), but Kris’ character arc isn’t about Kris getting some. It’s about how she can finally allow herself to enjoy what she wants. There’s a sweetness to it, even when what turns our characters on focuses on the grotesque. Miasma allows, it accepts, and it doesn’t judge. And I dig that. Plus? Miasma has finally made me a fan of the overly sappy “Always and Forever”, with it’s final scene. But honestly? The entire soundtrack slaps.

While the film focuses on Kris and Billy, the supporting cast is filled with faces you’ll recognize. Sarah Sherman plays Kris’ Agent, Jasmin Savoy Brown plays Kris’ polycule partner Mari, Boys in the Hall‘s Kevin McDonald plays the local sheriff, and Mullholland Drive‘s Patrick Fischler plays the small town’s Crazy Ralph. They’re all awesome, though since I’m a Hall fan, I’ve gotta give my shout-out to McDonald. This cast gives the story the levity the subject matter needs, adding a fun comedic feel to the surreal goings-on. Miasma may play fast and loose with it’s reality, but the vibe is immaculate.

While Miasma is currently playing in theaters, this MUBI produced film would play well with other surreal horrors. Yes, Schoenbrun’s other films would work, but I’d go with a triple feature of Climax, Miasma, and Final Girls. This trifecta goes from bonkers to camp to self-aware satirical fun, but I think it works. Don’t forget your fried chicken, dipping sauces, Doritos, and chewy SweeTarts.

#Protip: Let’s not forget what Little Death stands for, my fellow lit nerds. But I still want that cute little wind-up Little Death action figure from the title credits. So cute. So perfect for this film. And my bookshelf.