Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: Anderson and Einbinder Lead New Queer Horror Film

A new queer horror film pairing Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder has arrived in UK cinemas after already making an impact on the international festival circuit.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma opened in the UK on 21 August 2026. Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, the 112 minute horror, romance and thriller blends classic summer camp slasher imagery with a story about sexuality, identity and two women becoming increasingly fascinated by each other.

What is Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma about?

Hannah plays Kris, a young queer filmmaker handed the task of reviving the fading fictional Camp Miasma horror franchise. Her attention soon turns to Billy Presley, played by Gillian, the reclusive actress who survived the original film as its famous final girl.

Kris travels to meet Billy and their professional relationship develops into something much more complicated. Desire, filmmaking, horror and personal discovery begin to overlap as the film plays with the familiar rules of the slasher genre rather than simply recreating them.

The supporting cast includes Patrick Fischler, Zach Cherry, Jack Haven, Amanda Fix, Arthur Conti, Eva Victor, Sarah Sherman, Dylan Baker, Kevin McDonald and Quintessa Swindell.

LGBTQ+ representation at the centre

The queer relationship between Kris and Billy is central rather than incidental to the story. Jane has also spoken about drawing on their own experiences of gender transition while making the film and using horror to explore identity, sexuality and self acceptance.

That approach was recognised at Cannes, where the film opened the Un Certain Regard section in May and went on to win the 2026 Queer Palm. The Queer Palm jury praised its reclaiming of horror from traditional heteronormative conventions and its focus on two women finding a new relationship with their sexuality.

Where was Camp Miasma filmed?

Much of the film was shot on Vancouver Island in Canada. Camps Barnard and Pringle were combined on screen to create the central camp, while a lakeside cabin near Lake Cowichan became Billy’s secluded home.

Additional production took place on a Vancouver soundstage, where some of the film’s more surreal environments were constructed.

Reviews and audience reaction

Early critical reception has been particularly strong. Rotten Tomatoes currently records a 95 percent critics score from more than 220 reviews, alongside an 80 percent verified audience score.

IMDb currently gives the film 6.9 out of 10 from around 600 ratings, although that figure is likely to change as the UK release reaches more viewers. Reviews have particularly highlighted the performances from Gillian and Hannah, their chemistry and the film’s unusual mixture of horror, humour, sexuality and emotional intimacy.

Where can UK viewers watch it?

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is currently showing in selected UK cinemas following its 21 August release and carries a BBFC 15 certificate. MUBI is distributing the film in the UK and has also classified it for future home entertainment and streaming release, although a confirmed UK streaming date has not yet been announced.

Why this matters

Queer horror has become an increasingly visible part of LGBTQ+ cinema, but Camp Miasma goes further by placing queer female desire and a trans filmmaker’s perspective at the centre of a major genre production.

Winning the Queer Palm and securing a UK cinema release gives that storytelling a platform beyond specialist LGBTQ+ festivals. It also shows that queer stories can sit comfortably inside horror, romance, comedy and mainstream genre filmmaking without their LGBTQ+ identity needing to be pushed into the background.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is in selected UK cinemas now. Keep checking SoapLandTV.co.uk for more LGBTQ+ film, television, culture and entertainment coverage.

Sources: MUBI, Festival de Cannes, Queer Palm, BBFC, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and production location reporting. (MUBI)