Jane Schoenbrun's Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: The Queer Slasher Hollywood Wouldn't Fund, But Cannes is Premiering
TL;DR: Jane Schoenbrun's bold new film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma—a psychosexual slasher deconstruction starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson—will open the prestigious Un Certain Regard section at Cannes on May 17, 2026. After major studios passed, MUBI and Brad Pitt's Plan B stepped in. U.S. audiences can catch it in MUBI theaters starting August 7, 2026. Get ready.
What is Camp Miasma? Plot, Cast, and Release Details
Three years after I Saw the TV Glow quietly reshaped indie horror, Jane Schoenbrun is back with something louder, bloodier, and honestly, more audacious. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma arrives as the opening film of Un Certain Regard at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, a huge platform for a movie Hollywood initially rejected. This isn't just a film; it's a statement.
Here’s your essential guide to what you need to know about the movie:
- Director: Jane Schoenbrun (nonbinary; We're All Going to the World's Fair, I Saw the TV Glow)
- Runtime: 120 minutes
- U.S. Theatrical Release: August 7, 2026, via MUBI
- Produced by: Plan B Entertainment (Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt)
- Film Score by: Alex G
- Cannes Premiere: May 17, 2026 (Un Certain Regard opening film, with a Queer Palm nomination already under its belt).
The Plot: The Camp Miasma slasher franchise, once a hit, has fallen into a slump of bad sequels and fading interest. Enter Kris (Hannah Einbinder), an enthusiastic young director tasked with bringing it back from the dead. Her mission? To visit Billy (Gillian Anderson), the reclusive original movie star, now living in mystery. But when they meet, Kris isn't just getting plot ideas. She's pulled into a horrifying world of desire, fear, and delirium — a blood-soaked spiral that completely dismantles her original vision for the reboot. That's a good setup for a Schoenbrun film, isn't it?
The Cast:
- Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) as Kris, the queer director hoping to revive the franchise.
- Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, The Crown) as Billy, the original "final girl," now a recluse.
- Jack Haven (I Saw the TV Glow) as Little Death, the franchise's monstrous killer.
- Supporting cast includes Sarah Sherman, Zach Cherry, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Eva Victor, Patrick Fischler, Dylan Baker, and Kevin McDonald.
More Than a Slasher: How Schoenbrun Reclaims the "Monster" Trope
What really strikes me about this film is the genre choice. Schoenbrun didn't just stumble into slasher territory. They grew up on Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream. Then, as they transitioned and studied gender theory, they started seeing those films differently — specifically, the recurring figure of the "trans monster." Think Norman Bates, Buffalo Bill, or even Frankenstein, a body stitched from parts that don't quite belong.
That's an uncomfortable lineage for trans viewers. It's also incredibly rich. Schoenbrun told The Hollywood Reporter that trans people often have "really complicated feelings about those movies"—finding something relatable in those outsider figures, yet also confronting the deeply transphobic framing. Camp Miasma doesn't smooth over that tension. Instead, it weaponizes it.
The film's monster, Little Death—played by the exceptional Jack Haven—is described by Schoenbrun as embodying both the killer and "the hermaphroditic embodiment of the orgasm." That's a phrase you'd never see in a typical studio pitch. And honestly, it's exactly why every major studio said no to this film.
Sure, the slasher genre has been deconstructed before. Scream made a career out of meta-awareness, and The Cabin in the Woods wrote a thesis on horror tropes. But neither of those films operated from the lived experience of gender dysphoria, post-transition sexuality, or the specific psychic weight of only seeing yourself reflected in the villain. Camp Miasma is doing something truly different. Phantasmag's first-look coverage calls it a "queer slasher"—accurate, but maybe a little understated.
Hollywood Said No: How MUBI and Plan B Championed the Film
This film almost didn't get made. Every major studio and distributor passed on it. Every single one. It’s hard to believe, given its pedigree. It was MUBI—the curated arthouse streaming platform—that backed it, alongside Brad Pitt's Plan B. Schoenbrun, who comes from nonprofit and microbudget filmmaking, knew "not to trust that the system will allow me freedom," and structured the project accordingly.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Schoenbrun made one of the most direct statements about the industry's current climate I've heard: "When I look around in our 'post-woke, post-Biden' era, I don't see any other trans artists getting budgets, and that's a fucking shame. I shouldn't be the only one who's making movies at this level of budget." That's not just press-ready hyperbole. It's a stark description of the reality.
The film's Kris character, a queer director trying to revive a franchise while "bashing her head against the highest Zoom rooms of capital"—Schoenbrun's words, not mine—is clearly autobiographical. One scene even recreates a pitch Zoom that Schoenbrun previously described to The New Yorker, loosely based, they say, on "a number of Zoom calls." It's an example of how their art reflects their struggle.
Movie OTT has been tracking MUBI's growing theatrical presence, and this particular release represents one of the platform's biggest swings yet on an American-made film.
From World's Fair to Cannes: Schoenbrun's Vision and Star Cast
Jane Schoenbrun's career is short in years but long on impact. Their debut, We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021), was a micro-budget psychological horror film about an isolated teenager performing internet rituals. Made for almost nothing, it caught the attention of nearly everyone who matters in independent film. Then came I Saw the TV Glow (2024), produced by A24. It expanded the canvas into a surreal, pastel-drenched horror about identity and dissociation, starring Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine. Five Spirit Award nominations. A devoted audience that treated the film like a lifeline.
That's the context for Camp Miasma. Schoenbrun calls it a "natural artistic progression"—moving from the terror of coming out to the new and "more fun terror" of figuring out how to inhabit one's body.
The cast, too, speaks to Schoenbrun's distinctive vision.
- Hannah Einbinder, 29, has been one of television's sharpest comic performers since Hacks launched in 2021, earning two Emmy nominations. Dramatic range at this register is newer territory for her, and by Schoenbrun's account, she brought something irreplaceable: "The reserve of emotional vulnerability that she's able to tap into at a moment's notice—I think only the great actors can do this." Powerful praise.
- Gillian Anderson needs less introduction. The X-Files and Sex Education veteran brings something Schoenbrun compares—unexpectedly—to Jim Carrey. "So funny and strange and a little bit grotesque and a little bit sad." Definitely not your standard horror queen billing.
- Jack Haven, returning from I Saw the TV Glow, is a crucial through-line. This continued collaboration is one the director intends to maintain for the rest of their career.
Watching in India: MUBI Release & What to Expect
Here’s the honest picture for Indian viewers: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a MUBI film, and MUBI operates in India. The platform is available as a standalone subscription and also accessible through Amazon Prime Video as an add-on channel in select regions. If MUBI India follows its typical pattern—theatrical-to-streaming windows usually run between four to eight weeks for arthouse releases—Indian subscribers could expect the film to arrive on the platform sometime in September or October 2026, following its August 7 theatrical debut.
That said, no official India streaming date has been confirmed as of this writing. Hard to say if a dubbed version will be available; MUBI India generally releases international arthouse films in their original language with subtitles. So, English-language viewers will have no barrier, but regional-language audiences may need to rely on subtitles.
What’s worth noting for Indian horror fans, specifically: the slasher genre has been gaining traction with Indian OTT audiences through international titles on Netflix and Prime. Films like Ready or Not (2019) and the recent Scream reboots have built real viewership on streaming. Camp Miasma arrives with Cannes credibility, two Emmy-winning leads (Einbinder for Hacks; Anderson for The Crown), and the kind of word-of-mouth that tends to travel.
Movie OTT's where-to-watch tracker will update India-specific streaming availability as MUBI confirms regional release windows. Bookmark it if you don't want to miss the drop.
After Cannes: Your August 7th Release Date, and Why It Matters
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma makes its global debut opening Un Certain Regard on May 17, 2026. This is Schoenbrun's first trip to Cannes. The Queer Palm nomination adds a competitive edge to an already high-profile slot. Expect significant critical coverage out of the festival, shaping the conversation as the theatrical run approaches.
August 7, 2026 is the date U.S. audiences get to see it in MUBI theaters. International rollout details are still being confirmed, but we'll be watching. The film runs 120 minutes. For the latest confirmed streaming availability across all regions—including when and whether it lands on MUBI India, or any secondary platform deals that emerge—Movie OTT will have the current picture as announcements come in. Schoenbrun says flatly: "I think this movie will be a hit." After I Saw the TV Glow, betting against them feels unwise.
