Jane Schoenbrun (“I Saw the TV Glow”) has cast Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”) and Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files”) in the lead roles of “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.” MUBI has also boarded the film, which is scheduled to begin filming on May 12.
A quick note, earlier this week, I was told the title might have changed to “A Bad Day at Camp Tivoli,” but I couldn’t confirm it with MUBI, and so we’ll just have to leave it at that until, and if, we get any sort of confirmation.
Schoenbrun’s latest centers on the revival of the notorious ‘Camp Miasma’ slasher series. This time, however, the story takes a darker turn when the new director develops an intense fixation on the enigmatic actress who originally portrayed the “final girl.” As the obsession deepens, the two women descend into a frenzy of psychosexual mania.
“I make movies I wish existed when I was a kid,” Schoenbrun said in a statement, “and this film is my best attempt at the “sleepover classic”: an insane yet cozy midnight odyssey that beckons to unsuspecting viewers from the horror section at the local video store. I couldn’t be more excited to be heading to sleepaway camp this summer with the mad comic genius Hannah Einbinder, the legendary Gillian Anderson, and the daring folks at MUBI and Plan B, who by greenlighting this movie have summoned a plague-like flood of blood, guts, and various other fluids to rain down on us all.”
Schoenbrun had previously told Filmmaker Magazine that the film would “both honor and critique” the “gender deviance” connected with the serial killer genre, exploring how films “created and codified an idea of transness as monstrous.” The filmmaker has additionally described the film as “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” set in a “Friday the 13th sequel.”
“I Saw the TV Glow” grossed $4M at the domestic box office — its budget was said to be around $5M. The film was showered with rave reviews; Hell, even Martin Scorsese heaped praise on it, calling ‘TV Glow’ “emotionally and psychologically powerful.”
After only two films, Schoenbrun’s artistic focus is already unmistakable: exploring how young people navigate identity in a hyper-connected, digital world. Following “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” and “I Saw the TV Glow,” Schoenbrun will once again delve into the overwhelming influence of media and the hypnotic power of images on the youth.
The ‘Smile’ franchise has a new director. David Bruckner, who made “The Night House” and the 2022 “Hellraiser” reboot, has been hired to direct “Smile 3” for Paramount.