Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (spoilers)
Have any of you seen this movie yet? I am desperate to debrief with someone about it.
Camp Miasma captures perfectly, in my opinion, what erotic pleasure looks like for me as an asexual. First and foremost, Kris, the protagonist, experiences immense pleasure from non-sexual acts. Fried chicken and gummy candy are featured early on as sources of non-sexual pleasure, as is Kris’ obsession with the horror genre and specifically the camp-y slasher movie “Camp Miasma.” I couldn’t help but think of how the ace community has embraced garlic bread, cake, etc… as symbols because we derive pleasure from so many parts of life that allos take for granted.
I am so shocked that more people aren’t talking about this movie through an asexual lens because there were so many moments that echoed my own struggles and experiences. Kris struggles with self-hatred over her difficulties with partnered sex and feels shame that her “sexual” fantasies aren’t sexual in nature at all, but instead involve the desire to experience the thrill of running for her life as the final girl in a slasher movie.
She develops a romantic and sexual relationship with Billy, the star of the original “Camp Miasma” movie. They bond over their love of the film as well as their difficulties with sex (imo due to both experiencing compulsory sexuality that made them feel like they “had” to have sex “to be normal”— this has resulted in Billy becoming a recluse to resist further compulsory sexuality pressure after a sexually traumatic experience and Kris agreeing to a relationship structure she doesn’t want because she doesn’t feel like she could be “enough” for a partner due to her issues with sex). During these vulnerable conversations, Billy shares with Kris that she has figured out how to orgasm during partnered sex through disembodiment. She pictures herself as the final girl, killer, and audience of “Camp Miasma,” letting the fantasy play out like a movie with cuts to various POVs. The disembodied fantasy helps her become aroused enough to orgasm— it’s so aego coded (!), but I haven’t been able to find any articles or reviews interpreting it that way.
I felt so seen by Billy’s affirming and understanding response to Kris’ confession about their insecurities around sex and their unconventional fantasies. The movie even represents the question of “why” in an ace-affirming way— it acknowledges that sexual trauma, gender dysphoria, or internalized homophobia may have contributed to the lack of sexual attraction that the characters experience, but that is never expressed in a way that diminishes or invalidates their present experience of asexuality. It is also never presented as something to be fixed or changed. It just ~is~ and the conclusion is a self-accepting resolve to embrace who they are even if it doesn’t make sense to the allonormative world around them. They will experience joy and pleasure and eroticism in every and any form imaginable, whether it be through eating saucy fried chicken, buying every gummy candy product in existence, re-watching their special interest movie numerous times, immersing themselves in their art, or role playing their kinky slasher fantasies. All of these moments of pleasure are erotic but none of them cater to allosexual norms.
The film ends with the characters embracing the kinky sensuality/eroticism that works for them, whether it be through cuddling atop a bed of candy wrappers or soaked in blood after slasher role play. I left the theater thinking “this movie is horny in the most asexual way possible.” It captures perfectly what it feels like to enjoy sex as a concept, to even experience arousal and a desire to orgasm, but having that sexuality be “self-contained” (to quote the asexual manifesto) rather than tied to a specific sexual act or sexual attraction to a specific person.
Since I realized I was asexual, I’ve really struggled to accept myself. I’ve felt rejected and misunderstood in ways I’ll be healing from for a long time. This movie reminded me that being ace is cool as fuck because anything can be erotic when you aren’t limited by something as mundane as sexual attraction.
Anyway, I’d highly recommend this movie! It was excellent. I’d also love to hear if anyone else had similar thoughts/reactions to viewing the movie from an ace perspective.