With Jane Schoenbrun's latest film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, currently making waves in theaters, it's a fitting moment to look back at the film that started their feature career: We're All Going to the World's Fair. The Verge revisited the 2021 debut this week, offering creators and indie film fans a timely reminder of why Schoenbrun has become one of the most talked-about voices in contemporary horror.

We're All Going to the World's Fair premiered at Sundance in 2021, where it quickly found admirers. The Verge's writer describes falling in love with the film at that first festival screening — an early signal of the critical momentum that would carry Schoenbrun to bigger projects and wider audiences.

The film is framed as an intimate coming-of-age horror story, a blend that has become something of a signature for Schoenbrun. Rather than relying on conventional scares, the film draws its power from atmosphere and emotional interiority — qualities that have resonated strongly with younger audiences raised on internet-native storytelling.

For content creators, Schoenbrun's trajectory offers a compelling case study in building a distinctive voice within a niche. Starting with a low-budget, internet-culture-inflected horror debut, Schoenbrun parlayed festival acclaim into a growing profile, culminating in a new theatrical release that's drawing attention right now. It's a reminder that authenticity and a clear creative identity can be more valuable than big budgets.

The timing of this retrospective piece also highlights how back catalogs gain new life when a creator releases fresh work. As Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma plays in theaters, renewed interest in Schoenbrun's earlier films illustrates how modern audiences discover artists through their full body of work — a dynamic familiar to any creator whose older videos or posts resurface after a breakout moment.

Whether you're a filmmaker, video essayist, or simply a fan of genre-bending horror, We're All Going to the World's Fair remains essential viewing — and a window into the sensibility behind one of indie horror's most exciting careers.