Tags:
Film: Marshmallow
Year: 2025
Director: Daniel DelPugatorio
Writer: Andy Greskoviak
Starring: Kue Lawrence, Pierson Fode and Miya Chech
Review:
This is a film that I heard about through podcasts. I know my buddy Aaron did an interview and recommended this on the Dreadcast. It went on a list of ones to check out for the year. With this being one of the highest rated that I hadn’t seen yet, I decided to move it up for my round up of 2025 horror films.
Synopsis: when a once-fabled campfire tale becomes real, a group of campers uncover a profound secret that questions their very existence.
We start this with seeing a nightmare for a boy named Morgan (Kue Lawrence). The room is flooded and we see that his chest is spraying out water. This boy has moved with his parents, played by Alysia Reiner and Todd M. Friedman. He tries to make friends with a group of boys across the street. They make fun of him before leaving. His grandfather, Roy (Corbin Bernsen), saw this. He gives him a Swiss army knife at dinner.
Now Morgan is nervous as he’s going to summer camp. This place is run by Hugh Collins (Paul Soter). He has counselors working for him, who are Rachel (Giorgia Whigham), Kaszwar (Pierson Fode), Laurie (Samantha Neyland Trumbo), Avery (Geoffrey James) and Franklin (Maxwell Whittington-Cooper). Morgan struggles making friends and his parents tell him that he’ll be bunking with CJ (Sutton Johnston), who is the son of a family friend. The problem is that Morgan doesn’t like him. We see why and it is because CJ is a bully.
Morgan is dropped off and soon after befriends Pilar (Kai Cech). He also feels kinship with Dirk (Max Malas) who Kaszwar makes fun of. Dirk is called Doink the Oink. He does introduce Morgan to his bunkmates, Raj (Winston Vengapally) and Sam (Dylan Friedman).
Things don’t go smoothly for our lead. He gets bullied and mocked for not doing the swim test. He also gets spooked by a scary story told by the counselors. This version has a doctor who killed his family and others in the area before it was turned into a camp. Morgan also almost drowns when CJ pushes him in the water. Raj comes to his friend’s aid and gets pummeled by CJ. There is also something not quite right around here. Morgan thinks he sees the Doctor. He might be right as the night he’s recovering turns into a nightmare they’ll never forget, or will they?
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is by saying that the best part of this film is playing with familiar settings and troupes, while doing something different. I would have never predicted where this film goes. What I’ll say is that it makes sense that one of the genres is sci-fi. I’m going to avoid spoilers as this is one that you should come in as blind as you can.
Now that I have that set up, I’ll say that I do love using summer camp as a setting. My initial thoughts were that this would be a slasher film. We do get elements of that. It also plays with expectations by giving this urban legend about this killer known as the Doctor. Then you have Morgan seeing someone fitting that description. There are other elements that get introduced as we go that I think help to develop and explain truly what is happening the deeper into the story that we get
I’m going to shift gears here and talk about Morgan. What is interesting is that this feels similar to Sleepaway Camp in that Morgan is quiet and struggles to make friends. There is a secret that is harbored, but not in the same way in the slightest. Having Morgan being away from his family makes him sad. He is isolated at first. I’m glad that he does make friends though, including Dirk, Pilar and Raj. Lawrence does well at being this kid who wants to fit in, but just struggles so credit there.
Where I’ll then go requires me to tread lightly. Morgan suspects CJ is "off" before he and Raj are attacked. CJ is notably aggressive, but he seems like that from the start. A late reveal, which provides a gut-punch ending but seems underdeveloped and implausible given the character's changed behavior, doesn't significantly advance the plot. The large number of children ending up here also seems implausible due to resource constraints, though this is a minor issue for the film.
Then just other themes to include would be the weight of trauma. We see that almost every night Morgan has dreams of drowning. His grandfather also shows up in these as we go on. The loss of innocence is another element. There is the idea of adults gaslighting children for their own good. That also feels like coping with fear. Then I’ll end out by just saying we get the ethics of control and dealing with reality, avoiding growth.
Let’s then go over to the acting performances. Lawrence is a strong lead, and his character growth is effective. Malas, Cech, Vengapally, and Friedman are a good "found family" through friendship. Soter is solid as the guy who runs the camp and his delivery of lines worked, along with Fode, Whigham, James, Trumbo, and Whittington-Cooper as counselors. The latter’s character is the most human, which works well. Bernsen is a solid grandfather figure, rounding out the necessary cast along with Reiner and Friedman.
All that is left then would be filmmaking aspects. I did think that the cinematography and framing worked to capture the isolated setting of camp. The night where things went off the rails worked. The nightmare sequences were solid, especially when the reveal of the truth. I thought it hid things well and progressed the story to make sense. We are limited on the effects used, but it also doesn’t need it. The blood and aftereffects were solid. The sound design and the music also helped build the atmosphere.
In conclusion, this is a highly effective genre blend that excels by subverting expectations associated with the summer camp setting. Starting as a slasher, Marshmallow quickly shifts into a nuanced sci-fi horror exploring trauma, control, and isolation. Lawrence's strong central performance, supported by a believable ensemble, makes the film feel both familiar and original. Though some late-stage elements are underdeveloped, solid direction, atmospheric cinematography, and a satisfying thematic payoff make it a compelling and highly recommended watch for horror fans seeking something different in 2025.
My Rating: 7 out of 10