Marshmallow(2025)(Review) - Gruesome Gazette

As we hit the very center of summer, it’s an exciting time to catch up on all those camping, swimming, and travelling films. After all, this is the time of year when most people like to get together with family and friends and have some sort of venture together. So over the weekend, I decided to check out a new summer camp film titled ‘Marshmallow’ – and I was not prepared.

Morgan is a quiet boy who struggles to make friends. But this summer, his family is making him attend a children’s summer camp. His anxiety is fueled by nightmares he constantly has and the bullies that live on the street with him. What doesn’t help matters is that his parents signed him up to be bunkmates with one of those bullies. But Morgan gives it the old fashioned try, and has a very rocky start.

He makes a few friends who are genuinely good kids, but he’s constantly being bullied, laughed at for his fears, and has a tough time even getting the camp counselors to be on his side. And during the inaugural night, the counselors tell the camp’s infamous campfire story about a mad doctor – and when Morgan begins to see him in his nightmares, even his friends have trouble taking him seriously.

However, this film seriously threw me for a loop. At the halfway point, the film takes a very sharp turn that I not only didn’t expect, but I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The entire first half plays out like a traditional teen summer camp drama, but once we hit the halfway point everything goes out the fucking window.

It’s a film that’s mostly centered around kids, giving it almost like a ‘Sleepaway Camp’ sort of vibe, and it’s played by some very engrossing actors (including a very pleasant appearance by one of the Broken Lizard team members). The setting is rich enough that you can smell the pine needles, you can hear kids laughter around every corner doing random activities, and the drama we encounter is very nuanced and real for what children would be experiencing. But I’m certainly not the first person to say that this film was the biggest surprise of the year for me so far.

It’s not only beautifully shot, acted, and designed, but the story itself is extremely smart. In writing, the best thing you can do is make your audience constantly ask “what’s going to happen next?” and this film delivers that endlessly. Even when I was taking guesses at what was going to happen, who was responsible, etc., even I had a point where I just dropped my jaw and threw my hands on my head – staring in disbelief. Oh, and don’t even get me started on how amazing the soundtrack is. It has that 80s-esque synthesizer that is a cross between melancholic and aggressive – dropping stings and bass drops at moments that don’t seem like anything in the moment, which makes you perk your ears up and become weary of what’s going on around you. I want this on vinyl pronto.

While the film isn’t exactly scary or violent, it never makes it seem like that’s the point of it. It has very tense moments, some very visceral moments, and some haunting moments sprinkled on top of the sweetness underneath. It’s like a visual s’mores sandwich – a combination of sweet & savory that’s best served warm and shared with friends. It’s an overall fun experience that delivers twists and turns in equal proportions after setting up a very believable and rich world to play in.

You will 100% be seeing this film on my ‘end of the year’ list. My only advice to everyone is go in with an open mind. Have no expectations, just enjoy the experience.

5/5

“Marshmallow” is currently available on VOD services.

‘Til Next Time,
Mike Cleopatra