[FrightFest 2025] FILM REVIEW: Marshmallow

Marshmallow - FrightFest UK Premiere Review

Director: Daniel DelPurgatorio

Starring: Kue Lawrence, Giorgia Whingham, Kai Cech, Pierson Fode, Corbin Bernsen

Written by: Andy Greskoviak

Produced by: Warner Davis, Todd M. Friedman

Cinematography by: Filip Vandewal

Original Score by: Nicholas Elert

Synopsis:

When a once-fabled campfire tale becomes real, a group of campers uncover a profound secret that questions their very existence.

Thoughts:

If you think 'Marshmallow' is just another summer camp horror film then you are sadly mistaken. It shares more in common with something like 'Cabin in the Woods' (not monster related) than it does with 'Friday the 13th'. This is an homage to retro horror but its twist, although not executed perfectly, makes it stand out from the rest of the bunch.

Morgan is a shy 12 year old boy who struggles to find friends in his own neighbourhood. This is part of the reason his parents have signed him up to the secluded Camp Almar. Morgan is hesitant but his Grandfather gives him words of wisdom and then he suffers a fatal heart attack and passes away. This felt a bit random but I guess it was there to spur Morgan on.

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Upon arrival at the camp, Morgan experiences the usual stuff that any shy kid experiences; heightened anxiety, social awkwardness, all that good stuff. Camp Almar is secluded for a reason. We're told through the medium of a campfire ghost story that a Doctor used to do wild experiements on kids and when he was caught by his wife he sewed her and his kids together. After making an enemy in a bigger kid called CJ, Morgan eventually makes some friends and he seems to be settling in quite well. And then he sees The Doctor, the mythical killer from years ago. Of course nobody believes him and they all assume it was just another nightmare. But it isn't long before some of the other kids see The Doctor too and all hell breaks loose.

It's difficult to really talk about the film without giving away any spoilery revelations but most of the film centres on Morgan and his state of mind. He is plagued with horrific nightmares where he is drowning, later revealed to be an actual incident that happened to him. So we see lots of nightmarish imagery and the editing is very choppy. A bit of a trope in the horror genre to make everything seem more spooky and interesting. I'm usually not a fan of this type of editing especially if its overused. I think they just about get away with it here.

Nothing much else happens until all the kids see The Doctor. It gets a bit too chaotic and it's difficult to follow, not from a story standpoint but more from a literal standpoint. The main group of kids split off but I was struggling with the bearings of the camp. One of the counsellors is shouting for the kids to get into the mess hall yet Morgan and his friends feel like they need to run off. And I'm not even sure if they heard the counsellor's request. The camp isn't THAT big.

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Although I enjoyed the twist, it doesn't entirely make sense when you think back at how some of the other characters behave. There's one scene that you might guess at least part of the twist and I really wish it wasn't included because when a certain line of dialogue is said it instantly put the thought in my head.

The cast were all fine. I wouldn't say there was any standouts but at a push Kai Cech as Pilar and Giorgia Whingham as Rachel are probably the most memorable. This isn't a slasher so don't expect lots of guts and gore. In fact it's pretty tame which is understandable since the majority of the cast are kids. The Doctor, although intimidating in the darkness, is not your classic slasher killer.

'Marshmallow' is a fun and relatively entertaining watch whose shocking twist doesn't really get fully explained. A great idea but I can't help but feel a little dissatisfied by the end.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Gavin Logan

'Marshmallow' received its UK Premiere at FrightFest '25 on August 23rd