Marshmallow

The ending for this movie should've happened about 30 minutes in and then it could've been interesting. We could've seen the terrible side effects of their experiment.

Instead, we get 75 minutes of build up for 15 minutes of pay off.

Overall, a very good idea that was squandered in the execution.

The atmosphere and characters were well developed. But their full potential never realizzed.

The writers and directors should go back to the drawing board and rewrite the entire movie using the final scene as the jumping off point about 30 minutes into the story.

Only then would they have something truly worth watching.

I recently watched Marshmallow (2025) in theaters. The story follows a socially awkward young man who isn't thrilled about returning to summer camp-but hopes it might help him make some friends. Soon after arriving, he starts noticing strange things happening, and violent acts begin to unfold. It quickly becomes clear that something is off about camp this year. Could it all be connected to the traditional campfire story they always tell?

The film is directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio, making his directorial debut, and stars Kue Lawrence (Good Girls), Giorgia Whigham (The Punisher), Corbin Bernsen (Major League I & II), Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black), and Miya Cech (Beef).

For fans of 80s summer camp slashers, this is a modern twist on the genre-with a Cabin in the Woods vibe and even some science fiction elements thrown in. The acting is strong across the board, and the cinematography stands out. The practical effects are especially impressive-classic, straightforward gore that fits the genre perfectly and is executed with precision.

The plot maintains a steady sense of mystery, though the final reveal might be easier to guess than the director intended. That said, I really liked the direction the story took. I just wish they had shown a bit more at the end, especially after teasing us with such solid effects throughout.

In conclusion, Marshmallow isn't perfect, but it's clever, stylish, and a refreshing modern entry in the summer camp slasher subgenre. I'd rate it a 6.5-7/10 and strongly recommend it to horror fans.

Even though I keep up really well with recent horror releases, Marshmallow completely passed me by without me noticing it. The premise sounded interesting and the poster looked intriguing, which was enough for me to give it a try.

We have the typical summer camp setting with a young boy who is fearful and shy. After making a few friends and encountering a mean bully, he and the other kids are told a horror story about an evil doctor who used to live in the area. After that, the young boy becomes even more frightened, and his constant visions and the voices in his head aren't making things any better.

The movie really takes its time with character development, and even though I enjoyed the characters and love the summer camp setting, it became a little boring after a while. Once the pacing picks up, the film definitely shifts in tone, but something about it feels off and not very well executed. It was too tame for a slasher and too generic for the "sci-fi" label it has on IMDb.

At some point, we are introduced to a plot twist that definitely got me excited, but the movie never really does anything with it. We get a final scene that looks pretty interesting and made me want to see more, which should be a good sign in theory. However, this movie just felt like wasted potential. That plot twist and the last scene should have happened much earlier and led into a final act that could have made the movie far more engaging.

As a standalone film, it felt disappointing and overall unsatisfying. The movie was stylish and had a soundtrack reminiscent of Stranger Things, and that, combined with the summer camp setting, created a nice atmosphere. However, the script was definitely an issue, focusing too much on boring elements instead of developing what is shown in the final scene.

Overall, it's not a terrible movie, but I couldn't help leaving it with an unsatisfied feeling. I'm still curious to see if they plan to continue this story, but until then, this was average at best. It would have worked great as a pilot episode for a new TV series, but definitely not as a standalone movie. [5.2/10]

I loved the ideas in this movie, as far fetched as some of them are. The film seems tightly wound for a while, and too serious, and then kind of comes apart and there's execution issues all over it. Was it a good time though? Yes. Are the ideas great sci-fi? Yeah, I think it was innovative and a really fun late night watch. Points for entertainment and innovation and that has to mean something when so many movies are made today simply to put on in the background when you doom scroll and fold your clothes. If you're into science fiction and interesting indie filmmaking then you should give this a watch.

I suppose the overall story of this movie is good. The problem for me is that it takes way too long to get to the point. Storywise, nothing really interesting happens until the second half of the movie. The first half is boring. If the first half were cut out, the second half might actually be good as a short film. I think Marshmallow would've been so much better if the last scene of the movie was the focus of the story. To me, the last 10 minutes of the movie were the best part but not enough to recommend it. I give this movie a 5.4 so I'll round down to 5. I guess it wasnt terrible. Overall it was just boring.