Marshmallow is an original take on a summer camp slasher with lots of twists and turns.

It stars Kue Lawrence, Kai Cech, Max Malas, Giorgia Whigham, Paul Soter and was directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio. Written by Andy Greskoviak, music by Nicholas Elert and cinematography by Filip Vandal. 

Duration: 93 minutes.

Plot

Morgan doesn’t  have any fiends and when he tries to play outside with a couple of boys they call him freak and leave. When his grandfather suddenly dies from a heart attack at the dinner table, Morgan also loses his best friend. He suffers from nightmares about drowning that only get worse. His parents think it’s good for him to go to a summer camp where he can make friends. CJ the son of his father’s colleague is also going, but he is a bully. Morgan doesn’t want to go and to make matters worse he also has to share his cabin with CJ who immediately has it in for him.

Luckily Morgan also make some friends. Together with Pilar, Dirk, Raj, Sam and Caroline they listen to the bonfire ghost tale of the Doctor who lived in a cabin, before it was a summer camp, and butchered up people only to stick them back together. 

When at night Morgan wakes up from a nightmare he has to go to the bathroom. When he gets back he sees the Doctor from the scary story outside his cabin. Maybe the story was real, although his friends don’t believe him. Nor does the staff. But soon they all find out that the Doctor is very much real but he isn’t at all what the scary story wants them to believe he is. 

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Short Review

It’s an original and creative film that uses surreal imagery, a mystery, a summer camp vibe and everything that comes with it like making friends, swimming, bullies, your first crush, and mysterious happenings during the night. But it’s also a story about trauma. And grief and feeling that you don’t belong. It works with a lot of ingredients and uses atmospheric music that reminds of Stranger Things and surreal nightmarish scenes, that all blend together in a surprising mix that keeps you on your toes.

The coming-of-age story creates a mystery about what happened to Morgan and what is happening at the camp and it’s filled with twists and turns that in the end will explain everything. 

Although it is set in our time it still has that eighties summer camp vibe going on. It has a very nostalgic feel about it. The counselors are either nice and understanding or used to be bullies. They are even dressed like it’s still the eighties, and also act like it. It all feels very much familiar, but appearances are deceptive. 

The campers themselves are also very familiar. Morgan is a shy guy with a trauma who can’t swim, due to his trauma. Pilar is an outgoing girl who takes him under her wing. Dirk, Sam and Raj are also boys that get picked on even by a camp counselor. And then there’s CJ who’s a bully who get every aggressive. 

The camp story about the Doctor is a great story to keep the kids from roaming outside their cabins at night, but there might be some truth to that story. And eventually it will cause a lot of chaos, panic and a slasher-vibe situation. 

And lastly Morgan’s nightmares are a big part of the story, but you will figure that out much later. These scenes are surreal and ominous and the cinematography, the use of colors and music create a unique and creative atmosphere. At first it feels a bit off and strange and you can’t make sense of what he’s dreaming or why, but it all becomes clear at the end.

The film starts out as a horror movie, where you think it’s going to be a summer camp slasher. Then it turns out very differently and becomes a science fiction film with heavy themes like trauma and grief. But at the end you are in for another great twist that eventually makes this film a real horror film. 

It’s therefore better to not know very much about it, because that will ruin the twists. It’s a film that you just have to watch and let it wash over you and just be surprised.