‘Marshmallow’ Review – A Creepy Mad Science Ghost Story

We all know the ritual of sitting around the campfire, toasting marshmallows, and scaring each other with ghost stories. Many of us have been to summer camps and know the adventures that freedom brings. And, if we know our movie history, the summer camp setting is an ideal locale for a horror film. This is where we find Marshmallow, a creepy camp-centric horror film that is more than a simple ghost story come to life. It is a dark manifestation of trauma with more than a few creepy jolts that go bump in the night. This is a meditation on fear and the things that terrify us.

Morgan (Kue Lawrence) is a shy and introverted 12-year-old thrust into a living nightmare when a legendary campfire tale becomes real. As a mysterious figure begins stalking the camp, Morgan and his newfound friends must embark on a perilous journey that will force them to confront their deepest fears and question the very nature of their existence.

Morgan is reluctant to go to summer camp, especially after his grandfather’s death. Nevertheless, his parents send him to Camp Alama, and Morgan is in over his head from the start. His bunkmate bullies him to the point of nearly causing him to drown in the lake. His summer vacation becomes anything but a vacation. To add insult to injury, the ghost story he hears around the campfire is causing him palpitations of fear and paranoia. In typical horror movie fashion, no one believes him when he spots a mysterious figure on the grounds.

This story has an inherent Stranger Things vibe, from the mystery element to the banter between the campers. Despite all the horror and creepy vibes, the film weaves in a compelling coming-of-age story. However, this is no charming John Hughes romp. The elements of trauma echo from start to finish. The movie takes on a heavier tone than a straightforward horror movie premise. There are even subtle homages to Goonies, thanks partly to giving each younger character a personality. The film is a dark trek with a sprinkle of gory sci-fi that leaves you gobsmacked. 

This story’s inherent darkness allows it to transcend the usual tropes of a summer camp horror film. The story is built around the psychological unraveling of a twelve-year-old boy who finds the lines of reality and fantasy blurring. Each new day at camp brings an unsettling visage, coupled with the troubling nightmares he is having over his deceased grandfather and a near-death experience at a pool.

Part of the film’s effect is its imbalance on the audience. From the start, Morgan’s grandfather’s death is a jarring and traumatic experience. It shapes him as his time at camp goes from unsettling to horrifying. The jumping-off point for the movie is the ghost story told around the campfire. As far as stories go, this one is nightmare fuel.

The camp counselors spook the kids with a tale of a mad doctor who once lived on the campgrounds and performed hellish experiments in the basement of his cabin, creating human monsters. This ghost story becomes a reality for these campers as the doctor stalks the campgrounds, hunting for his next victims. This character is a faceless torturer, which adds a perfect element of menace to the film, oozing with darkness.

Perfectly concocted twists make this story even more gripping as it unfolds. The camp counselors are more than meets the eye. One in particular, Rachel, played by genre regular Giorgia Whigham, gives an iconic performance. Like the plot of this film, it is both welcoming and unnerving in the same breath. What occurs here is more than a ghostly tale designed to terrorize campers, but something that draws homage to Twilight Zone meets Tales from the Crypt.

By the end, as much as the characters, we are questioning what we are watching. One worthy of attention is a horror film that puts kids front and center and isn’t afraid of pulling punches. That’s not to say the movie plays it safe; there is never an undue element of gratuitousness. The film goes for the jugular and leaves the audience in terror. It is dark, twisted, and cruel, leaving audiences in horror at the shocking conclusion that is hurled at the end.

Marshmallow seems poised to become a cult horror classic—a movie repeated like any good ghost story, and could grow like any good legend. The multiple layers to the story and the compelling performances from the entire cast make this one conspiratorial and dark trip into the woods.

Marshmallow will debut in select theaters on April 11, 2025.