Stranger Things Are Abound: Marshmallow (2025)

Marshmallow (2025)

Rating: ***

Starring: Giorgia Whigham, Corbin Bernsen, Pierson Fode

Bullied by neighborhood kids. Suffering from a reoccurring nightmare wherein he's gushing out water from a gut wound like Ole' Faithful. Not to mention witnessing his beloved grandfather croak from a heart attack during a family dinner. Is it any surprise at all that young Morgan is a little too down for a kid his age? 

Hoping to get him out of the doom and gloom, his parents have him packing up for a one-of-a-kind summer adventure at Camp Almar where he, unfortunately, suffers from further bullying not just from a couple of troublesome kids, but also from the more aggressive counselors. As a silver lining, though, he did befriend a small group of nerdy chumps who, in more than one occasion, stood by him. But will this newfound friendship be enough to keep Morgan safe from what's coming to the woods one night?

Camp Almar happens to have its own boogeyman, you see; legend says that a figure known as The Doctor used to bring his wife and kids around these parts to supposedly relax in the cabins, but the fella had a suspicious habit of skulking around the basement at night. His wife soon grew curious about this and followed him down there once, only to horrifically discover that her husband has been sewing people together, creating monstrous freaks. (Here's hoping nothing like The Human Centipede (2009)). To keep his secret hidden, as well as continue doing the mad doctor's deeds, he trapped his own wife and children down the very same basement and sew their limbs together so they can never leave.

Now, it appears this Doctor is roaming the woods once more and Morgan even spots the sickened science man emerging from one of the cabins. His terrified claims, however, are dismissed as nothing more than nightmares, with one friendly counselor even admitting that the story was made up to keep children from sneaking off after lights out. It's not too long, of course, before these doubters are proven wrong when The Doctor, sporting a surgeon's garb and a head lamp, armed with a powerful electric taser, starts an onslaught of attacks at the doomed camp.

Calling Marshmallow (2025) a slasher can be a real stretch; yes, we do have the staple of horny teen counselors boinking their brains out here and there, as well as the obligatory campfire tale featuring a humanoid hulk who would later turn up in the flesh to siege the camp with violence, but there's more of a coming-of-age story here as the plot focuses strongly on the troubles of one forlorn kid and how he deals with them. For a decent while, we navigate through Morgan's day to day at Camp Almar as he tries to survive the anxieties of being harassed by arseholes and the awkward socializing pressure within peers, only occasionally dipping into horror territory via unnerving nightmares. It isn't until we get to the expected twist that The Doctor, or at least someone dressed up like him, is operating inside one of the cabins that the slasher lunacies take effect, sending the kids (and the entire movie) into chaos as the madman finally goes on a spree, targeting anyone on sight. 

Interestingly, Marshmallow (2025) opted to keep the exploitative elements of its slasher attacks to an almost non-existent minimal, with The Doctor, instead of hacking and slashing everyone into sloppy pieces, just shocks their victims unconscious with their taser. The reason for this is where the movie's plot twist comes in and, without spoiling much, it does dive into the fantastical and amazing, which strays the film further away from being a genuine bodycounter, and heads a tad more towards a very emotional and intense feature-length episode of Goosebumps. This, admittedly, may divide those expecting the usual affair of lopped off limbs and flayed faces, the norms of a good slasher movie, but the way the plot took the elements of a backwoods stalk 'n slash and make it their own is admirable in its creativity and imagination. Even more so when its somberness, oddness and even warmth is made effective thanks to the likeable and relatable performances of its young talents.

 

Not the strictest slasher in terms of paint-by-number storytelling and expectations, nor is it the splashiest and kill count heavy, but there is still value to be found here in Marshmallow (2025) with its lush camera work and expressive editing. A real quality work that pushes the boundaries of your typical slasher story, I say try it out! 

Bodycount:

1 elderly male suffers a heart seizure

1 boy drowned (flashback)

1 female seen floating on a lake slaughtered

1 male killed with a knife

Total: 4