Marshmallow (film)

Marshmallow
Directed byDaniel DelPurgatorio
Written byAndy Greskoviak
Produced byWarner Davis
Todd M. Friedman
StarringKue Lawrence
Kai Cech
Winston Vengapally
Giorgia Whigham
Max Malas
Maxwell Whittington-Cooper
Pierson Fodé
Alysia Reiner
Corbin Bernsen
Paul Soter
Release date
  • April 11, 2025 (2025-04-11)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Marshmallow is a 2025 American science fiction horror film written by Andy Greskoviak, directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio and starring Kue Lawrence, Kai Cech, Giorgia Whigham, Max Malas, Maxwell Whittington-Cooper, Pierson Fodé, Winston Vengapally, Samantha Neyland Trumbo, Alysia Reiner, Corbin Bernsen and Paul Soter.

Plot

After a traumatic experience involving his grandfather, young Morgan is sent to summer camp. Plagued by nightmares and visions involving a fear of water and drowning, Morgan makes new friends, experiences bullying from a boy named C.J. and meets a girl named Pilar.

One night during a campfire, the staff at the camp tell a spooky story involving a doctor who takes children who don't stay in their bunks at night and performs horrible operations on them in the basement of his building.

Morgan ventures out at night after seeing strange flashing coming from a building and enters to find a basement where it appears the story is true. Morgan sees the doctor and tries to convince his friends he is real. As children panic, the doctor stalks them and zaps them unconscious with an electrically-powered wand.

As Morgan and his friends try to find somewhere safe to hide, one of the staff members helps them by giving them the security code to the main camp staff building. One child escapes to a main road and hails a police car which brings her back to camp, where the police officer hands the child over to be zapped.

As the staff regroup at the main building and find Morgan, it is revealed that he and the other kids at the camp had all died tragically in different circumstances and were being 'recreated' using a new technology for the families who lost them. The camp, and many like it around the country, were being used to 'grow' the kids and 'program' them before returning them back to their families.

The staff wipe the kids' memories of the night, however Morgan and Pilar are given the option by the sympathetic staff member to remember what happened.

The next day, everything seems to be back to normal as if nothing happened, except for injuries to staff members which are awkwardly explained to the curious kids.

It is revealed at the end that the bullying Morgan and another boy experienced from C.J. were early signs that the created 'kids' have a fault and are starting to show malfunctions at all the camps as if something is going very wrong with their programming.

Production

In May 2023, it was announced that Lawrence, Cech, Malas and Bernsen were cast in the film.[1] In June that same year, it was announced that Soter, Whigham, Reiner and Whittington-Cooper were cast in the film.[2]

The film was shot in Carroll County, Kentucky in May and June of 2023.[3]

Cast

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
MetacriticTBC[6]
Rotten Tomatoes90%[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
Dread Central[4]
The Hollywood News[7]

The film was released in theaters on April 11, 2025.

References

  1. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (May 30, 2023). "Corbin Bernsen, Kue Lawrence, Kai Cech & Max Malas Set For Daniel DelPurgatorio's Sci-Fi Horror 'Marshmallow'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (June 7, 2023). "Daniel DelPurgatorio's Sci-Fi Horror Pic 'Marshmallow' Adds Paul Soter, Giorgia Whigham, Alysia Reiner And Maxwell Whittington-Cooper". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  3. ^ Williams, Taylor (September 19, 2023). "Kysoc backdrop to 'Marshmallow' movie". Madison Courier. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  4. ^ Konopka, Matt (2025-04-02). "'Marshmallow' Review: The Kids Are Not All Right in Sinister Summer Camp Slasher [Panic Fest 2025]". Dread Central. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  5. ^ "Marshmallow | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  6. ^ "Marshmallow Reviews". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  7. ^ Hughes, Kat (2025-03-30). "'Marshmallow' review: Dir. Daniel DelPurgatorio [Panic Fest 2025]". The Hollywood News. Retrieved 2025-05-21.