Marshmallow Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Marshmallow Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 7, 2026

Note: Allusions to certain twists in the narrative of this tale are hard to avoid, so those wanting to stay away from even any hints of spoilers are hereby forewarned.

Films that rely upon "big twists" to achieve their impact have probably rightly been lambasted for outright trickery in the wake of what might be jokingly referred to as M. Night Shyamalan-ism. What's kind of interesting about Marshmallow, though, is that it doesn't offer a plot twist so much as a genre twist, and that may be the biggest clue to anyone who may have seen marketing efforts for the film and come to the conclusion that it's just another "summer camp slasher" flick. Well, at least the first part of Marshmallow sure seems to be in the general vicinity of Camp Crystal Lake, so to speak, even if the camp attendees are a good deal younger than amorous teens, but that's part of an intentional subterfuge that takes arguably a bit too long to be revealed. The twist in this case is definitely outright trickery, but it's also kind of gobsmacking simply because it's so gonzo, and for that reason alone, Marshmallow probably deserves at least a few kudos.

Morgan (Kue Lawrence) is a young boy suffering from debilitating recurring dreams of drowning (remember the Chekhov's Gun Rule, ladies and germs). When his beloved grandfather Roy (Corbin Bernsen) dies suddenly, Morgan's parents rather strangely shunt him off to a summer camp rather than letting him grieve. At the camp he encounters the typical retinue of kids, including a bully and, ultimately, a kind of nerdy Stand by Me cohort that includes a young girl named Pilar (Kai Cech). At a campfire the staff tells a spooky story about a mad doctor who will take kids who don't stay in their bunks at night. In the continuing saga of Chekhov's Gun, guess what happens next.

Marshmallow hinges on an admittedly unexpected and therefore genuinely surprising reveal, but unlike at least nascent Shyamalan-isms like the "big twist" in The Sixth Sense (what would little Cole have seen at this camp?) which is able to withstand a backward "logic check" review, this particular bait and switch is so improbable that it almost instantly begs a veritable host of questions. To cite just one (and in an attempt to not post an outright spoiler, I'll be as circumspect as possible under the circumstances), wouldn't families who have experienced the death of a family member have had funerals? OK, fine, let's cite another: wouldn't deaths have been known to others outside of the family? There are several other inconsistencies to mull over, but the bottom line here is the more this particular plot conceit is thought about, the less sense it makes, which is never a good sign for what is evidently about to become a franchise.

Marshmallow Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Marshmallow is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Toy Robot Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The back of the sole art card included with this release has a brief description of the presentation, though with an error in the aspect ratio:

Marshmallow is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with lossless DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 stereo sound.

The HD master was provided by Quiver.

As of the writing of this review the IMDb really has no technical information to speak of, and I wasn't able to dredge up anything authoritative online, but this is an intentionally spooky looking digital capture that tamps down the palette, giving everything a just slightly sickly looking green tint, and with a generous helping of what I used to refer to in the early days of digital capture as "Alexa murk" (though I have no information that Alexas were utilized for this shoot). The ubiquity of dimly lit (and actual "overnight") material throughout the film can intermittently hamper fine detail levels, but there also seems to have been a deliberate stylistic choice to keep things kind of soft and dreamlike (nightmare-esque?) throughout the story. Detail levels are quite expressive in better lit moments. Both dream material and a frantic vignette where Morgan starts to realize what's going on are even less clear by design than the bulk of the presentation.

Marshmallow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Marshmallow features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options. The surround track definitely opens up the soundstage for all sorts of ambient environmental effects, notably some water sounds that recur throughout. The camp material has a lot of outdoor vignettes, and those feature some good engagement of the side and rear channels to help establish the locale. Dialogue is rendered clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Marshmallow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scene (HD; 00:58)


• Filming the Dream Sequence (HD; 3:01) shows some of the setup and various takes.


• Video Podcast Interviews

Growing Up Weird (HD; 9:54) features director Daniel DelPurgatorio.




Everything Feels Like a Haunted House (HD; 10:25) features writer Andy Greskoviak.




Summer Camp Shenanigans (HD; 11:01) features Daniel DelPurgatorio and actor Dylan Friedman (and several others).

• Two Short Films Directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio

Other (HD; 14:10)




Body(s) (HD; 17:08)

• Storyboard (HD; 00:46) continues with Toy Robot's odd (and one assumes unintentional) authoring decision to have these galleries timed, even though they come with "instructions" to use the chapter skip button to move through the pages. One way or the other, have the pause button on your remote handy if you actually want to peruse anything.


• Behind the Scenes Gallery (HD; 2:35) is another slideshow authored per the above.


• Script Pages (HD; 3:55) is again authored per the above.


• Trailers

Teaser Trailer 1 (HD; 00:32)




Teaser Trailer 2 (HD; 00:32)




Trailer (HD; 1:34)

• Audio Commentary with director Daniel DelPurgatorio and actors Kue Lawrence and Kai Cech is accessible under the Audio Menu.

This comes with Toy Robot's regular (so far, anyway) packaging, with a reversible sleeve, an art card and both a slipcover and Obi sleeve which fits over the slipcover.

Marshmallow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Who amongst us hasn't wondered what a mashup of Friday the 13th and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (maybe with just the slightest hint of The Stepford Wives thrown in for good measure) would be like? Well, Marshmallow is here to answer that question, for better or worse. Arguably more audacious in concept (and/or concepts, as the case may be) than in execution, the film is most definitely best approached with foreknowledge that it deliberately subverts slasher tropes. To close this review with yet another cinematic referent, an already announced sequel will no doubt exploit the little tidbit mentioned (and overtly seen) in the final minutes of the story that is curiously similar to plot underpinnings in Westworld. The fact that Toy Robot's Obi sleeve, which features some "fine print" identifying genres lists both horror and sci-fi is another salient clue for would be viewers. Technical merits are solid and the supplements are bountiful and generally very enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.