Marshmallow - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Marshmallow



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:




AV NIRVANA is member and reader-supported. When you purchase an item using our links, we might earn an affiliate commission. ​

Movie
Arrow recently announced a few months back that they were creating a sub-brand known as “Toy Robot Video”, which would effectively be for their more fun and quirky titles, and branding them similarly to how the Vestron Video lineup is for Lionsgate. Meaning, great new cover art, new film masters, colorfully branded OBI-strips, slip cards, art cards, and the works at a more budget price than your standard Arrow title (though right now the prices seem to be only a few bucks cheaper than an Arrow limited edition at retail, but we’ll see how pricing goes as time goes on).

Starting this month's Virgin debut, we start with a film that I’ve been wanting to watch ever since I saw the trailer last year. Marshmallow, a strange slasher that takes a brand new take on an old favorite genre, and supposedly turns things on its ear amazingly well. And I have to say. I wasn’t expecting it to “subvert expectations” (ugh, I hate that term, as it's become so meaningless recently) so heavily. In fact, I’m not sure HOW to properly review this film,m as my traditional deep dive into the synopsis and plot will spoil enormous portions of the film. So much so that I’m forced to be extremely cryptic and cautious in how I write this.

Our film starts with 13-year-old Morgan (Kue Lawrence), who is suffering from recurring dreams of drowning, only to wake up in a cold sweat. And while that is creepy enough, the night before he heads off to summer camp, his grandfather passes away from a heart attack right in front of them. And while summer camp is fun enough, his parents seem a bit TOO eager to shuffle him off to the camp. And even when Morgan gets there, he’s not going to escape his own misery. Bullies are still going to bully him there, no matter how new he is, and the friends he does get are just as dorky and outcast as he is. But the more the young boy tries to fit in, the more he finds that Camp Almar is not exactly what he thought it would be.

And here is where I have to end things in terms of spoilers. Or at least major ones, as it’s hard to say ANYTHING about the film without giving at least minor spoilers. Marshmallow is advertised as a slasher, and in some ways it kind of is. The film has a very Camp Crystal Lake vibe, with that old-fashioned, washed-out 80s grainy look to everything, and Camp Almar actually feels a lot like the old Friday the 13th locations. It’s that this first half is almost a psych-out, ramping things up to what looks like a traditional thriller, then pulling a mid-film twist that is less of a twist, and more of a complete rail jump that takes the film in an ENTIRELY new direction. Heck, not even a new direction, a new freaking genre. What appears to be a thriller/horror film jolts straight into pure science fiction, and just sticks the accelerator in the most extreme position and leaves it there till the credits roll.

Again, I’m not going to spoil WHAT happens, but I really liked it. Strangely, my views seem to not be the norm, as a lot of reviews online have stated that they felt the movie had POTENTIAL, but didn’t go far enough. Myself, I’m fine with that. I actually like the two films in one feeling, and that ending leaves just enough enigma in the whole situation that you can’t tell whether it's a clever twist or a shameless attempt at making a franchise out of the film. I really don’t care either, as both options work for the movie. The flick blends in feelings of Friday the 13th, with textural tones and vibes of Weapons, while adding a heavy dash of 1960s The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone tales into the mix, then hits puree on the blender.
Acting-wise, this is pretty good. These are actually pre-teens (or barely teens) playing that exact same age, instead of the 30-year-old trying to play 17-year-olds, so the tension actually works because they feel authentic. Sure, some of the lines are a bit hammy, and it feels like 1980s dialog at times, but that works to the benefit of the picture, as I’m the perfect demographic for 80s nostalgia. Luckily, they don’t lean too heavily into the nostalgia, but rather let it ooze seamlessly into the picture. Too many times, films looking to recreate classic vibes make it VERY clear that they’re trying to do so, and as a result,t it sort of takes you out of the film. But at the end of the day, I can see some cracks and seams in the tapestry here. I personally felt the twist could have come at the 30-minute mark instead of the 45, and we get another 15 minutes fleshing out WHY things went down at the camp a bit more, but I’m still satisfied with what we got. It works, and works really well. Something that a very jaded horror enthusiast like me doesn’t say very often about a modern horror (ish) film.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

Being that this is a new release film, we don’t have the typical cornucopia of remastering info that Arrow usually provides with the disc. Rather, we get a simple description stating that the film’s HD master was provided by Quiver.

And I’m not even sure HOW this film was shot,t as the internet (nor Arrow) has provided any details to speak of on the shooting and technical data. But I’m going to assume that it’s a 2K master done on a digital shoot, but one that tamps down the highlights quite a bit, emulating that 1980s grainy/bleached out look that we all fell in love with 40 years ago. The film is dimly lit, with heavy shadows going on in the woods, with slightly washed-out white levels that competes with the obvious dimming going on. Details are really good though, with exceptional facial tones, gore bits, and clothing details all the way around. Black levels are superb, though I SOMETIMES noticed some crush thanks to the murky-looking tones that are used for the color grading. It’s not perfect, but it’s really close, and I love the retro vibes that the film gives off.







Audio:

Simultaneously, we are offered a great-sounding 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix, as well as a 2.0 downmix in the same format. The surround mix opens things up a great deal, with a heavy, pulse-pounding score that just saturates the entire listening position with energy. I had zero problems with the dialog replication throughout, and the bass response was stellar. There were a few slamming moments near the end that shook my listening position pretty heavily, and the campfire parts have a lot of subtle forest ambiance going on. An all-around killer mix (excuse the pun).










Extras:

• Audio commentary with director Daniel DelPurgatorio and actors Kue Lawrence and Kai Cech
• Deleted Scene
• Filming the Dream Sequence
• Two short films directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio: Other (2012, 15 mins); Body(s) (2015, 18 mins)
• Video Podcast interviews
• Storyboards
• Behind-the-scenes stills gallery
• Script Pages

Final Score: ​

Again, I feel like my love for this film exceeds a lot of the other people’s reactions to Marshmallow, but I don’t mind going against the grain. I loved this film for what it is, and while it could have been pushed further, the delicate balance between slasher and ...what??...The Stepford Wives?, actually works for me. I’m suspicious that they’re going to try and turn this into a franchise, but I really hope against hope that they don’t try and beat it into the ground like Westworld or the Friday the 13<em>th</em> series. That being said, the Blu-ray looks and sounds great, and the extras are solid too. Definitely check it out.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Giorgioa Whigham, Corbin Bernsen, Miyako, Pierson Fode, Paul Soter, Kue Lawrence
Directed by: Daniel DelPurgatorio
Written by: Andy Greskoviak
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Toy Robot Video
Rated: NR
Runtime: 93 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: September 15th, 2026

Recommendation: Great Watch