Remember being 12? Me neither. Time's a blur. But I do remember sneaking a VHS of “The Goonies” into the living room, popcorn everywhere, my little brother hiding under a blanket. That feeling—pure, safe-ish terror—seems to be the target of “Marshmallow,” a new micro-budget horror flick for kids, now streaming on VOD without so much as a festival pitstop or a press junket.
I watched the trailer. Twice. Once as me, 40-something, jaded, waiting for my coffee to brew. Then again, pretending I was a kid who still thought “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” was cutting-edge. The results? Mixed. Uneven. Weirdly charming.
First, the set-up. Morgan Kim (newcomer Kue Lawrence, already showing more nuance than most Nickelodeon veterans) is a kid who hates summer camp. He's anxious, sweaty-palmed, and—let's be real—he would've hated “Marshmallow” too. But here, legend becomes real. The campfire tale of a masked “doctor” gets legs, or at least a creepy pair of boots, and Morgan's gotta dig deep, rally his fellow campers, and uncover the “dark secret” haunting Camp Almar before it's lights out.
The cast is a mix of fresh faces and familiar B-listers: Giorgia Whigham, Corbin Bernsen (yes, that Corbin Bernsen), Paul Soter, Pierson Fode. Is anyone's career at stake here? Probably not. But hey, it's camp. Literally.
Trailer, But Not As We Know It
The tone? Sincerity with a side of “what the hell was that?” The trailer starts like every 80s/90s riff on growing up—awkward friendships, shaky hands at the campfire, the usual. Then, in stomps the doctor, a masked, vaguely medical nightmare who wouldn't look out of place at your average ComiCon, or maybe a bad episode of “Chicago Med.” He's no Freddy. He's no Chucky. He's… well, you know. He's for kids.
And that's kinda the point. Director Daniel DelPurgatorio, a VFX supervisor with a resume that includes Zack Snyder's “Watchmen” (“Tales of the Black Freighter,” anyone?), makes his feature debut here. The script is by Andy Greskoviak. According to the trailer, the cinematography looks competent, if not revelatory, and the post-production has a certain sheen you don't always find in indie horror. The score's pretty solid too—there's some real mood here, buried under the PG-13 trappings.
But Does It Work?
Look, “Marshmallow” isn't for me. That's okay. Horror for kids is a rare beast, and most attempts end up either toothless or accidentally traumatizing. “Coraline” nailed it. “Goosebumps” sometimes got close. “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” is still the gold standard, and I will fistfight anyone who says otherwise. But “Marshmallow”? It lands somewhere in the middle.
The trailer promises chills. Peeks of tension. A sense that something's watching from the trees, waiting for the marshmallows to roast. But no blood. No gore. Just a myth made real, a group of kids, and, improbably, a “profound secret that questions their very existence.” (Yeah, they really say that in the trailer.)
What's the Draw?
For one, I respect the hustle. Somebody, somewhere, decided kids needed a horror movie—not just a horror-adjacent adventure, but a real, honest-to-God scare. Quiver Distribution, the indie team behind the release, just dumped it on VOD. No marketing blitz. No festival buzz. If you miss it, you miss it.
That poster, though. It's a clear nod to “The Thing,” down to the color palette and the paranoid, group-in-peril vibe. Not a bad reference, honestly. Classic Carpenter for the TikTok generation. If that's not a statement, I don't know what is.
Will This Matter?
If I'm honest, “Marshmallow” is unlikely to storm the zeitgeist. It won't be the new “Stranger Things.” It won't even be the new “Super 8.” But as a gateway drug for young horror fans—a stepping stone between “Scooby-Doo” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street”—it's an interesting experiment.
A generation raised on “Five Nights at Freddy's” and YouTube creepypasta might shrug off the gentle scares. But for 9- or 10-year-olds just dipping their toes? It could be just spooky enough.
The Verdict (If There Is One)
“Marshmallow” is available now. No fanfare. No midnight premieres. Just there, on your streaming service of choice, waiting for some brave kid—and maybe their slightly bored parent—to press play.
Will it scare you? Probably not. Will it scare your kid? Maybe, if they're new to this whole being-afraid-of-the-dark thing. And honestly, that's something.
The horror genre's been on a gore-soaked, arthouse-meets-nihilism trip for a while now. Maybe it's time to let the little ones in on the fun. Scares, campfires, and a doctor who's “definitely real.” It's not a masterpiece. It's not terrible. And, weirdly, that makes it kind of… refreshing?
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go remind my niece that “monsters aren't real.” At least, not until the sequel.
