Forbidden Fruits: A Unique Tale of Friendship and Sisterhood (Early Review)

The feature debut of director Meredith Alloway, Forbidden Fruits is a horror comedy that also boasts an impressive ensemble cast who are absolute dynamite together, featuring Lili Reinhart, Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, and Alexandra Shipp. Setting the tone, Free Eden is the hottest store in the local mall that everyone wants to work at and be around. Meanwhile, store employee Apple (Reinhart) secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the basement of the local mall after hours, with fellow employees Cherry (Pedretti) and Fig (Shipp). However, when Pumpkin (Tung) arrives to town, she becomes the latest store hire and then found herself welcomed into the group, challenging their performative sisterhood and forcing them to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate.

Forbidden Fruits certainly has the makings of the next cult classic, and one that is sure to be beloved by a large swath of the horror community. Ultra campy and wickedly fun, this horror comedy does not take itself seriously whatsoever, and has its tongue firmly planted in its cheek throughout. Alloway imbues the film with a nice sense of style, as the cast’s absolutely gorgeous outfits can’t go unmentioned. Despite leaning more towards comedy, it is also effective when it turns to horror, not afraid to get super nasty or gnarly, employing practical gore effects in creative ways that offer up some shocking kills. Fast paced, and with a banger soundtrack to boot, the film remains a fun watch from start to finish.

Tung is solid as Pumpkin, a new girl in town character who is slowly being brought into this unfamiliar world, making for a likeable protagonist with an air of mystery to her. Shipp gets to show off a different side of herself for which audiences may not be the most familiar, with hr Fig being one of the more kind-hearted characters. Pedretti is a major scene stealer, and pretty much everything to do with Cherry is comedic gold. But as great as they all are, this is Reinhart’s show from start to finish. She absolutely devours the role of Apple, delivering what is easily the best performance of her career. Playing a rather unlikeable, and also very toxic character, one cannot take their eyes off her even at her worst. The film would not be nearly the same if anyone else had played the character.

Now as much fun as it is, the film will not be for everyone, and those who cannot get on board with its tone are likely to flat out hate it. While getting on that same wavelength may take some time, additionally, it could be a little jarring due to the way it throws audiences directly into this world without much to go on. Similarly, the plot isn’t overly special, and can be on the predictable side. Fumbling a third act that will undoubtedly a major point of contention for some audiences, leaving them baffled by certain creative choices it makes. That being said, the film admittedly does lose some steam following the chaotic energy it takes going into it. To its credit, it does recover just in time to provide a satisfying conclusion that brings everything together.

Forbidden Fruits is essentially what one would get if they mixed The Craft and Mean Girls, with a dash of Jennifer’s Body (which makes total sense seeing that Diablo Cody is a producer), while still being its own thing. Not only are Lili Reinhart, Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, and Alexandra Shipp great together, it is campy, and just a whole lot of fun. For fans of horror comedies, this one is definitely worth checking out, while those who can get on its wavelength will flat out love this and perhaps keep coming back to it for years to come. If anything, this should play very well with a crowd.

still courtesy of Independent Film Company

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/