FORBIDDEN FRUITS

(director/writer: Meredith Alloway; screenwriter: Lily Houghton; cinematographer: Karim Hussain; editor: Hanna Park; music: Anna Drubich; cast: Lili Reinhart (Apple), Lola Tung (Pumpkin), Victoria Pedretti (Cherry), Alexandra Shipp (Fig), Emma Chamberlain (Pickle), Gabrielle Union (Sharon); Runtime: 103; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Mason Novick, Mary Anne Waterhouse, Diablo Cody, Trent Hubbard; IFC Entertainment Group; 2026)

“Stylish horror/comedy.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Meredith Alloway’s debut feature as director-writer is a stylish horror/comedy filmed inside a large Dallas shopping mall and in its parking lot. The film is based on co-screenwriter Lily Houghton’s stage play.

The three ladies who work and run the fantasy-filled luxury Free Eden boutique are: the magnetic, angry and controlling red-headed boss Apple (Lili Reinhart), the warm-hearted Fig (Alexandra Shipp), and the ditsy Cherry (Victoria Pedretti). They’re a foreboding trio who act as a sisterhood united by their hatred of men, and all have fruit names. After work they meet in the mall basement and judge those who they deem enemies and pose as witches putting curses on their foes, even if they’re not real witches with supernatural power.

Things get tense when Pumpkin (Lola Tung) joins the group, as friendships change dramatically. She warns them if they can’t control their dark thoughts it will lead to violence. The most striking change is that things become more sapphic.

The film ends on a sour note when things get out of control, as it transitions from comedy to horror.

The campy film’s highlight moment comes earlier on when a hot latte is thrown by Apple on the penis of a potential customer jerking off while staring at her as she demonstrates a product.

Though funny at times, the “mean girls” type of film offers not enough of a vision for its dark humor to save itself from self-destructing over all its craziness.

It played at SXSW Film Festival.

REVIEWED ON 3/30/2026  GRADE: C+
dennisschwartzreviews.com