Described as “The Craft meets Jawbreaker and Mean Girls,” Forbidden Fruits is everything I could ever want in a modern-day magical mall matinee! This film is oozing with fun, quotable lines, a banging soundtrack, and absolutely iconic fashion, which makes sense since the film takes place in a fictional Texas(!!!) mall store called Free Eden (sadly, the movie was filmed in Canada, not my homeland, to my utter dismay!).
Starring Riverdale alum Lili Reinhart; one of my own personal favorite scream queens, Victoria Pedretti (my heart belongs to Haunting of Hill House); one half of the Tragedy Girls, Alexandra Shipp; and Lola Tung from The Summer I Turned Pretty, this fabulous film commands attention from the very first snarky scene.
Directed and co-written by Meredith Alloway and produced by Diablo Cody, this indie movie is jam-packed with female fire, and I am totally here for it. I love a good witchy flick, and we haven’t had one in a minute. Nothing says Girl Power like a catty coven of witches, and Forbidden Fruits definitely delivers.
The Plot of Forbidden Fruits
The film centers on three employees of upscale boutique Free Eden, where outspoken, bossy leader Apple (Reinhart) holds witchy rituals in the store’s back room with acolytes Cherry (Pedretti) and Fig (Shipp). All this circle is missing is their fourth…and just like Robin Tunney in The Craft, Pumpkin (Tung) comes along at just the right time, completing the group so they can successfully finish their ‘retail cycle.’
Secrets and backstabbing threaten the group’s tight-knit bond, and as with many female friend groups, the self-named “leader,” Apple, has a hard time losing control of the rest of the clique who no longer wish to abide by her ridiculous rules. When autonomy rears its ugly head, Apple’s mask starts to slip, and as Forbidden Fruits progresses, we learn the truth about the confident, cocky, leader on a relentless power trip.
As the truth unravels and reality threatens the magical bubble the girls live in, each “fruit’s” true colors start to show, and losing a fun retail job is the least deadly of the consequences!
This movie had me laughing so many times. Deadpan line delivery of hysterical dialogue ups the ante, and the storyline actually delivers when it gets to the plot twist. Reinhart is delectable as uber controlling Apple, and the details and personalities of the other girls give the characters added dimension and texture, keeping them engaging and interesting.
As Above, So Below: The Humor AND Horrors of Female Friendship
Honestly, this darkly funny movie is just refreshing and fun and hilarious, and we all know how hard horror comedy is to nail. Forbidden Fruits hits the mark and creates such an enjoyable experience that I was sad when it ended. I would have loved to spend more time with “the fruits.”
The reveal of never-seen manager Sharon at the end (I don’t want to spill the tea on the actress who plays her since the director meant it as a treat!) was absolutely worth the wait and the sweetest surprise! The actors truly make this film.
The ending is unexpected but savvy, but when you get down to it, Forbidden Fruits is a commentary on the complexities of female friendship. It’s no secret that drama exists between women in cliques, and sometimes we work to regain our own identities outside the boundaries of a friend group, especially one that contains members with varying personalities.
Forbidden Fruits isn’t shy about exploring the conflicts that occur in female friendships, and does so in the most tongue-in-cheek way. Who didn’t want to be part of the Cool Girl clique in high school? “The fruits” are the grown-up versions of those too-cool-for-school girls we all admired from afar as teenagers. You’d do anything to belong to that group, right? Even sell your soul?
Maybe you wouldn’t go that far, but in an era where friendships are hard to find and keep and jealousy and mistrust rules, if you knew you’d have a group of girlfriends that had your back, maybe calling up the devil is preferable to being alone in the world.
Bonus: there are some pretty gory kills in Forbidden Fruits that are creative and fun to watch!
A tasty mix of whip-smart writing and adept acting, Forbidden Fruits is a welcome addition to any movie meal for horror fans. Some have called it ‘commercial feminism,’ but I prefer to think of it as a sharp satire of female friendship – it’s not deep, but it still has plenty of bite!
***This review was written by Christi Bandy***
Where to Watch Forbidden Fruits
Forbidden Fruits (2026) is currently still in theaters! However, if you come back to Christi’s review in the future, our JustWatch affiliate buttons below will let you know where/when it goes to streaming. Buying, renting, or streaming films using HorrorFam.com’s links is a wonderful way to watch the horror movies you’re interested in while also supporting your favorite horror website, at no additional cost to you. -Lauren*
Where to stream Forbidden Fruits (2026):
Forbidden Fruits (2026) | Rated R | Runtime 1h 43m | Released March 27, 2026
Images for this review were purchased at CineMaterial (posters) and MovieStillsDB (stills). The featured image is a publicity still from Forbidden Fruits that Lauren placed the title/logo over because the available official posters were all vertical and our images need to be horizontal.
