Forbidden Fruits

Production and Development

The film marks the feature-length directorial debut of Meredith Alloway, who also co-wrote the screenplay with playwright Lily Houghton. The script is adapted from Houghton's 2019 stage play Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die. The project was produced by Mason Novick, Diablo Cody, Trent Hubbard, and Mary Anne Waterhouse under the banner of MXN Entertainment. Prior to entering production, the screenplay was recognized on the 2023 Black List, an annual survey highlighting the "most liked" unproduced screenplays in the film industry. This recognition helped generate significant industry interest in the project before filming commenced and signalled its potential within the comedy horror genre.

Principal photography for Forbidden Fruits began in March 2025, with the production choosing Toronto, Ontario, as its primary filming location. The cast is led by Lili Reinhart as Apple, with Lola Tung playing the role of Pumpkin. The ensemble also includes Victoria Pedretti as Cherry, Alexandra Shipp as Fig, and social media personality Emma Chamberlain in her acting debut as Pickle. In April 2025, shortly after filming started, actress Gabrielle Union joined the cast in the role of Sharon Sullivan. The production utilized Toronto's infrastructure and locations to stand in for the film's setting of Dallas, Texas, continuing a tradition of Canadian cities hosting American film productions and providing economic activity for the local film industry.

Cast and Characters

The film features an ensemble cast of young actors in the lead roles, portraying the complex dynamics of the mall coven. Lili Reinhart plays Apple, the manipulative and controlling leader of the group who lives in her car and has a dark past involving her father. Lola Tung portrays Pumpkin, the mysterious new arrival at the mall who integrates herself into the coven with hidden motives related to her familial connection to Apple. Victoria Pedretti plays Cherry, a member whose life is micromanaged by Apple and who struggles with sobriety and secret relationships with male mall employees.

Alexandra Shipp appears as Fig, who uses the real name Emily, a coven member attempting to get into graduate school while secretly dating a man named Norman. Emma Chamberlain makes her acting debut as Pickle, the coven's former member who was hexed and institutionalized after falling in love. Gabrielle Union plays Sharon Sullivan, the mysterious manager of Free Eden who is later revealed to be an undercover police detective investigating Apple. The characters are all named after fruits or, in the final scene, flowers, reinforcing the film's thematic title and its focus on natural symbolism within a synthetic retail environment.

• Lili Reinhart as Apple, the coven's controlling leader.
• Lola Tung as Pumpkin, Apple's half-sister seeking justice.
• Victoria Pedretti as Cherry, a sober member with secret flings.
• Alexandra Shipp as Fig/Emily, a member secretly applying to graduate school.
• Emma Chamberlain as Pickle, the institutionalized former coven member.
• Gabrielle Union as Sharon Sullivan, an undercover police detective.

Plot Synopsis and Key Events

The narrative centres on Apple, Fig, and Cherry, three glamorous saleswomen at the Free Eden clothing store in a Dallas mall who run sophisticated scams on customers. Their insulated world is interrupted by Pumpkin, a new employee from the food court's pretzel counter. Despite initial disdain, the trio, who are secretly a coven of witches, invite Pumpkin to an after-hours ritual where they confess sins to the spirit of Marilyn Monroe and forbid romantic relationships. After feeding Pumpkin a mixture of fruit juice and blood, they lock her in the store overnight, a test from which she emerges more confident and stylishly dressed.

As months pass, Pumpkin uncovers each member's secrets and the coven's dark history. Apple is homeless, living in her car, and implicated in her abusive father's death by poisoning. Cherry secretly engages in sexual flings while pretending to attend therapy, and Fig is applying to graduate school while secretly dating Norman. Fig reveals to Pumpkin that their previous member, Pickle, was hexed by the coven after falling in love with a man named Ashton, leading to Ashton's coma and Pickle's institutionalization. The plot escalates when a paranoid Apple, suspecting an interloper, demands a new hex, shortly after which Pickle commits suicide by jumping from the mall's second story.

The coven fractures during a tornado warning and mall lockdown. Fig quits, revealing her real name is Emily, and Cherry attacks Norman with a meat cleaver. Cherry is subsequently killed in a malfunctioning escalator as Apple refuses to help, and Fig is bisected by shattering glass from a skylight. In the climax, Pumpkin reveals she is Apple's paternal half-sister seeking justice for their father. Apple strangles Pumpkin to death in the mall fountain. Apple then flees to a mall in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she meets three new girls named after flowers, suggesting the cycle will continue. A mid-credit scene reveals Sharon is an undercover detective collecting the surveillance doll from the crime scene as evidence.

• Pumpkin joins the Free Eden coven after an awkward interview.
• Fig reveals the fate of the previous member, Pickle, in March 2025.
• Pickle commits suicide at the mall after warning Pumpkin.
• Cherry is killed in a malfunctioning escalator during the lockdown.
• Fig is killed by falling glass from a shattered skylight.
• Apple strangles Pumpkin after learning they are half-sisters.
• The mid-credit scene reveals Sharon is an undercover police detective.

Release Strategy and Festival Appearances

Forbidden Fruits had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 16, 2026. The film received a theatrical and streaming release in the United States on March 27, 2026, distributed by Independent Film Company and the horror-focused streaming service Shudder. For international markets, distribution was handled by Universal Pictures. The release strategy capitalized on the festival buzz from SXSW to reach both cinema audiences and dedicated horror subscribers on the Shudder platform, a common tactic for genre films seeking a dual-audience approach.

Following its North American debut, the film was scheduled for further international festival exposure. It was selected to be screened in the Panorama section of the 59th Sitges Film Festival in October 2026. Sitges, held in Catalonia, Spain, is one of the world's foremost festivals specializing in fantasy and horror cinema, making it a fitting venue for the film's genre blend of comedy and horror. This festival placement helped position Forbidden Fruits within the global horror community and attract attention from international critics and distributors beyond its initial American release window.

• World premiere at South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 16, 2026.
• United States release by Independent Film Company and Shudder on March 27, 2026.
• International distribution handled by Universal Pictures.
• Scheduled screening in the Panorama section of the 59th Sitges Film Festival in October 2026.

Critical Reception and Reviews

Upon its release, Forbidden Fruits received a mixed to positive critical response. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 76% approval rating based on 90 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.6 out of 10. The website's critical consensus summarizes the film as "Charmingly goofy and packed up with incisive insights into the relatable ups and downs of any friend group, Forbidden Fruits is a campy coven worth hanging out for its concise runtime." This indicates that reviewers generally appreciated its humour and observations on female friendship, despite its horror elements and violent climax.

Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100. This score was based on nine critic reviews. The score indicates mixed or average reviews according to the site's rating system. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 76 percent of 90 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads that the film is charmingly goofy and packed with incisive insights.

Key Themes and Symbolic Elements

The film explores several interconnected themes through its horror-comedy lens. A central theme is the toxicity that can exist within close-knit female friendships and groups, portrayed through the coven's strict rules, psychological manipulation, and ultimate physical violence. The setting of a suburban shopping mall serves as a modern, banal backdrop for ancient pagan rituals, creating a deliberate contrast between the mundane and the mystical that critiques consumer culture. The characters' fruit-based names (Apple, Cherry, Fig, Pumpkin, Pickle) symbolize both innocence and temptation, tying directly to the film's title and themes of forbidden knowledge and desire.

The narrative also engages with ideas of sisterhood, both biological and chosen, and the perversion of these bonds. Apple's relationship with her half-sister Pumpkin drives the final conflict, while her control over Cherry and Fig shows a corrupted form of chosen family built on fear and secrecy. The use of consumerism and retail as a front for witchcraft comments on societal expectations of young women and the hidden power dynamics in everyday spaces like the mall. The film's camp aesthetic and dark humour provide a vehicle for its sharper observations on loyalty, betrayal, and the lengths people go to maintain control over their environment and relationships.

Source Material and Adaptation

The film is adapted from Lily Houghton's 2019 stage play Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die. The screenplay was co-written by Houghton and director Meredith Alloway, translating the theatrical work for the cinematic medium. The original play's title is a biblical allusion, setting a tone of sin and feminine transgression that carries into the film's exploration of witchcraft and rebellion. The adaptation process involved expanding the mall setting and visual possibilities inherent in the horror genre, which are less feasible on a stage, and developing the violent climax within the locked-down mall environment.

The core narrative of a coven operating within a retail environment and the arrival of an outsider with a secret agenda originates from the stage play. Key characters like Apple, Cherry, and the concept of the fruit-themed names were present in the source material. The film adaptation likely developed the subplot involving the undercover detective Sharon Sullivan and expanded the roles of Fig and Pumpkin. The successful placement of the adapted screenplay on the 2023 Black List demonstrated industry confidence in the translation of Houghton's theatrical work to a feature film format with commercial and critical potential.

Questions about Forbidden Fruits

Where was Forbidden Fruits filmed?

Principal photography for Forbidden Fruits took place in Toronto, Ontario, beginning in March 2025. The Canadian city was used to stand in for the film's primary setting of Dallas, Texas. This is a common practice in film production, leveraging Canadian locations and infrastructure for economic and logistical reasons. The production did not shoot any scenes in Dallas itself, making Toronto the sole filming location for the project.

Who directed Forbidden Fruits?

The film was directed by Meredith Alloway, marking her feature-length directorial debut. Alloway also co-wrote the screenplay with Lily Houghton, adapting it from Houghton's 2019 stage play. Prior to this, Alloway had worked primarily as a writer and actress. The film was produced by MXN Entertainment, with producers including Mason Novick, Diablo Cody, Trent Hubbard, and Mary Anne Waterhouse overseeing the project from development through post-production.

Is Emma Chamberlain in Forbidden Fruits?

Yes, social media personality and entrepreneur Emma Chamberlain appears in Forbidden Fruits in the supporting role of Pickle. This film marks her professional acting debut. Her character is the former member of the coven who was hexed after falling in love with a man named Ashton, leading to his coma and her institutionalization. Pickle later commits suicide by jumping from the mall's second story, a key event that escalates the coven's paranoia.

What is the Rotten Tomatoes score for Forbidden Fruits?

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of 90 critics' reviews are positive for Forbidden Fruits. The average rating is 6.6 out of 10. The website's consensus reads that the film is charmingly goofy and packed with incisive insights into the relatable ups and downs of any friend group. It describes the film as a campy coven worth hanging out for its concise runtime.

When was Forbidden Fruits released?

The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 16, 2026. It was then released widely in the United States on March 27, 2026, by Independent Film Company and the streaming service Shudder. International distribution was handled by Universal Pictures. It was also scheduled for screening at the 59th Sitges Film Festival in the Panorama section in October 2026, broadening its European audience.

What is the movie Forbidden Fruits about?

The film follows a coven of witches who work at a clothing store in a Dallas mall and scam customers. Their dynamic is disrupted by a mysterious new employee named Pumpkin, who is later revealed to be the leader Apple's half-sister. As Pumpkin integrates into the group, secrets are revealed, including forbidden relationships and a dark past involving Apple's father. The story escalates into paranoia and violence, exploring themes of toxic friendship, sisterhood, and hidden power within the mundane setting of a shopping mall.

Sources and further reading

• Forbidden Fruits (Wikipedia)
• Forbidden Fruits (tv.apple.com)
• 'Forbidden Fruits' Review: Witchy Lili Reinhart Leads a ... (indiewire.com)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-11-05.