Life would be so much easier for everyone if we weren’t conditioned to believe that we have to fit in with the general population or run the risk of being viewed as a pariah. It is one of the many reasons it becomes increasingly difficult to function if you are someone who has a tendency to march to the beat of their own drum, and which has formed the foundation for many fascinating works of art dealing with peer pressure, the pursuit of popularity and the often undying desire to be accepted into groups. A fantastic recent entry into the canon of such films comes in the form of Forbidden Fruits, a film directed by Meredith Alloway, based on the play Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die by Lily Houghton (who also adapted the play in collaboration with the director), in which we are introduced to Pumpkin, a reserved young woman working at a pretzel stand in a large suburban mall. She encounters the “Fruits”, the associates at a local clothing boutique consisting of happy-go-lucky Cherry, the highly-intelligent Fig and, in the role of the leader of their clique, the pernickety and sardonic Apple, who runs the mall like it is the navy. Before long, Pumpkin finds her way into the group herself, being hired to work at the store, where she discovers the reasons for the popularity of these girls, which she realises has less to do with their status, and more in terms of what they do behind closed doors. A film that is every bit as peculiar as it sounds on the surface, while still being actively engaging in a way that is highly original and deeply captivating, Forbidden Fruits is a fantastic addition to a growing canon of feminist-based horror films that explore common subjects through the eyes of female protagonists, who are no longer positioned as merely the victims or “final girls”, but instead can occupy a range of fascinating positions that make films such as this all the more enthralling and captivating.

It seems that just about every second film about people in high school or college (or at least around the ages that one would attend either) is about the challenges that come with trying to be popular, or rather to avoid being viewed as an outcast, which requires adherence to a very strict set of conventions that can sometimes be extraordinarily challenging to comprehend at the best of times. Forbidden Fruits is a film that openly addresses these ideas, albeit in a way that is slighly more abstract but not any less compelling – taking place entirely within a shopping mall (which has often been the location of some very memorable horror films over the years, such as Day of the Dead and Chopping Mall), the film creates a very stark and intentionally sardonic social comedy, using the familiarity of a retail establishment as a microsm for the outside world, which adds layers to an already very strange story that hinged on our willingness to follow these characters through what turns out to be a surprisingly concise satire. The usual themes that we would expect from a film with this subject matter are present – popularity, peer pressure, capitalistic desire and the eternal pursuit of perfection through being the most beautiful and likeable person imaginable, even if it means making some unsettling sacrifices along the way, pun intended. From this, the film evolves into an unexpectedly bold work of horror, into which subjects like witchcraft and the occult are evoked, intentionally creating a more unsettling portrait of youth and how it can corrupt the minds of those who believe that it’s the only reason to exist, to the point where it can begin to cause problems for those who cannot fathom being anything less than perfect. Obviously, all of these ideas are cleverly concealed under what proves to be a much more goofy comedy, which turns out to be the optimal approach as it allows for the inner eccentricity to take centre stage.

Forbidden Fruits seems like the kind of film that we’ll look back on in about a decade and be absolutely flummoxed about how they managed to assemble such an impressive cast in what is essentially a very strange, offbeat horror comedy. I wholeheartedly believe that the quartet at the heart of this film represent the next generation of actors, and while none of them is newcomers, they also have been only skirting around the edges of stardom, doing fantastic work but not yet having breakthroughs. This allows them to be more flexible with the work they’re doing, since they haven’t quite harnessed specific niches yet, and are now able to play into the more abstract ideas that inform these characters. It’s a true ensemble effort, since while two of the four can be considered slightly closer to the leads of the film than the others, they all rely on one another, proving that there are some films in which a cast can only be as strong as their weakest link, of which none of these four actors necessarily qualify. Lili Reinhart, who perhaps has the most expansive career of the four in terms of breadth of work, is the primary villain, the deceptive and maniacal Apple, while Lola Tung is the good-natured protagonist Pumpkin, who is not afraid to take on anyone who she believes needs to be put in her place, especially when her own background is revealed. The tug-of-war that occurs throughout the film between Apple and Pumpkin is the anchor for the story, and both Reinhart and Tung commit entirely to the continuous battle of wits, leading to the harrowing conclusion in which one bests the other. At first, we may think Victoria Pedretti and Alexandra Shipp are nothing more than comedic relief, but there are nuances to their performance that gradually become clear, shading in the nuances and giving dimension to otherwise very simple archetypes. The cast of Forbidden Fruits is precisely what makes it so memorable, so credit has to go to the quartet for carrying the film almost entirely on their own, and for the director being able to extract such extraordinary performances from a group of actors who are undoubtedly going to be major players in the future of the medium.

One of the more unspoken benefits of this movement towards more eccentric, off-the-wall horror comedies is the tendency for these films to be much more interesting not only on a narrative level, but also on a visual one. It’s not unique to this era, but it does tend to emerge more prominently as diverse voices are given a platform, proving the importance of giving newcomers a chance to stake their claim in a genre that is nothing if oversaturated. Forbidden Fruits is exceptionally well-made, and despite it being Alloway’s directorial debut, it’s remarkably cohesive and has some qualities that suggest a lot of potential in her future. Make no mistake, this film is absolutely deranged and does not always make much sense – if anything, the more we try and unravel the layers of this film to mind meaning, the less impactful it becomes, which is very much a remnant of other tonally similar films from the past (such as Heathers, which was evidently a prototype for this kind of pitch-black combination of satire and horror), and which the director uses to construct what turns out to be an unexpectedly effective film. At its core, Forbidden Fruits is a wacky, off-the-wall comedy about a group of young women who quite literally engage in a game of cat-and-mouse in an effort to assert their dominance, and where cold-blooded murder is treated with a flippancy that would be shocking if it weren’t so outrageously funny in the context of the film. The premise only works because everyone is wholeheartedly committed to working within this intentionally heightened tonal space, where logic is a lot more elastic. The production design, costuming and special effects are all reminiscent of a very particular brand of indulgent horror, the kind that is much more visually-compelling than it is narratively-rich, and coupled with the irreverent tone, Forbidden Fruits becomes quite an engaging affair even just through its incredible creativity and ability to be in on what is clearly a very deranged joke, albeit one with deeper implications.

As Groucho Marx famously quipped (and Woody Allen notably referenced in his masterpiece Annie Hall), “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member”, which is an unorthodox but fitting way to summarise the themes that drive this film and make Forbidden Fruits such a delightfully irreverent blend of psychological horror and dark comedy. It’s not a film to be taken all that seriously – there are countless opportunties where we can draw attention to the cavernous holes in the plot, or the fact that certain events occur without reason, and even more without any consequences, but its all forgiven when we realise that this film is an intentionally cartoonish, unconventional comedy that never strives to be anything more than it appears to be on the surface, and is more focused on being wholeheartedly entertaining. It’s somewhat original, with a fun premise that does add to a genre that has seemingly become less about enjoyment and more about devastating audiences by putting them through the emotional wringer, which makes the presence of a colourful, boldly entertaining horror comedy such a breath of fresh air. It may not reach the heights of other films with similar subject matter (and those drawing unfavourable comparisons between this and The Craft are not entirely wrong, even if that is a harsh criticism since both films have notable flaws that need to be overlooked), but it is nonetheless as entertaining and captivating as it could be given the material. It’s not a particularly complex work, and it is very predictable at the best of times – but none of this actually makes much of a difference when the only purpose behind Forbidden Fruits, a surprisingly compelling entry into the canon of unhinged contemporary comedies that take bold swings and succeed wholeheartedly in the process.