There is perhaps no location more cursed, and found in more American cities, than a blanket-lit mall, suffused with stale food court smells and bombarded by brands. Writer-director Meredith Alloway, realizing that these blighted shopping centers are where we’ll find young witches, turns a Dallas mall into the blasted heath of Macbeth in her clever feature debut Forbidden Fruits. In examining a hypercapitalist coven lurking inside an overpriced womenswear store, Alloway creates a conspicuous consumption Craft for a new generation of occult oddballs. But unlike the empowerment-forward sequel to the ’90s teen witch staple that tried something similar, Forbidden Fruits is a far funnier, far meaner, far more outrageous way for aspiring witches to warp sisterhood to their dark ends.
Adapted by Alloway and playwright Lily Houghton from Houghton’s Of The Women Came The Beginning Of Sin, And Through Her We All Die (admittedly, not as snappy a title), Forbidden Fruits is a conversational film, not at all driven by its hiccupy plot or even an especially eerie atmosphere. Rather, it’s the fashion-forward foursome at the center, weaponizing sex and sarcasm, are its key ingredients—and their fruit-based names only double down on the idea that they’re components of a concoction. Working at Free Eden (an even more expensive, even more woo-woo Free People), queen bee Apple (Lili Reinhart) leads her cohorts Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp) in their approach to making sales and in their after-hours blood rites. But Pumpkin (Lola Tung) doesn’t know about the hierarchy or the black magic when she wanders over from the food court, looking for a gig and a way into this tight circle. At least she’s got the right name for the job, technically.
It’s through Pumpkin’s eyes that the film unfurls the dynamics of its magical Mean Girls squad, with Reinhart’s cold stare and backhanded therapy language chastising her subordinate sisters. Since Apple is the hardassed leader and Pumpkin is the wide-eyed newcomer, their characters are a bit more involved with the plot—some of the girls have secrets, which threaten to collide!—and therefore get fewer opportunities to be as funny as Cherry and Fig. All four shine, their dynamics playing off each other perfectly, but Mike Flanagan staple Pedretti is particularly hilarious as the horny airhead blonde, with fantastic timing and a squeaky-silly delivery that never gets old. It helps that the script is as sharp and pointed as a crone’s nose, delivered through a hex-a-minute flood of dialogue that boasts the slangy signature of producer Diablo Cody, but whose onslaught of cleverness has more punchlines and its own identity.
When the quippy repartee dries up in order to dole out some plot, like the tragic fate of former employee Pickle (Emma Chamberlain) or the machinations of a surveillance camera Barbie doll, Forbidden Fruits begins to brown and rot. As uncanny as the mall setting is, often cutting to ominous store signs when not exploring the backrooms of retail hell, Alloway’s film doesn’t establish much of a horror mood. This is an R-rated comedy, through and through, where even the explosive kills in the final act read as punchlines. And that works, because that feels true to the rest of the movie. But for that same reason, the more intricate story beats, like the backstories of the girls and the motive of Pumpkin for infiltrating their crew, never blend with the rest of the film’s potent brew.
Similarly, because these are the cool girls, not the outcasts, there’s a bit of rebellion missing from the proceedings. Their various curses are aimed erratically at nonconformers—snakes in their garden who’re looking to betray them. That’s a resonant idea for young friend groups, especially ones defined by brand-named assimilation, but it also limits the targets of this film’s dagger-like high-femme camp, regardless of how many times the movie ironically mentions women supporting women.
But through its extensive wardrobe of outrageous outfits, its alchemical storehouse of killer lines, and its range of top-tier comic performances, Forbidden Fruits is a comedy that won’t need to wait to find its cult. If you don’t worry about the story and just immerse yourself in the gags, Alloway’s film is a must-watch for the Venn diagram overlap between Shudder subscribers and the slumber party crowd.
Director: Meredith Alloway
Writer: Meredith Alloway, Lily Houghton
Starring: Lili Reinhart, Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Chamberlain, Gabrielle Union
Release Date: March 27, 2026
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