The ladies of Riverdale are having a big year: Camila Mendes is the female lead in Masters of the Universe, Madelaine Petsch finished off her Strangers trilogy, and Lili Reinhart stars in the best movie of this bunch: Forbidden Fruits, a sort-of-horror comedy that takes inspiration from some of the same teen movies that Riverdale referenced in its day.
Though it briefly received a wide release back in the spring, the film didn’t draw the same level of audience as Masters of the Universe or even The Strangers: Chapter 3. But it deserves to, and it should reach more viewers now that it’s headed to streaming.
Based on an obscure stage play, Forbidden Fruits gives Reinhart what may be her juiciest role since her time as Riverdale‘s Betty came to an end: She plays Apple, the domineering and quasi-feminist ringleader of the young employees working at a mall outpost of Free Eden, an upscale clothing chain. The girls — who all take fruit-themed names, including Fig (Alexandra Shipp) and Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) — fancy themselves members of a coven, though the movie doesn’t actually have any overtly supernatural elements beyond the questionable effects of a possible hex. In the tradition of movies like Mean Girls and Heathers, a newcomer to the group disrupts their routines and rituals, as Pumpkin (Lola Tung) joins up with the Free Eden ladies, weakening Apple’s hold on them. Rather than knocking off its inspirations, Forbidden Fruits uses teen-movie touchstones to build sly commentary on twenty-something aimlessness in a consumerist wasteland. It’s a lot of fun.
If you missed Forbidden Fruits in theaters and have a subscription to the horror-themed streaming service Shudder, you’re in luck: That’s where the movie will soon be available.
When will Forbidden Fruits be streaming on Shudder?
Forbidden Fruits has been available as a premium VOD rental for the past couple of months, but it hasn’t yet made its debut on a subscription-based streaming service. That will change on Friday, June 26th, when the film premieres on Shudder. Shudder is a horror-based streaming service that features new and classic horror movies, including a regular slate of original films and acquisitions. Though its focus is entirely on horror, their definition is wide enough to include plenty of thrillers, offbeat comedies with a gory or supernatural component, and nonfiction programming.
Shudder is also a part of the AMC+ service, meaning that if you subscribe to AMC+ (which is also available as an Amazon Prime Video add-in), you get all of Shudder’s programming along with it. This is a pretty good deal, as Shudder and AMC+ cost the same for their ad-supported version ($7.99), and AMC+ only costs a dollar more for its ad-free version. So an AMC+ subscription might be a better deal if you want access to all of Shudder’s horror movies plus a bunch of movies and shows outside of that genre.
When will Forbidden Fruits be streaming on other services?
Typically, Shudder originals and acquisitions spend a lot of time on that service before being licensed elsewhere. It does happen: Some Shudder-premiere movies like Deadstream and the terrific horror thriller Influencer are currently streaming on Netflix. But those movies are a few years old, released in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Much like Warner Bros.-produced movies that stream first and longest on HBO Max, Shudder movies do make their way to other services, but usually not for a year or more after their Shudder premiere. It seems likely that a service like Netflix will license Forbidden Fruits at some point, especially with its marketable cast, but we’re talking 2027 or 2028, probably not a matter of months.
Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts at www.sportsalcohol.com, too.