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The Forest Hills

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The Forest Hills
Film poster
Directed byScott Goldberg
Written byScott Goldberg
Produced byScott Goldberg
Starring
CinematographyScott Goldberg
Scott B. Hansen
Edited byScott Goldberg
Scott B. Hansen
Chris Roll
Music byScott Goldberg
Mark Nadolski
Production
companies
  • My Way Pictures
  • Dreznick Goldberg Productions
  • Digital Thunderdome
Release dates
  • March 11, 2023 (2023-03-11) (Smodcastle Cinemas)
  • October 4, 2024 (2024-10-04) (United States)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Forest Hills is a 2023 American independent horror-thriller film directed and written by Scott Goldberg. It stars Chiko Mendez as Rico, a man who, after hiking in the Catskill Mountains, begins to experience "nightmarish visions" involving his mother (Shelley Duvall). The film also features performances from Edward Furlong, Dee Wallace, and Felissa Rose.

The Forest Hills is Duvall's final role before her death in 2024, as well as her first acting role in over twenty years. The film was released in the United States on October 4, 2024.

Premise

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A man "is tormented by nightmarish visions after enduring head trauma while camping in the Catskill woods."[1]

Cast

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Cory Cowley, Michael Krysiewicz, Jennifer Pearl, Robert Leckington, Tammy Mattox, Daniel Mione, Christopher Allen White, Savanna Carmichael, Brian Michael Finn, Alethea Maguire, J. Jones, Taylor Vigee, Ariel Elizabeth Acosta, and Joel Fontaine play victims.[2]

Production

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Goldberg directed and wrote the short film Danielle's Revenge in 2007, and later wrote The Forest Hills as an alternative take on the feature.[3] In October 2022, Shelley Duvall, Edward Furlong, Chiko Mendez and Dee Wallace were cast.[4] In December 2022, it was revealed that Felissa Rose, Stacey Nelkin and Marianne Hagan were cast.[5][6]

Duvall, who had been retired from acting for 20 years,[7] was initially cast in a cameo similar to "a Friday the 13th Pamela Voorhees type of flashback". Her role was expanded after she expressed interest in performing more scenes.[8][9][10] It is her final acting role, as she died in 2024.[11] To Entertainment Weekly, Goldberg described Duvall as "an amazing actress to work with, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to direct her."[10]

Release

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The Forest Hills premiered at Smodcastle Cinemas, a theater in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey,[12] on March 11, 2023.[13] It was released on October 4, 2024.[14][15]

Reception

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Cody Hamman of JoBlo.com gave the film a rating of 6 out of 10 and he said; I was impressed by Mendez, had fun spotting familiar faces in the supporting cast, and loved seeing Duvall again, I can’t say I found The Forest Hills to be an ideal viewing experience. Trippy, scattered, “is this real or not?” movies just aren’t for me, so this isn’t the sort of movie I would turn to for entertainment. I’m glad I saw it once, but it’s not something I could watch multiple times.[16]

In his review on Bloody Disgusting, Paul Lê rated it with 1.5/5 skulls saying it is "a confusing psychological werewolf movie (...) This feels more like an endurance test than a movie, and not in a rewarding way either."[17]

References

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  1. ^ Bohannon, Miss Sharai (2023-05-03). "The Forest Hills // A movie review". Horror Movie Blog. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  2. ^ The Forest Hills (2023) - IMDb. Retrieved 2024-07-22 – via www.imdb.com.
  3. ^ Potters, Rebecca (2023-03-01). "The Forest Hills: Everything We Know So Far About Shelley Duvall's Return To Horror". SlashFilm. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  4. ^ Grobar, Matt (2022-10-28). "Shelley Duvall Returns With Horror 'The Forest Hills', Her First Film In Two Decades – First Look". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  5. ^ VanHoose, Benjamin (2022-12-02). "See Shelley Duvall on Set of 'The Forest Hills,' Her First Movie After 20 Years Away: 'A True Legend'". People. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  6. ^ Melanson, Angel (2023-04-12). "Felissa Rose Shares Our Deep Love For THE FOREST HILLS Co-Star Shelley Duvall". www.fangoria.com. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  7. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (2022-10-29). "Shelley Duvall returns: 'The Shining' scream queen books first acting gig in 20 years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  8. ^ "Watch Shelley Duvall open up about her final role on The Forest Hills set at 75". The Express Tribune. 2024-07-12. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  9. ^ Aradillas, Elaine (2024-07-11). "Shelley Duvall Opened Up about Why She Disappeared from Hollywood for 20 Years in One of Her Final Interviews". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  10. ^ a b Miller, Mike (2024-07-11). "Watch Shelley Duvall discuss her final movie role in 'The Forest Hills' (exclusive)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  11. ^ Youngs, Ian (July 11, 2024). "The Shining actress Shelley Duvall dies at 75". BBC News. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  12. ^ Saperstein, Pat (2024-04-04). "Kevin Smith Fights to Keep His Childhood Movie Theater Open With Famous Guests and a Proposed Reality Show, Because 'Exhibition Is in the Toilet'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  13. ^ McArdle, Tommy (2023-04-03). "See Shelley Duvall Film a Scene for 'The Forest Hills' in Her Return to Acting (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  14. ^ Brathwaite, Lester Fabian (2024-09-13). "See the late Shelley Duvall in trailer for 'The Forest Hills,' her final film role". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  15. ^ Carter, Justin (2024-09-15). "The Forest Hills, Shelley Duvall's Final Film, Gets a Bloody Trailer". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  16. ^ Hamman, Cody (October 3, 2024). "The Forest Hills Review: Shelley Duvall's Final Film". JoBlo.com. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  17. ^ Lê, Paul (2024-10-17). "'The Forest Hills' Review – A Confusing Psychological Werewolf Movie". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
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