“The horror. The terror. The macabre.”
That’s a line often repeated in The Forest Hills by main protagonist/antagonist Rico (Chiko Mendez) and we think it’s a pretty apt description of the psychological elements that flow throughout the film written, produced, and directed by Scott Goldberg.
If you’re looking for a straight narrative then maybe The Forest Hills isn’t for you but if you embrace chaos then we implore you to take the ride. Because The Forest Hills thrives in chaos which, quite possibly, echoes the tumultuous nature of Rico’s mind. Mendez is captivating as Rico who, having recently recovered from an incident leaving him with permanent brain damage, is not the same man he was. Gone are the carefree days communing with nature and vlogging positivity along the way replaced with an existence of hair trigger temper tantrums at odd job after odd job while squatting at his sister’s farmhouse and getting into trouble with his best friend, Billy (Edward Furlong). Oh, and Rico might also be a werewolf.
The Forest Hills also presents a world of oxymorons: While talking to his new therapist, Amy (Caitlyn Classey), Rico declares that he doesn’t like the way certain meds make him feel… but asks for them anyway. In another scene, while hanging with Furlong’s Billy, he declares that he could never hurt anyone… followed by disjointed scenes where he’s running from a body in the woods while covered in blood and screaming. Yeah, the movie’s insane.
Like an onion, The Forest Hills continually peels back after layer of Rico’s psyche where the viewer gets insight into his past with an emotionally abusive mother (Played by the iconic Shelley Duvall who returns to Horror with her appearance here), an overbearing sister in the present with Linda Flores’ portrayal of Emily who even thinks Rico can be a “waste of space”, all while navigating a job as both a janitor and a dishwasher (Horror aficionados should be on the look out for Dee Wallace here)… until eventually getting fired from both.
It’s surreal to watch the absurdity of it all. Rico is constantly flying off the handle, talking to himself, seeing things, and oh yeah, acting like a gotdamn werewolf. Are we watching Rico’s latest psychotic break? Does he suffer from schizophrenia? Is he actually a werewolf?!?! We think it’s best you check it out for yourself to find out. And following a relentlessly bloody conclusion you should probably stick around post-credits. Just sayin’.
The Forest Hills has its’ New England Premiere on Sunday, April 30th at 530 PM EST at Cinema Salem as part of the 2023 Salem Horror Fest. For info on that screening head here and for the rest of the stellar Salem Horror Fest lineup head here.