Audiences weren’t able to be treated to the late Shelley Duvall onscreen since 2002’s Manna From Heaven, but the new horror film, The Forest Hills, is changing that.
In the trailer for the upcoming movie (above), Duvall — who died in July due to complications from diabetes at 75 — appears to play one bad mother, chain-smoking while asking Rico (Chiko Mendez) about that time she locked him and his sister in the car.
Haunted by nightmares and dark secrets, Rico descends into madness in the Catskill Mountains. Fueled by fear and isolation, as well as struggling with a strained relationship with Mama, Rico attempts to find solace in his friendship with Billy (Edward Furlong) while fighting his demons.
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In a New York Times profile on the reclusive actress earlier this year, Duvall explained how she got involved with the independent film. “I wanted to act again,” Duvall said. “And then this guy kept calling, and so I wound up doing it.”
To accommodate Duvall’s limited mobility at the time of filming — she used a wheelchair, which became part of her character — the film crew traveled to Texas so the actress could perform her scenes from her home.
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Duvall announced her retirement from acting in 2002 after appearing in the comedy Manna From Heaven. However, in 2016, she reappeared on a controversial episode of the Dr. Phil talk show, where she revealed she’d been suffering from mental illness. The interview drew ire from fans, who criticized Dr. Phil for “showboating the visibly ill.” Vivian Kubrick — the daughter of Shining director Stanley Kubrick — was among the interview’s critics, calling the show out for a lack of “compassionate healing.”
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“She was so sweet and kind. She was in great spirits and a true professional,” The Forest Hills director Scott Goldberg told Entertainment Weekly in 2022 of working with the actress. He added that Duvall was “happy to be on camera,” and said that “as a Shining fan myself, it was a delight to see her laugh.”
Check out the trailer for The Forest Hills at the top of this post. You can also click here to find The Forest Hills screenings and locations, and here to pre-order the Special Edition “Mama” and “Billy” Edition Blu-rays.