# The Forest Hills Festival Cut
**The Forest Hills Festival Cut** is the festival version of *The Forest Hills*, a 2023 American independent horror film written, directed, and produced by Scott Goldberg, running about 79 to 82 minutes depending on the listing[1](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-forest-hills-festival-cut/cast/2030573074/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_forest_hills_festival_cut). It stars Chiko Mendez as Rico, a man tormented by nightmarish visions after enduring head trauma while camping in the Catskill woods, with [Edward Furlong](https://www.edgepedia.org/edward-furlong) as Billy, who draws Rico into a reality of horror that deepens his despair[1](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-forest-hills-festival-cut/cast/2030573074/). The cast also includes [Shelley Duvall](https://www.edgepedia.org/shelley-duvall) as Mama, in what became her final film role, alongside [Felissa Rose](https://www.edgepedia.org/felissa-rose), Stacey Nelkin, Marianne Hagan, and Dee Wallace[1](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-forest-hills-festival-cut/cast/2030573074/) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/26/shed-never-done-anything-like-this-before-behind-the-scenes-on-shelley-duvalls-extraordinary-final-film).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Film | *The Forest Hills* (2023), independent horror/drama; festival cut runs 1 hr 19 mins per TV Guide and 1h 22m per Rotten Tomatoes[1](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-forest-hills-festival-cut/cast/2030573074/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_forest_hills_festival_cut) |
| Director/writer | Scott Goldberg (born 1982), who also produced and edited[1](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-forest-hills-festival-cut/cast/2030573074/) |
| Lead cast | Chiko Mendez (Rico), Shelley Duvall (Mama), Edward Furlong (Billy), Felissa Rose (Dr. Gonzalez), Dee Wallace (Angela)[1](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-forest-hills-festival-cut/cast/2030573074/) |
| Festival screenings | Salem Horror Fest, April 30, 2023; Popcorn Frights Film Festival virtual premiere, August 10–20, 2023[4](https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/5e4308f8-76de-46a5-9a49-b60be8314ae4/episodes/1d11fea6-536b-4b22-9f25-fea3156abff2/macabre-ish-cults-classics-horrors-scott-goldberg-director-of-the-forest-hills) • [5](https://popcornfrights.com/popcorn-frights-second-wave-program-announced/) |
| Theatrical release | October 4, 2024, limited, in the United States; distributor Dreznick Goldberg Productions[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_forest_hills_festival_cut) |
| Key crew | Cinematographer Scott B. Hansen; composer Mark Nadolski; casting director Kevin Tompkins[1](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-forest-hills-festival-cut/cast/2030573074/) |
| Dedication | A tribute to John Carpenter, and "in loving memory of" Shelley Duvall[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19816664/fullcredits/) |
## Spoilers
### Story and approach
The film follows Rico, who descends into madness in the [Catskill Mountains](https://www.edgepedia.org/catskill-mountains) after being haunted by nightmares[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_forest_hills_festival_cut). Goldberg described the story as a dark thriller in which horror unfolds inside one man's mind and draws others into his problems; Rico has head trauma, blackouts, and cannot remember the full details of his past[7](https://rue-morgue.com/shelley-duvall-returns-director-scott-goldberg-talks-the-forest-hills/). The werewolf elements use practical effects rather than CGI, including a transformation scene performed by Furlong and Mendez together[7](https://rue-morgue.com/shelley-duvall-returns-director-scott-goldberg-talks-the-forest-hills/).
Goldberg said he deliberately kept the narrative disjointed because the film is narrated by Rico, whose fractured personality and mental state do not produce a linear story; he noted in interviews that some viewers recognized this intention while others did not[8](https://ihrtn.net/interviews-scott-goldberg/amp/).
## Production origins
The project emerged from an abandoned one. Goldberg and his team had to back out of a film that was to shoot in Detroit after what he describes as red flags with a producer and a one-sided deal memo that left his investor's money unprotected; they started a new script that became *The Forest Hills*, set in upstate New York around a cabin in the woods[8](https://ihrtn.net/interviews-scott-goldberg/amp/). The filming location moved from Michigan to the Catskills, and the budget grew from $20,000 to $200,000 as better-known actors joined the cast[4](https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/5e4308f8-76de-46a5-9a49-b60be8314ae4/episodes/1d11fea6-536b-4b22-9f25-fea3156abff2/macabre-ish-cults-classics-horrors-scott-goldberg-director-of-the-forest-hills).
## Shelley Duvall's return
Duvall, best known for Wendy Torrance in [Stanley Kubrick](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-kubrick)'s *The Shining*, had not made a film for 20 years and had been officially retired since 2002 when she agreed to appear[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/26/shed-never-done-anything-like-this-before-behind-the-scenes-on-shelley-duvalls-extraordinary-final-film). Goldberg reached her through her longtime partner, the musician [Dan Gilroy](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-gilroy), who passed along her phone number[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/26/shed-never-done-anything-like-this-before-behind-the-scenes-on-shelley-duvalls-extraordinary-final-film) • [8](https://ihrtn.net/interviews-scott-goldberg/amp/). Because she used a wheelchair, could not travel, and struggled to remember lines, the crew filmed at her home in Blanco, Texas; her role, originally a cameo inspired by [Jason Voorhees](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-voorhees)'s hallucinations of his mother Pamela in *Friday the 13th*, was significantly expanded over about five further shoots[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/26/shed-never-done-anything-like-this-before-behind-the-scenes-on-shelley-duvalls-extraordinary-final-film) • [8](https://ihrtn.net/interviews-scott-goldberg/amp/).
Goldberg said his aim was to give Duvall a platform to act again with dignity, so that the widely criticized 2016 *Dr. Phil* episode would not be the final mark on her career[8](https://ihrtn.net/interviews-scott-goldberg/amp/) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/26/shed-never-done-anything-like-this-before-behind-the-scenes-on-shelley-duvalls-extraordinary-final-film). Duvall died in July 2024 from complications related to diabetes, three months before the film's theatrical release, and the credits carry an "in loving memory of" dedication to her[3](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/26/shed-never-done-anything-like-this-before-behind-the-scenes-on-shelley-duvalls-extraordinary-final-film) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19816664/fullcredits/).
## From festival cut to theatrical release
The festival version premiered on the genre-festival circuit in 2023, beginning with a Salem Horror Fest screening on April 30, 2023[4](https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/5e4308f8-76de-46a5-9a49-b60be8314ae4/episodes/1d11fea6-536b-4b22-9f25-fea3156abff2/macabre-ish-cults-classics-horrors-scott-goldberg-director-of-the-forest-hills), followed by a virtual premiere at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival that August[5](https://popcornfrights.com/popcorn-frights-second-wave-program-announced/). The film changed substantially after these screenings. Goldberg said in 2023 that it might be 8 to 10 months before the film was seen outside festival rounds while he weighed distribution offers[4](https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/5e4308f8-76de-46a5-9a49-b60be8314ae4/episodes/1d11fea6-536b-4b22-9f25-fea3156abff2/macabre-ish-cults-classics-horrors-scott-goldberg-director-of-the-forest-hills), and the finished film's Blu-ray release includes a featurette, "Beyond Smodcastle: Fixing The Forest Hills," documenting how elements were changed from drama toward horror, with clips from the earlier "Smodcastle cut"[9](https://www.macabredaily.com/articles/cc-theforesthills-mywaybr1224). The 2023 theatrical premiere was hosted by filmmaker [Kevin Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-smith), and the nationwide theatrical release followed on October 4, 2024[10](https://www.madsincinema.com/co-productions.html) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_forest_hills_festival_cut).
## Reception
Critical response to the released film was largely negative. On Rotten Tomatoes the Festival Cut holds a Tomatometer based on only 2 reviews, with critics Paul Lê of Bloody Disgusting rating it 1.5/5 and Sharai Bohannon of Horror Movie Blog 0.5/5[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_forest_hills_festival_cut). A Macabre Daily review of the Blu-ray called the film disappointing for lacking a clear identity and argued that the older character actors were used in minor supporting roles that served marketing more than the story, while crediting Mendez with an intense lead performance[9](https://www.macabredaily.com/articles/cc-theforesthills-mywaybr1224). Audience reactions on the site were divided, with some viewers citing Duvall's final appearance as the draw and others finding the film disjointed[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_forest_hills_festival_cut).
## References
1. [The Forest Hills Festival Cut – Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-forest-hills-festival-cut/cast/2030573074/)
2. [The Forest Hills Festival Cut, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_forest_hills_festival_cut)
3. ["She'd never done anything like this before": behind the scenes on Shelley Duvall's extraordinary final film, The Guardian (September 26, 2024)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/sep/26/shed-never-done-anything-like-this-before-behind-the-scenes-on-shelley-duvalls-extraordinary-final-film)
4. [Scott Goldberg, Director of The Forest Hills, Macabre...ish Cults, Classics & Horrors podcast (April 29, 2023)](https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/5e4308f8-76de-46a5-9a49-b60be8314ae4/episodes/1d11fea6-536b-4b22-9f25-fea3156abff2/macabre-ish-cults-classics-horrors-scott-goldberg-director-of-the-forest-hills)
5. [Popcorn Frights Second Wave Program Announced, Popcorn Frights](https://popcornfrights.com/popcorn-frights-second-wave-program-announced/)
6. [The Forest Hills Festival Cut (2023) – Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19816664/fullcredits/)
7. [Shelley Duvall Returns! Director Scott Goldberg talks "The Forest Hills", Rue Morgue (October 29, 2022)](https://rue-morgue.com/shelley-duvall-returns-director-scott-goldberg-talks-the-forest-hills/)
8. [Interviews // Scott Goldberg, I Heart Noise](https://ihrtn.net/interviews-scott-goldberg/amp/)
9. [Collector's Crypt – The Forest Hills (My Way Pictures Blu-ray), Macabre Daily (December 13, 2024)](https://www.macabredaily.com/articles/cc-theforesthills-mywaybr1224)
10. [Co-Productions – The Forest Hills, Mad Sin Cinema](https://www.madsincinema.com/co-productions.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Horror films (individual works) › Horror thriller films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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