At 73 years old, many people are ready to sit back and relax, but Shelley Duvall is about to make her movie come back with her first role for 20 years in The Forest Hills. Seeing Duvall return to screens will be a buzz for those who remember some of her previous iconic roles, including that of Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
The Forest Hills is an indie horror movie written and directed by Scott Goldberg, in which Duvall plays the mother of Rico, the central character who wanders the Catskills Mountains, being driven mad by nightmarish visions. Duvall appears as a tormenting inner voice of Rico, with her scenes shot with only a black background, giving her a stark and severe presence as she goads her son with her first words spoken on screen since 2002’s Like Manna From Heaven. Check it out in the trailer below.
Along with Duvall, The Forest Hills also features some other iconic actors of decades past, including Dee Wallace, known for her many roles in 80s movies such as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Cujo, and Terminator 2: Judgement Day actor Edward Furlong.
Will This Be Shelley Duvall’s Only New Movie Appearance?
There is currently no word on whether Shelley Duvall has returned to acting for The Forest Hills to extend her surprise step out of self-imposed retirement, but for her fans, even this one appearance, which instantly stands out as a memorable one, is more than they probably ever expected to see.
For many movie fans, Duvall’s appearance in The Shining will always be her stand-out role, despite it also attracting the attention of the Razzie Awards. This year saw the Razzies make the belated decision to rescind their decision to award Duvall the worst actress award for the role, mostly in light of information being revealed about how director Stanley Kubrick traumatized her during the making of the movie to get the performance he wanted from her. The Forest Hill’s writer Scott Goldberg commented on that role, noting how much of a fan of the movie he is. He previously said:
"We are huge fans of The Shining, and it’s honestly one of my favorite horror movies of all time, up there with John Carpenter’s Halloween and George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead with the dark tones they delivered in their movies, along with perfect scores and elements that make them my personal favorites. Shelley contributed to The Shining being an absolute masterpiece by giving her all, and performing in a way that really showcased the fear and horror of a mother in isolation."
So far, Duvall has not spoken about her role in the movie or why she has chosen now to come out of retirement, but no doubt all of that will come when The Forest Hills is released in 2023. Until then, it would be a great time for fans to revisit some of Duvall’s past performances, which along with The Shining, included the 1977 movie Three Women, and appearing alongside Robin Williams in a live-action version of Popeye as Olive Oyl.