The Love Witch is a 2016 film directed by Anna Biller. It centers around a modern-day witch named Elaine, who uses her magical abilities to seduce men and make them fall in love with her. The film is a tribute to the Technicolor melodramas of the 1960s, and it prominently features vibrant colors, stylized sets, and retro fashion. The Love Witch has received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 135 reviews, with an average rating of 8.17/10.

The Love Witch review – glorious retro fantasy-horror

L A film-maker Anna Biller achieves an ecstasy of artificiality in this amazing retro fantasy horror, delivered with absolute conviction. It’s designed, produced, written, directed and generally auteured by Biller herself, and lit and photographed by M David Mullen – apparently without digital fabrication.

The Love Witch goes beyond camp, beyond pastiche; it ignites the pulpy surfaces of its tale and produces a smoke of bad-dream sexiness and scariness. It’s a B-movie with A-grade potency. But you have to stay with it, you have to understand its absolute seriousness before getting the comedy and the satire of the transactional politics in sex.

Samantha Robinson plays Elaine, a beautiful, dark-haired woman with a look of Barbara Eden or Diana Rigg. She is a white witch with occult powers and leaves a trail of men in her wake – woebegone, lovelorn and, indeed, dead. These handsome beefcake guys have become a gallery of castrated swains who have sacrificed themselves for Elaine, as she demurely presides over her secret occult court of predatory lust.

Biller creates for Elaine some showstoppingly outrageous makeup and lingerie. Her story is happening in the modern world with recognisably contemporary automobiles and technology. But otherwise it’s drenched in the Technicolor 60s: there are touches of Italian horror, Hammer and late Hitchcock, as well as the deadpan attention to period detail and convention that David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams achieved in their comedies. Biller devises a feminine sensibility for exploitation to match the macho connoisseurship of Tarantino or Rodriguez.

There is a glorious cod Renaissance “marriage” scene in which Samantha consecrates her awful destiny with the police officer who is on her trail. And, yes, of course it is ridiculous, but brilliant and, frankly, sublime. See it at midnight.

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Review: The Love Witch

What It Is: Elaine (Robinson) a witch uses love and sex spells on men in order to make them fall in love with her. Does she care that this love is artificial, no, not really? Just so long as these poor souls worship at her alter. Following the death of her husband, she’ll do anything necessary to assure she is not alone. And if she has to be that it isn’t for long. No man is off-guard whether they be a policeman or the husband of her friend Trish (Waddell).

What We Think: I’ll start this off by saying that I adore the technicolor, throwback vibe of this flick. Biller shoots the film in a very B-movie style. For a film that came out so recently, it does a helluva job looking like 70’s schlocky crap. Here’s the thing, though, this film and its hammy over-acting work wholly and completely. Samantha Robinson plays Elaine with such a seductive swagger you yourself cannot help falling under her spell. Knowing what the film is and was going for tells you a lot about what and where your expectations should be.

Our Grade: B-, A good movie and a real treat for fans of blaxploitation and grindhouse features. It really is a quirky little film filled with larger than life personas all set against the seventies stylings. I think that Anna Biller should keep making movies in whatever style she wants because they are a welcomed change of pace. In a world full of blockbusters and CGI disappointments sometimes it is just nice to throw it back and let the filmmaking do the talking. I recommend this but caution that some may not get or appreciate the films little oddities.

The Love Witch

Elaine, a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, and then picks up men and seduces them. However her spells work too well, and she ends up with a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved will drive her to the brink of insanity and murder.

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Hairstyling Hairstyling

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Alternative Titles

러브 위치, Ведьма любви, Czarownica miłości, Aşk Cadısı, לב קרוע, 爱之女巫, Vrăjitoarea dragostei, 사랑의 마녀, Відьма кохання, A Feiticeira do Amor, Вещица на любовта, 偷心女巫, Phù Thủy Tình Yêu, ラブ・ウィッチ

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Releases by Date

Premiere

31 Jan 2016

• Netherlands International Film Festival Rotterdam

19 Jun 2016

• UK 15 Edinburgh International Film Festival

16 Jul 2016

• Canada Fantasia International Film Festival

Theatrical limited

11 Nov 2016

Theatrical

10 Mar 2017

• Ireland 15
• UK 15

07 Jul 2017

10 Oct 2017

26 Oct 2017

• Portugal M/16

Digital

10 Mar 2017

Physical

13 Mar 2017

• Singapore

Releases by Country

Brazil

10 Oct 2017

• Theatrical

Canada

16 Jul 2016

• Premiere Fantasia International Film Festival

Ireland

10 Mar 2017

• Theatrical 15

Netherlands

31 Jan 2016

• Premiere International Film Festival Rotterdam

Portugal

26 Oct 2017

• Theatrical M/16

Singapore

13 Mar 2017

• Physical Blu-ray

Spain

07 Jul 2017

• Theatrical

UK

19 Jun 2016

• Premiere 15 Edinburgh International Film Festival

10 Mar 2017

• Theatrical 15

10 Mar 2017

• Digital 15

USA

11 Nov 2016

• Theatrical limited NR

17/10. The website's consensus reads, "The Love Witch offers an absorbing visual homage to a bygone era, arranged subtly in service of a thought-provoking meditation on the battle of the sexes." Many critics have praised the film for its unique visual style and attention to detail.

Popular reviews

"Some men go their entire lives without seeing a tampon"
*moments later*
Men not knowing what a tampon is. this is a technicolor feminist masterpiece

Say hello to your new obsession: A spellbinding homage to old pulp paperbacks and the Technicolor melodramas of the 1960s, Anna Biller’s “The Love Witch” is a throwback that’s told with a degree of perverse conviction and studied expertise that would make Quentin Tarantino blush. Shot in velvety 35mm and seen through the lens of a playfully violent female gaze, the film follows a beautiful, narcissistic young sorceress named Elaine (Samantha Robinson, unforgettable in a demented breakthrough performance) as she blows into a coastal Californian town in desperate search of a replacement for her recently murdered husband. Sex, death, Satanic rituals, God-level costume design, and cinema’s greatest tampon joke ensue, as Biller spins an archly funny — but also hyper-sincere — story about the true price of the patriarchy. There hasn’t been anything quite like it in decades. READ THE FULL REVIEW ON INDIEWIRE

near the end there, i was ALMOST asleep because of how tired i am right now, but then she did THAT™ and i woke RIGHT the fuck up

•THIS WAS TOO DAMN LONG
•I honest to god loved the entire vibe and aesthetic SO MUCH and the production design and the costuming and the cinematography were all beyond glorious but after two hours the - forgive me - magic was truly wearing off and it cheapened the beautiful, cloying mood
•the renaissance faire gave me second hand embarrassment and hives goodbye I never want to see wooden sword fighting like that ever again
•how can u use magic as a direct allegory for homosexuality and then deny me witch lesbians . ripped off and pissed off!
•sigh the more I think about it the more I realise it didn't really know what it was trying to say about feminism…

The Love Witch is a campy, ’60s-style horror fable of love in the 21st century

The movie conjures love, magic, and a bit of death and destruction in a throwback to Technicolor exploitation films.

The use of Technicolor and retro aesthetics has been commended for effectively transporting viewers to a different time period. The film's production design, costumes, and makeup have been particularly lauded for their accuracy and craftsmanship. In terms of performances, Samantha Robinson has received widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Elaine. Her ability to seamlessly transition between the character's seductive charm and vulnerability has been noted as a standout aspect of the film. Other supporting cast members, such as Laura Waddell and Jeffrey Vincent Parise, have also been praised for their performances. The Love Witch has also been praised for its exploration of feminist themes and its commentary on gender roles and expectations. The film presents an empowering and complex portrayal of its female protagonist, challenging traditional ideas of femininity and female power dynamics. Despite its positive reception, The Love Witch may not be for everyone. Its slow pacing, stylized dialogue, and deliberate homage to older films might not resonate with all viewers. Some have criticized the film for its length and its narrative focus, arguing that it could benefit from tighter editing and a more streamlined plot. Overall, The Love Witch is an artfully crafted film that stands out for its visual style, authentic retro aesthetics, and thought-provoking themes. Its positive critical reception reflects its success in paying homage to an earlier era of cinema while offering a contemporary and feminist perspective..

Reviews for "The Love Witch: A Bewitching Rating with a Spellbinding Performance"

1. John - 1/5 rating: I found "The Love Witch" to be a complete waste of my time. The story was shallow, the acting was mediocre at best, and the characters were one-dimensional stereotypes. The film tried too hard to be a modern homage to 60s horror films, but it fell flat in every aspect. The excessive use of outdated visual effects was distracting and only added to the overall disappointment I felt while watching this film. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a quality movie-watching experience.

2. Sarah - 2/5 rating: "The Love Witch" had potential but failed to live up to it. The film started off promising, with a captivating concept and intriguing characters, but it quickly unraveled into a convoluted mess. The plot lacked coherence, and the dialogue was laughably cliché. The visual aesthetic was the only saving grace, as the cinematography and set design were visually stunning. However, that alone wasn't enough to salvage the film from its weak script and uninspired performances. Overall, I was disappointed by this film and wouldn't recommend it to others.

3. Mike - 2/5 rating: I had high hopes for "The Love Witch," but it turned out to be a disappointment. The film seemed more interested in style over substance, focusing on aesthetics rather than delivering a cohesive and engaging storyline. The characters were unrelatable, and their motivations were unclear. It felt like the director was trying too hard to create a visually striking film but neglected to develop a compelling narrative. While there were a few memorable scenes, they were overshadowed by the film's overall lack of depth. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone seeking a meaningful cinematic experience.

The Love Witch Rating: A Revival of Classic Horror Tropes with a Feminist Twist