The Love Witch

Hello, my darling readers!
Today I bring you a rather weird movie that I can’t even put into a certain genre. There’s comedy, there’s tragedy, there’s horror. But most importantly, there are the 1960s!

The Plot (according to Rotten Tomatoes):

Elaine (Samantha Robinson), a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, 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 at last meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved drives her to the brink of insanity and murder.

The Rating:

I first heard about this movie when I came across a couple of pictures on tumblr. At first, I honestly thought The Love Witch is a movie from the 60s I just hadn’t heard of before. Oh boy, was I wrong.

Mind you, this 2016 flick made every effort to make the 1960s come to life. It was shot on 35mm film, to then be printed from an original cut negative. Most of the costumes are geniune vintage dresses from the time as well.

You might have guessed it, this movie is my dream. I am in love with the 60s aesthetic and honestly, I didn’t even care about the story all that much when I switched it on. I just wanted to get lost in the design.

Turns out, the story is actually pretty interesting as well! Some of the protagonist’s (Elain’s) lines are cringey at first but you have to see everything in the grander picutre of the entire film. It is an interesting commentary on gender roles. Anna Biller who wrote, directed and produced the film plays with typical 60s horror flick tropes only to make you question scenes you were presented there.

While I didn’t love every scene, I certainly appreciate the story as a whole. It’s a fascinating take that comes twirling in brightly coloured only to be delicously dark underneath.

The Love Witch is an outstanding piece of film-making. The story does have its great moments but even if that isn’t for you, the movie is worth watching for the design alone. It’s a trip to the 60s and you can’t help but get lost in it.

Did you watch the film? Let me know in the comments!

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