The Love Witch
In UK Cinemas, VOD and Digital HD from 10 March 2017
Fast sell:
A transformative and exquisite creation by Anna Biller (who directed, produced, wrote, edited, scored and designed every aspect), this gorgeous-looking tribute to 1960s/70s low-budget horrors, classic American soap operas, Technicolor melodramas and vintage sexploitation aesthetics is an affectionate masterful pastiche with a deft feminist bite. Think Russ Meyer meets Douglas Sirk and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls via ‘Charmed’ and ‘Dynasty’ as lovelorn young witch Elaine (a stunning Samantha Robinson) uses spells and potions to bring her everlasting romantic happiness. Finally meeting her dream man, Elaine’s desperation to be loved drives her to the brink of insanity and murder.
Key talent:
Writer and director
Anna Biller (Viva, The Hypnotist)
Cast
Samantha Robinson (Sugar Daddies)
Laura Waddell (TV’s The Vault)
Elle Evans (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse)
Jeffrey Vincent Parise (TV’s General Hospital and Days of Our Lives)
Stephen Wozniak (Elevator)
Synopsis:
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, leaving her 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.
With a visual style that pays tribute to Technicolor thrillers of the ‘60s, The Love Witch explores female fantasy and the repercussions of pathological narcissism.
We like it because:
The Love Witch really is a breath of fresh air while remaining beautifully retro in tone. Entirely shot on 35mm and inspired by the likes of the pulp novels of the swinging sixties, George A. Romero’s Season of the Witch, British B-movie Horror Hotel, Hitchcock’s 1950s color films and mid-century European art cinema, the film looks and feels as if it was produced in 1960s Hollywood, while having some distinctly modern things to say about narcissism, femininity and feminism.
Everything in The Love Witch is gorgeously constructed, from the vintage look of the sets, costumes and cinematography, to the image of Elaine as a symbol of female power and sexuality. Her makeup, lashes, wig, costumes and fetish lingerie may all be things that she hides behind, but she also uses them as weapons against the men who don’t love her in the way she demands.
A truly unique film blending high camp, retro fun and frothy imagery with a seriously dark underbelly, The Love Witch has garnered great reviews from early screenings thanks to Biller’s confident direction and a star turn from Samantha Robinson as Elaine. It’s an irresistible delight whether you’re a fan of 1960s horror-thrillers or simply a lover of strong women on film.
Hot quotes:
“Feminist Cinema Needs ‘The Love Witch’” – VICE
“Vastly entertaining” ★★★★★ – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out
“Gorgeous, sexy and mesmerising” – Starburst
“Absolutely stunning” – SciFiNow
“Riotously funny, overwrought, dramatic and full of suspense.” – The Skinny
“Impossible to resist. Anna Biller’s movie, like its heroine, presents a fascinating, perfectly composed, brightly colored surface. What’s underneath is marvelously dark, like love itself” – A.O. Scott, New York Times
Distributor:
Icon Film Distribution / FrightFest Presents
Release date:
10th March, 2017
Running time:
120 minutes