First of all I must admit that it took me two attempts to actually get through this movie. Not because this was a bad movie, don't get me wrong. The first time I made it some 25 minutes into it before I had to leave it, as my wife wasn't impressed with what was transpiring on the screen. So I returned to the movie some two weeks later by myself, because I thought that the movie definitely deserved a chance, because I was entertained by what I had seen so far back then during the first round...
...And I am glad that I did return to watch "The Love Witch", because this is definitely an interesting and entertaining movie. I fear that this might be a movie that will be grossly underrated or overlooked, because it is definitely not a mainstream movie. If you happen to pick up this movie, you definitely owe it to yourself to take the time and sit down to watch it.
So "The Love Witch" is set in a modern age, yet there is something very 1970's about it, from the way that people dress, the make-up and the hairstyles. So was the movie supposed to take place during the 1970s or what? If so, then they sure did fail to get the authenticity correct with the cars in most of the scenes where there were cars, as they were cars of newer models. So was this set in the 1970s or modern age spiced up with that unique 1970s wardrobe? That was a little bit confusing.
Samantha Robinson was really great in her portrayal of Elaine, the witch character. She had a particular presence and charm to her which instantly made her the center of attention. Plus it really helped a lot that the costume and make-up department got the character spot on with the wardrobe and cosmetics. This was the first time that I got acquainted with Samantha Robinson and her talent, and she definitely seems like she could be very well on her way for bigger and greater things in Hollywood.
The cast in "The Love Witch" was actually quite good, and it was especially Samantha Robinson who carried the movie. But the cast in general were doing good jobs with their given roles and characters, and the talented performers were nicely cast for these characters.
"The Love Witch" has an alluring and very fitting music score that really accompanies the movie quite well.
Writer and director Anna Biller really had managed to conjure up something quite magical here with what she did with "The Love Witch". Ranging from dialogue and characters to mood and atmosphere, then it was all a great combination that definitely had been put a lot of thought and effort into.
The visuals effects in the movie were also very 1970's, having a very psychedelic feel to it, it terms of color, appearance and function. This was working very well in favor of the movie.
Labeled as a horror comedy, I somehow failed to see the horror aspect of "The Love Witch". It was more of a dark magical comedy of sorts - if there even is such a genre.
Being a movie that revolves around a witch who uses magic to obtain the love of men, there is of course some occult and supernatural aspect to the movie as well. It is done with enough grace and respect without delving into being too much of a focal point for the movie.
"The Love Witch" can be somewhat of an acquired taste, and I think that you must indeed have a love for the world of cinema to truly appreciate "The Love Witch" for what it is. This is not your ordinary mainstream movie by any means.
