The Love Witch

An aesthetically pleasing film, but man oh man, it's a slow two-hours. "Complaining about the runtime? How could he?" Very easily, folks. VERY EASILY!

Intresting that writer/director/designer Anna Biller, whose vision is evident in every tactile detail, is adamant that this is not meant as comedy or homage to 60's sexploitation. I found it hard to enjoy this as anything other than uniquely retro camp pastiche about somewhat arch gender discourses & self-help relationship guides. This weird discrepancy might contribute to its singular kitsch aura but it doesn't carry the ideas far enough to be much more than formally subversive & very amusing.

Very aesthetically pleasing, and I'm not just talking about the luminous Samantha Robinson. This looks like a bizarre 60s/70s flick given an HD remaster. The underlying themes of gender and sexuality aren't entirely lost amidst the style, humour and setting; shades of The Stepford Wives and other weird dramas are evident, and I suspect that rewatching will reap dividends. It could have benefitted from some sharper editing, and been a bit, well, FILTHIER, but this is definitely worth seeing.

It has a deeply cynical, almost scathing approach to the battle of the sexes that verges on parody, the dialogue is stilted but in a dead-pan way that works, and all the actors operate as if they're in a bizarre soap opera from a mysterious bygone era. It's a beautifully shot and wickedly funny movie, so check it out.

TLW provides us with a hilariously campy and incredibly academic stab at second-wave feminism, mid-century Hollywood, and the gender binary. The film explores the toxic role of patriarchy through employing it to its furthest parodic threshold, undercutting it, and then literally murdering the hetero-clusterfuck that the film knowingly backs itself into with its perfect conclusion. Self-worth or agency could be conflated with the eponymous "love" here, and it humorously picks these themes apart.

Relies too much on gag and retro aesthetics, gets weaker and falls apart towards the end.

A gorgeous, stylish movie with some clever insight into the male gaze and how screwed up modern ideas of love and sex can be. Suffers from a few plot-related hiccoughs but overall a beautiful revival of bygone aesthetics.

I imagine if you love this attention to style that is all the substance you need, I found it intolerable

Interesting style but the movie had its head too far up its own ass to tell a good story.

Full of itself

2016's La La Land of horror cinema. Just as there isn't any substance in La La, same goes for LW, even though the latter is far richer than the former. As some have already noted, it could've been way filthier and darker, and truer to its feminism: she could've tantalize men, use them for her pleasure & offer them to satan as sacrifice. There could've been more suspense and real horror. Thus, this cool retro look doesn't suffice for a good movie. But still not unworthy of a watch.

Another back-of-Hollywood B-movie from the multi-talented Anna Biller, with a lot of attention going into production design, costumes, props, casting etc to make sure that all the visual riches on screen will compensate for the not-to-be-taken-too-seriously story and old-fashioned staging. Biller neophytes may be taken in by this striking cinematic language, but for me this is the same trick as in "Viva", only without that edge of biting satire in the script. A little dull and linear.

Seeing this on 35mm was absolutely gorgeous; aesthetically, there is not enough I can say about this. From the set design to the framing, its callback to '60s schlock wasn't just evoked; it was downright recreated. Narratively, I'm struggling to work through its many inherent contradictions and layers; will require multiple viewings.

The things I liked about this movie are the design, the sound (the acoustics of a movie theatre), the late 60's early 70's aesthetic (I was convinced for a second it was genuine), and it was well casted (no pun intended). I would have laughed more if I saw it 20 years ago. Essentially, I felt the main philosophy behind the story was a bit film school freshman.

The Love Witch pastiches esthetics from the early 70s to deliver a gleeful skewering of sex and gender roles, all done with a deadpan madness that I'm never sure is intended or just happens. Gets lost in itself once or twice, but who can blame it? Wicked.

Fans of the unusual may be drawn in by the movie's combo of Feminist Studies & badly made 70's horror flick, but that loses its appeal quickly as the deliberately stiff performances & deliberately clunky dialogue make you wonder what the hell the filmmaker was thinking surrounding her "patriarchy"-destroys-everyone storyline w/ so much cheese. The lead is impressive though as she somehow remains compelling despite being instructed to act as vapidly as possible.Or maybe it's just cause she's hot.

cool and beautiful but also pretty boring

Killer style but it runs too long without shifting gears for how relentlessly camp it is. I suppose was hoping for a more psychedelic climax.

Aesthetically and stylistically wonderful. The script is interesting but the drama isn't exactly compelling and the intentionally wooden performances didn't always work for me. The full-on visual splendor helps mask any shortcomings.

A rare film that uses its references only to demolish them and construct something new -- a Technicolor feminist soap-opera about human nature, spells and a deadly drive for love. So many lovely raccords -- dirt to bury a dead body followed by a chocolate cake being cut -- and the beautifully use of close-ups and establishing shots uses its lavish, extravagant interiors for a really subversive film about witchcraft and woman empowerment. A wicked, beautiful film about destroying men.

Esse filme é de uma comicidade irônica tão sutil e inteligente e que não estou acreditando que nunca vi um filme dessa mulher antes.

Doofy with the most sincere dedication to the art of filmmaking

You know when you're watching something that's CG, and you know it's CG, but you're also impressed by how real it looks? That's The Love Witch in its attempt to ape late 60s/early 70s horror aesthetics. I'm aware of what they're going for, and it's impressive, but it's also distracting. The titillating scenes were thoroughly enjoyable. Everything else was forgettable barring the ending, which was somewhat unexpected.

Because I LOVE B-movie. Because men are morons. Because one can never be loved enough in this life. Because you can't help but want to be.

What did I just witness? A completely one of a kind oddity for sure. I was amused at times, but I could only marvel at the stylistic choices for so long. About halfway through, the movie's path was clear, and I realized that I wanted so much more out of this experimental retro absurdity, and the movie wasn't going to deliver. And it didn't.

A deliberately grossly exaggerated criticism of the emotional defects of both men and women done in the style of old cheap horror movies, bad acting and all. An oddly adorable movie to watch. The aesthetics are great, almost entrancing at times. Unique!

The thing is, I think the men in this are alright! In particular, Wayne seems like a good dude. I wonder if Naomi Wolf has seen this? And, yes, it did not need to go for two hours.

I read that the cinematographer and the director made some very intentional choices. Technicolor paid off. Samantha Robinson was captivating but at the same time very distant. I liked her meekness when confronted. Pacing and editing felt like a TV movie. Beautiful women; ugly men. Intentionally bad dialogue? Overall a very jarring feel. Is Elaine a victim of the patriarchy and/or is love the real problem? BURN THE WITCH (by stripping her?) Fav scene: renaissance faire.

Bewitching throwback to overwrought 70s horror is beautifully crafted and designed, with gorgeously rendered cinematography and a fine cast in on the joke who never play down to the material; Robinson in particular is great as the faux fatale, and finds her perfect balance in Keys' hilarious squarejaw straight-man work. Loses its way somewhat towards the end, with Biller becoming uncertain as to how to bring it all in for landing, and attempting a profundity that the material doesn't support.

The look of this movie is what I loved te most. The confusing mix of it being in the 60's and actually not taking place during that time is confusing and charming at the both time. The clunky acting just adds more to the mix, but also two hours is way too long a runtime for this plot. The imagery kept me more captivated than the story did, so while I get that it works best as combination, I know I would have struggled to get through this had it been shot in a 'modern' way.

hem satir olarak hem tür olarak işleyerek iyi bir parodi olduğunu gösteriyor. hayran edici bir estetik çekiciliği var. kamera açılarından mizansene, karakterlerden olaylara her şey bir yorum olarak işliyor ve gülümsetiyor. diğer yandan kurduğu cümleye denk düşen bir durumla izleyicisini de karşı karşıya bırakabiliyor samantha robinson sayesinde. böylesi dalgaya yalnızca hayran kalınır.

I don't get it. In the 70s, this would've been ridiculed, maybe mentioned in some movie history book alongside The Vampire Lovers and other 70s Hammer classics. Now someone decided to immitate that cheap art design and slow pacing, and suddenly what was a product of low budget and weak scripts simply becomes 'wit'? Between the real thing, and the thing that is just like the real thing but "self-aware", i think the enjoyment is equal.

When it's good, it's very good; and when it's bad it's horrendous.

Gorgeous and strange film. At times it makes its messages a little too direct. It needs more show and less tell in spots. Overall, it was at times hilarious, beautiful, strange. Nice work.

I enjoyed this quite a bit, but I don't think I understood it.

I expected so much from this film in terms of feminist undertones, but it failed to deliver. The love witch is not the feminist manslayer we dream of, but she is objectified and her victims are portrayed innocent as her murders are not truly justified within the plot. The set, costumes and the style are all beautiful but I wish they went with a much different screenplay.

There's a lot to admire in this film which, for the first time since Black Dynamite, seems actually well steeped in its source material. The visual elements and the soundtrack are all spot on, and impressively ornate, but the text is opaque and awkward. Sometimes it will indulge a little too much in preaching (in all likelihood to a choir). It's a shame, because it is very funny at points. Also rather wore out its welcome half an hour before it ended.

Pure genius!...what an absolute cracker of a film. Works on many levels of satire and irony and has much to say about the often toxic invention of modern love.

The Love Witch establishes itself as a satirical pastiche of 60's sexploitation/70's horror, while constantly talking about gender. Unfortunately, the film doesn't offer anything profound, painting both men and women as potential narcissists, both lustfully indignant. Biller's eye for design and detail is what makes the film stand out, and this stylised aesthetic excuses or even justifies the stilted acting. Robinson is great though. Sadly, the ending veers into Trolls 2 territory. Unrewarding.

Weird, gorgeously shot tribute to classic cinema with a fantastic lead performance from Samantha Robinson.

Pretty stylish and funny, but not a horror or thriller at all.

If you enjoy 2 hours long pointless homages to 60s movies, then this is your movie. If you enjoy anything else, stay away. 2 HOURS LONG!

looked cool! am taking a break from dates now!

Funny and entertaining with a very fun retro aesthetic.

Good exploration of the seeming contradiction of the love-hungry man-hater.

There's a *lot* of subtext going on throughout all 121 minutes of this, & while some of it is well-executed I honestly found most of it to be pretty muddled. It's difficult to tell if the performances are intentionally stilted or not given the look & feel of old-school exploitation, but regardless they're enjoyable. All said, it's a touch long & a bit too arthouse by the end for my taste, but I still found it interesting & appreciated all the different ideas it has. Worth a look for the curious.

It took me back in time and showed me both genders defects.

!f - CKM Budak.

Stylish and original, with a hard to define retro, fantasy, gothic horror feel.

She is eating strawberry while smoking and drinking. She is so busy.

Biller creates a strange world that mixes the style of a Technicolor melodrama from Hollywood's golden age with elements of 60's exploitation, creating an extremely unique visual palette that's then populated with things that interest her ... witchcraft and burlesque mainly. Most reviews seem to want to reduce this to a homage to other filmmakers, but it's clearly a richer and more unique vision than that.

Ait', I liked it A LOT. And there's a fuckton written on it (cult classic mayhaps?). If I'm forced into some sort of statement, I'd say, it lifts the classic gothic romance to a surprising new level, manages sexploitation w/o a whole lot of sexual content. For me though, dazzling colors & swoon-worthy costumes, clever themes, smartness, and juicy inference.

If Douglas Sirk, Hitchcock's Marnie and Dryer's 'Gertrud' had an offspring it would look like Ms. Biller's "Love Witch". Not necessarily a ironic or throw back to a fifties melodrama. But still a great film on its own merits.

Well, I can't say I've seen anything like that before. I loved the look, atmosphere, and overall satirical tone of the whole piece--both modern and aged at once. I *think* I get what it's trying to do, and laughter is often the best way to get one's point across. And while I am sympathetic to that point--something along the lines of 'women are people, too'--I just wish I felt more invested in any of the people that populate this film.