When I first saw the trailer for The Love Witch, I thought it was another
one of those dreadful low-budget direct-to-video movies – dim-witted, inept, clumsy,
and lifeless. But it did strike me that
it seemed to have the makings of a “so bad, it’s good” movie. I thought I would probably enjoy mocking its
awfulness.
To my surprise, The Love Witch isn’t necessarily an objectively
bad and incompetent movie. For the “bad
movie” indications that I noticed in the trailer is very much intentional. Telling a story about a young witch named
Elaine (Samantha Robinson) who uses dark magic to make men fall desperately in
love with her, the movie serves as both homage and parody of campy 60’s horror-thriller films.
The acting in this movie is as authentically
deadpan and over-the-top as the ones in the films it’s emulating. Either the cast just delivered terrific,
committed performances or the casting director brilliantly hired actors from the
same acting pool where Tommy Wiseau came from.
Likewise, the “ridiculousness” of
the script is spot-on, completing the appeal.
But the best thing about its 60’s-style
approach is its production value, editing, and visuals. In these respects, this film is stylish and
immaculate. Despite being made and
set in the 21st century, the movie really does look and feel like a
movie made in the 60’s – all thanks to its pretty, elaborately-detailed sets, costume
design, and makeup; period-accurate technical transitions and narrative flow; and
gorgeous Technicolor aesthetics.
In addition, though not
necessarily profound and though I don’t fundamentally agree with much of its
message, its story is deeply metaphorical – utilizing its over-the-top occult premise
to explore themes like feminism, love and desire, narcissism, and how men see
women.
So, yeah, The Love Witch is technically not terrible. It’s a fresh-concept, good-looking, and amusing
movie. And even if what it intends to be
of itself doesn’t work for you, it can still entertain through a “so bad, it’s good”
perspective.
I don’t really love The Love Witch. But it’s always nice to discover a movie you
thought would be bad turned out being not.
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