The Love Witch: A Technicolor Tale That’s Just Alright

By Julia Kelm

The Love Witch is a film directed by Anna Biller. It was released in 2016, but it looks more reminiscent of the 1960s with its technicolor-film flare, which is what made me so intrigued by this film in the first place. The story follows a modern-day witch, Elaine, who uses spells and magic to get men to fall in love with her. However, they all meet a deadly fate.  

To put it plainly, I did not particularly enjoy this film. However, before I talk about the negatives of this film, which there are many, I wanna talk about the few things that I liked. 

First off, this film is very visually pleasing and feels like it came out several decades ago. This is due to the costuming, makeup, set design, and the movie being shot on 35 mm film. Film gives it that grainy, nostalgic feel, and it’s pretty expensive to shoot on film nowadays, so I applaud their decision to go the authentic route, instead of just using some post-editing.

Something else that is very neat about this film is that a considerable portion of the film was shot in locations here in Arcata and Eureka. Some of the most notable spots are Arcata Square and the Bair-Stokes House, also in Arcata. It was definitely fun to say, “Oh, I’ve been there,” while watching Elaine wander around our little college town.

Now, I’d like to get into what I didn’t enjoy about this film. This film is trying really hard to feel like an old movie, which it mostly succeeds at, even going above and beyond with its use of 35 mm film. However, what immediately took me out while watching was seeing this modern-ass BMW in the first ten minutes. Why put all this effort into having me be engrossed in the past, and then show that ugly contemporary car? What annoys me even more is that the shot could have easily been framed more tightly, keeping the focus on the characters with the house as the backdrop, making the period feel more immersive.

Going beyond that one detail, the acting in this film is also awful. I don’t think there was one performance in this film that I even remotely enjoyed. It wasn’t even funny-bad either — Elaine is just so boring, which kinda sucks for a movie that’s supposed to be a fun, sexy witch slasher flick. This film’s 2-hour runtime felt more like 4, dragging on far longer than necessary. Scenes are stretched well beyond their limit, weighed down by some of the dullest dialogue I’ve heard in ages.

Something that also bothered me about this film was its supposed message of feminism with the character of Elaine. Elaine kills men because it’s a way for her to gain empowerment, which she outright explains near the end of the film at the club. This approach is generally ineffective, as it’s always more impactful to show rather than tell the audience why a character behaves the way they do. We never really have a good reason for Elaine killing these men, outside of her explanation and a few comments here and there. 

I think this film could’ve been a whole lot better, it does have all the pieces of a good cult classic, it’s just missing charm. 

There are a few changes I’d make if I had the power. No offense to the cast — this could also be more of a directorial issue — but I’d start by hiring more charismatic and genuinely talented actors. I’d consider someone like Mia Goth, Margaret Qualley, or Aubrey Plaza for the role of Elaine, giving her a slightly more unhinged edge. The 35mm film may need to be sacrificed for the budget to get one of these actresses, but that’s just a sacrifice I’m willing to make. 

Furthermore, the characters could have a little more depth by making the men more hateable and giving Elaine more of a personality. I would also make Elaine’s reason for her motives more clear. A better-explained backstory with her ex-husband could remedy that.

It’s definitely worth a watch if you only care about cool aesthetics, or seeing some iconic Arcata spots. However, it’s not high on my recommendation list. What is nice is that it’s currently free to stream on Tubi, so you won’t have to pay to watch this mid movie.

Julia is a journalism major at Cal Poly Humboldt. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. To quote Robin Williams in her all-time favorite movie, Dead Poets Society, “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”