If you’ve been hidden in a trunk for the past 12 months then you may not have heard of THE LOVE WITCH, for everyone else, this throwback to 70’s technicolor horror has been a sight well received. With a passion for cinema of a bygone era, this passion project comes at a time when there really is nothing else like it.

 

When a beautiful young woman moves into a new house, the only thing she is missing is the company of a good man. Luckily for Elaine (Samantha Robinson) she’s a witch, and the torture of the dating scene is wanton replaced with the spells of witchcraft. However, the easy option to be a loved is an escapade of trial and error as her search for Mr Perfect leaves behind it a trail of bodies and broken hearts.

 

THE LOVE WITCH grabs your attention from the outset. It’s vivid colour and vivacious stars all work together to bring a retro movie to life, everything that made some of the era’s great so great all present and correct; stern stares, close camera shots, Hammer horror inspired soundtrack and the unbelievable characteristic sets all throw back memories of films that made the genre. Unfortunately for THE LOVE WITCH, when you bury beneath its surface, the cracks begin to show.

 

The first criticism that comes to mind is the duration. At over two hours long it’s a shame to say that it drags. The film could do with speeding up its introductions and focusing on one relationship. It’s only when she finds her man that the film really gels with its theme and while it would be hard to eliminate anything from the films story, it certainly could scrap some of the lacklustre conversations that add little to the film. By the time the film grabs hold of its subject and goes ahead full steam, the patience has already worn thin with over an hour of dialogue and drawn out character building that it’s a challenge to stay with it.

 

Secondly, the bubble created in Anna Buller’s world is quickly burst by roaming modern vehicles and plot devices that jolt you back into the real world quicker than INCEPTION. Finally, the film lacks one thing, any real sense of horror. While the subject has its supernatural tone and several scenes of the devilish coven would raise eyebrows in the hippy era, in 2017, merely having a witch in the film makes it no less a romantic comedy than anything remotely close to horror. Elaine’s calamities and dilemma’s a more akin to an extended episode of BEWITCHED than last years THE WITCH and while this is intentional, needs a forewarning for anyone sold on this with the Frightfest banner.

 

Yet despite all this criticism, THE LOVE WITCH is a movie made with heart. The passion from Anna Buller is undeniable and to boot everything from clothing and set design to final editing is from someone with passion for a bygone yet golden era of cinema. While taking on sole creation of the film has shown its flaws (an extra pair of eyes in the editing department would have shrunk the films length and gave a more poignant punch) it’s also hard to fault someone who has taken on this much responsibility to bring THE LOVE WITCH to life.

 

While it doesn’t live up to the expectation of more than a beautiful art piece and its depth is only skin deep, fortunately the skin is a beauty to bathe in. If you can make it past this, there’s some fun to be had here and Samantha Robinson owns the title role. Her magnetism of men needs no spell and together with Gian Keyes as her ultimate rival their chemistry is a pleasure to watch, playing off like a pin-up couple from the 70’s.