The Love Witch | Movie Review | MovieWitches

[@RLanceHunter]

I absolutely love this movie, but I also 100% agree that its optimal presentation is being projected on a wall (without sound) during a party. One thing that really stuck out to me was all of the paintings that the Love Witch made and had hanging around her room. As someone who has frequented my share of neopagan festivals, those paintings looked *exactly* like what you'd find for sale at one of their vendor booths that also sold sarongs, pewter dragon statues, and ceremonial daggers. This movie basically felt like a glimpse into the self-conception of people who grew up combing the "New Age" section of the Barnes & Noble, buying every single book from Llewellyn Publishing.

[@shannonstewart3516]

And the director made the pentagram rug herself!

[@samb614ify]

A lot of the paintings were by an artist named Emily Balivet. Most of her work imo is much better and more detailed than what's in the film, but it's all very neo-pagan goddess vibes. She also has a really beautiful oracle deck that she created as well!

[@josephirizarry5195]

All I know is that Anna Biller's approach to creating the film was completely deliberate and sincere. She wanted to evoke a certain feeling from a certain type of film, like the Hammer Horror movies. Perhaps it's just not your cup of tea. I didn't completely enjoy it at first, but as someone who picks apart films on a compositional level, I can't help but fall under its spell. She did EVERYTHING herself - the set design, the costumes, the hair, the music. This woman was on a mission

[@annatttttttt67584]

SHE HANDWOVEN THE PENTAGRAM RUG HERSELF

[@richrm]

Whenever people hate The Love Witch I totally get it, but it's honestly one of my favorite films ever made LOL. There's a certain nuance to it that I just think is really special.

[@aretesraros]

I want to thank all the patreon girlies for these october gifts

[@chris80skid85]

I really hope this witch month is going to include Suspiria (the Dario Argento version) because it just occured to me how much I want to hear you both talk about the set design and art direction.

[@AnnaWagner425]

I love this movie. I believe Biller was trying to encapsulate the feeling of those atmospheric horror movies from the 60s and 70s, with a silly twist. I think Elaine's deal was that her husband was a jerk and she used the "love magic" to make herself the perfect male fantasy and when he still was a jerk to her, she killed him. In her life after her husband she uses the love magic to get these men that she romanticizes to love her, but then realizes their (often socially feminine traits) flaws and rejects them. She wants love in a way that is lethal. At the end you realize, it was never love she wanted, but validation that she was desirable. All of this movie was intentional to mimic horror movies of the time. It had the same vibe as Messiah of Evil but with a silly plot. It's definitely a cult favorite and unless you're REALLY into horror movies of that time period, you would miss it

[@MeganSin]

I Will say I haven’t watched this in a solid 4-5 yrs until the viewing party, which I was hopped up on a bunch of cold medicine because I have been dealing with a stomach bug and a cold for week, but I forgot how long this drags. I think the visuals is what got me through it and her always perfect makeup. It was perfectly set all the time. And like I said in the comments of viewing party, I think the blue shadow and liner is chef’s kiss and that probably because one of my favorite makeup looks in film is tippi hedren in the birds where she has this beautiful wash of pastel blue eyeshadow and liner and coral lip. This was giving that but more cünty. Plus I throughly enjoy the period 60s setting but with modern things around them that no one acknowledges. I would recommend people watch this on drugs either edibles or cough medicine

[@shannonstewart3516]

I just want to live in her clothes and makeup. Plot? Not great. But the visuals are everything!

[@josephirizarry5195]

I think people saw the trailers and thought this was going to be some ironic affair. Then they sat through it and went "WTF is this shit" - it's so sincere that it is off-putting. I get that.

[@Tiffany-gz7wt]

Averyl lookin like Annie hall doing Groucho Marx, & Andrew lookin like Anna Wintour doing meta Miranda Priestly cosplay😊

[@talistheintrovert]

I agree with you about this movie but I will say that Jennifer's Body absolutely slaps and for the most part, the subtext in that movie IS there, even if it doesn't always land

[@gleegleek4eva]

You got the Jennifer’s Body analogy flipped. When that movie first came out it was marketed as ‘look at Megan Fox being sexy’ and no one looked into the subtext at all. As the years have gone on it’s gained a cult following and people have tons of different reads of what the movie is about now.

[@huntress_9441]

Thoroughly enjoying the cigar gesticulations

[@in_a_tizzy]

I kinda live for the bottle shopkeeper 😂 her eyes are darting around begging for subtext

[@dvidlippington75]

totally agree with yall here. remember really wanting to like this when i first watched it and being mostly disappointed (besides the makeup and costumes of course)

[@deeconstruction8163]

My review of this movie back in the day was "This is what you get when a Lana Del Rey video fucks an episode of Danger 5."

[@sairaeats]

Gahan was not her ex husband! They never married, he was the leader of the coven.

[@tydelwave]

I am in a similar boat. I was dying to love this movie but it just wasn’t working with me. As Tyra said, “WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!” I think the lead is a good actress but she has _deadvoice_ ; the face is doing all of the work and it’s doing it so well but then the voice is six feet under. (It’s like listening to a Kardashian.) It’s the opposite of someone in a Wes Anderson film, where the actors have really expressive voices but have a flat affect.

[@josephirizarry5195]

every single thing in this film is deliberate. it's not supposed to be of this time

[@carbonadorecords]

I’ve…never been early, for a video. This channel is perfection. Thank you, both, so much, for all of the hard work that you put into your passions. From movie reviews to “Drag Race” and everything in between! Keep being dope!!

[@SaturnStar475]

I wonder if the atmosphere on set, which apparently was toxic by the men on the crew would do weird shit to sabotage production, also could’ve had an effect on how this movie turned out…

[@wizzy615]

I think that there's a lot of stuff that only witches really get that they forgot to explain. Like Elaine isn't specifically murdering those men, but it is very much the love spell plotline from The Craft repeated a couple of time like "oh, he's not used to not being a jerk so my magic made him go nuts and die" type of thing so then there's also supposed to be a "witches are misunderstood", but the audience isn't really let in on anything

[@thisboyjason]

I’m so happy you’re reviewing this I was OBSESSED with this movie 🔮

[@thisboyjason]

Oh you hated it LMAO

[@MovieBitches]

Sorryyyyyy 🤣😭

[@ILGprintables]

I am SCREAMING that you two reviewed this! My absolute favorite YT channel reviewing 2 of my top 5 films within 3 weeks?!? LIVING for #witchtober !!! Thank you so, so much for all you do! Cheers!!

[@RKErlinger]

The Love Witch has been a repeat viewing that I force my partner and friends to watch every year. Nobody in my life likes this movie like I do 😂. I truly think the “cult” love for this film is based on the vibes and mood. It’s truly a movie I like to live inside. AND I was totally going to mention House of the Devil (featuring one Greta Gerwig in one of the most effective best-friend-who-gets-killed) which is a favorite movie of mine where I randomly saw it on IFC - and thought it was made in the 70s/80s. With that said, I actually thought the cell phone reveal near the end was successful because it captures that whole It Follows-esque “when does this take place again?” Glad you reviewed this! Happy Halloween!!

[@tld91]

Is Jennifer’s Body a good movie? No. Do I still love it and quote parts of it on the daily? Yes.

[@KrisT-h6v]

I love that I first watched the "Her Alibi" review and then this one. Hearing about a clown funeral then a clown wedding is the best way to spend an afternoon at work.

[@joshbrown3555]

I love this movie! I didn't always love this movie! I also thought it was pretty bad, but pretty. But then I started to think "does it come back around to being good?" I think what turned me over was our main character. I agree with Avaryl and Andrew that something seems off about her to the viewer, but I think that's intentional. I think a lot of it is actor's choice to the naivety of the character, possibly trauma related. Her experience with the cult seems so unpleasant (Avaryl talked about how blatant the leaders advances are on her), but I think the continued promise of a "feminine power to get whatever you want" completely blinds Elaine. Either by dumb luck, or magic, Elaine drifts through whatever man she sets her eyes on, and she just sees it as happenstantial mistake of magic / the universe just not wanting it for her. To bring it back to Jennifer's Body as Avaryl brought up, I think this movie is "No, I'm killing boys!", but instead of that being backed by a nihilistic malice of being undead, it's backed by Elaine getting caught up in the promise of power of magic while simultaneously not understanding she has become a problem herself. If this was going full camp, I think she would get more and more drunk on the power, but i think it wants to be a sad tale about Elaine's slow corruption, masked by looking beautiful and feeling calm.

[@lelfah]

I must rewatch this, I remember loving the eye make up and 60s aesthetics so much that I wasn't paying attention to anything else. Great review as always! Happy Halloween everyone!

[@nicolashowden1192]

i put this on because i forgot how the movie ends and well, this didn’t answer any questions but it was very entertaining

[@msr760]

I loved this movie a lot but I recently discovered that Anna Biller is a bit of a TERF or at least sympathetic to some of the rhetoric, which I guess you can kinda see in this movie but I felt like was tongue-in-cheek.

[@richrm]

I was at a screening of The Love Witch recently where Anna Biller spoke a little/answered questions afterwards and she recognized that the whole male-female polarity theme is "extremely outdated" (her words). I agree that it's tongue-in-cheek, like a way of showing ideals that are actually oppressive for Elaine's character, but what was it that you discovered about her that was TERFish?

[@tonyblock84]

​@@richrmshe's made some very terf centric tweets, some wild vaccine stuff too. There used to be an article about, I can't find it, but you can Google her tweets.

[@iain9757]

The point about movie talking points changing with Jennifer’s Body & this, I always wonder how Bodies, Bodies, Bodies will age.

[@tarajijones335]

I have seen this a few times mostly because of the amazing costumes/makeup/hair and the use of colors and really cool random set pieces. I always felt like the movie itself is what being on Quaaludes would be like. I could be missing something, but I don't think I am. It is definitely better after an edible!

[@OffKiraDeux]

I love how you two hung in there until the very end when Andrew just couldn't take it anymore and almost exploded in rage (and I presume went on a rant that was edited out).

[@masters1313]

"I really wanted to like this.... but they wouldn't let me" is the BEST description for this movie, The Love Witch! I do enjoy the MovieWitches reviews as well ! I really wanted to like your costumes .... but they..... j/k LOL. Happy Halloween! 👍 for The Naked Kiss !

[@JakeTyler2354]

"Past trauma that she's working through via sex magic" I think perfectly sums up what little we get about the character lol Also shout out to the Groucho Marx and bearded Bea Arthur looks love it! you look like a lovely older couple going out to dinner lol.

[@xingcat]

I have to think the whole vibe was totally deliberate. It's just too stilted and arranged and stylized to not be. Though that doesn't necessarily mean an easier watching experience.

[@SoniaAlese]

I love this movie.... even bought replicas of her "paintings" from the film and hung them up in my other livingroom 😂

[@jessicafutrell3204]

I know nothing about this movie. But from this video it looks like it was made by a Kenneth Anger fan.

[@henryriley4958]

I love this movie tbh! I love the 60s aesthetic and visuals Ok maybe not every actor is great but the lead actress is great guys

[@guiteci]

love the little cat on your pants averyl

[@neonangel10]

I’ve never heard of this movie, but boy howdy was this review a delight. Y’all’s costumes made it all so much better

[@daninogil]

haven't seen it in a while, you might be right it is a tad to long. Anyway, I think this movie is just about lust. the only reason she falls in love with the cop is because he likes he for who she is and not because of her "sensual qualities" (in theory). the potion aren't really poisonous they just insert a lustful man into overdrive mode and the longer they are in that mode the less time their body can take it. HOWEVER, she is a massive hypocrite because she is just as lustful as the men she lures and that is the reason she rips the heart of the cop because she doesn't really want a relationship with the cop she just want someone to tender her 'needs' so in her mind taking his heart meant that she literally capture the heart of someone who loves her and got her "happily ever after" moment and that somehow "turns her on"'. the rest of the movie is just witchcraft flavor text. and after saying that .... yeah it sounds revolting and dull, definitely something that should have been half an hour to an hour shorter. I think I still like it though if only because it was a gateway for less mainstream art (I guess) , the great costumes and set design and I actually like the awkward dialog/humor.

[@callum6123]

Girl I have been mystified by this for YEARS

[@joeycrunch]

At 4:50, is this the park from downtown Rosewood…? Fellow PLL fans, am I crazy? 🕵🏻‍♂️ lol

[@lulujones]

Love this movie!! But the first time I watched it I was lulled to sleep and woke up 40 mins later like wtf is going on lol

[@nicolaspabloangellegros430]

That film is like Lana Del Rey decided to make a music video about a witch and they just kept the camera rolling for weeks without a plan.

[@Tones87]

I LOVE this movie I was hoping it made the cut, very interesting as a witch I’m so excited for witchtober 😂

[@serenityq26]

dont remember if i have SEEN this movie or just absorbed it via osmosis either from a reaction or commentary/review. but oh, i know this porn without the sex scenes.

[@swooningtree]

Yesss I was hoping you guys would review this one day

[@zer0luv]

When I saw this I really wanted to like it, but a lot of it just bugged me. I do like the low budget feel, but the 2 leads did feel like they were in different films

[@OrangeXenon54]

I will never get enough of you guys using the word “witch” as a verb.

[@WAYRAOutlate]

I think this is the first review where neither of you can remember the ending of the film hahahaha

[@extofer]

Oh this movie. I had leg surgery and was bed ridden for a bit while I recovered. My dad rented this movie from red box. He showed me and said I might like a movie while I covering. He put the disc in, hit play and left the house. He also left the remote on a counter I couldn’t reach. Was a very upsetting situation. 1/10

[@stephaniefrost4910]

I started to watch this movie last year and it’s DEFINITELY too long lol I still haven’t seen the ending to this day and now I don’t feel the need to! Thanks, Movie Bitches!

[@StarryEyedCece]

HELL YES!!! Y’all are really killing it this October!

[@gatodemoni]

I’m really not a fan of this one honestly. It makes for a good still when they want to show off some nice eyeshadow, but it feels very empty and a little too obvious with its influences and not much else outside of pastiche. And it’s needlessly soooooo looooong

[@adamreynolds9816]

Love this review, sometimes I rather watch your review of a movie, over the actual movie. She gives me Kardashian vibes. The long lost sister.

[@ryno1509]

The dialog and pacing were intentional

[@ebleecker7104]

8:54 Giving me Kim Novak in Bell, Book, and Candle too.

[@jacobygriffin92]

I love this movie its so manythings and nothing at all

[@rayshoup5334]

I’m surprised, and frankly disappointed, that you didn’t react to the scene where the cop is giggling while getting stripped by the renaissance men. I was like is he bisexual, is he having fun, is he under a spell. That was my favorite scene because this man, with no context to the situation, just let men strip him AND GIGGLED

[@psychic_vampire_88]

WAIT THIS IS OME OF MY favouriteS!

[@psychic_vampire_88]

Daphne Has To Elle Drive (2011) The Mystery Machine!

[@jakjac645]

that was some nice asmr at 26:18

[@josephirizarry5195]

i love this film

[@TheLrcoffey]

20:30 Avaryl “ just let me like you’ That’s how I felt about CW’s Supergirl show. I wanted to love it but they kept adding characters and storylines I hated and wouldn’t let Kara and Lena be a couple for stupid reasons. I was just like ‘why are the writers giving up’ This show had such potential and now it’s remembered as this big queerbait and a pretty meh superhero story 😑

[@psychic_vampire_88]

0:20 Gaucho Mark’s

[@in_a_tizzy]

andrew is pulling this off

[@_chakracon_]

Thank you for everything you do.

[@gatodemoni]

Please do BELL BOOK & CANDLE or Argento’s INFERNO😩

[@alfje5492]

7:10 No "I know writers who use subtext and they're all cowards" clip?

[@ryno1509]

I think Jennifers body the wrong way round

[@peremubu5414]

Not a particularly good film. Frankly, it's pretty cheesy but Jesus H...... I could watch Samantha Robinson do her thing on mute all day. She's total eye candy of the highest order in this.

[@jossgreen9318]

I watched this one last year. I only made it halfway through before all the second wave biological-determinist feminism reached critical mass in my brain and I just had to skip to the last 5 minutes. 100 % agree, watching it on mute at a party is the only way this is truly *enjoyable*

[@saam3712]

Yaaas cheers

[@dimgames438]

16:10

[@logandodson1484]

A movie called “Love Witch” that Andrew and Avaryl struggle to love.

[@Alexa_no]

I havent finished the video but i just want to say this is my movie i have blinders on for. Its perfect to me idc.

[@clara-nt9rx]

I remember watching this and thinking you would like it. Guess not.

[@yakult5491]

for me, personally , the love witch is in a category of movies that's come out in the past decade, where i watch it, i don't necessarily enjoy it. but i respect it for going for something. like id rather it swing and miss than just make another bland marvel movie

[@hadiboom-7655]

there are so many dumb new movies out right now yall should review them. come on now