The midnight movie has been having a moment as of late, breaking down genre and gender barriers to reveal themes deeper and more complicated than expected in horror and camp filmmaking. A Girl Who Walks Home Alone At Night, The Babadook, The Witch and Under the Shadow have found something very rich in the mystique of the feminine psyche that has enriched their own gripping terror with rich, authentic themes. The Love Witch, while not particularly frightening, is the latest in the line of these feminine-focused midnight films, but also unique in that lineage as well.

The Love Witch is the tale of Elaine (Samantha Robinson), a beautiful, sensuous witch who uses her powers to fulfill her desperate quest for love. She moves to a small town north of the California Redwoods – also populated with practitioners of her similar magic – and instantly begins to seduce local townsmen. When the first of these men, a local college professor, goes missing after an evening with her in his cabin in the woods, a local investigation begins. The detectives on the case soon fall under her spell, beginning a chain of mystical and malevolent occurrences.

At its best, The Love Witch is a triumph for director Anna Biller, showcasing her eye for style and sense of homage. Her understanding of the intricacies of 60s melodrama and 70s exploitation films is uncanny and often brilliant. The color, the costumes, the sets are all impeccable, not just in their recreation, but simply as visual fun. The key, though, to Biller’s success with this film lies in something more subtle. It’s the way in which she molds the performance patterns to the eccentricities of the eras the film takes from. The hammy, but never annoying, delivery. The slowly reactive editing. It all fits so well but is never limiting. If anything, it shows Biller’s keen attention to detail for the art of filmmaking, not simply the art of homage.

And while perhaps the story itself does fall occasionally flat due to slow pacing, the modernity of the themes is consistently fascinating. The Love Witch’s keen feminist approach to the classic witchcraft story is befitting and it’s modernity makes it so refreshing. There is something to be said about creating thought-provoking work out of materials so campy, but it is Biller’s trust in her material and form that makes The Love Witch an exciting breakthrough and an exciting new voice in filmmaking.

‘The Love Witch’ is not rated. 120 minutes. Now playing at The Nuart in West L.A. (Q&A with actress Samantha Robinson and principal cast members this weekend, details below)
Fri Nov 11, 7:00pm show w/Q&A*
Sat Nov 12, 7:00pm show w/Q&A
Sun Nov 13, 4:00pm show w/Q&A
*With Filmmaker Anna Biller