Anna Biller’s Resplendent “The Love Witch” (2016) Casts Its Spell on U.S. Cinema Screens in November

Since I first saw writer/director Anna Biller’s The Love Witch in April, it has been my favorite film of the year, regardless of genre. Now this stylish, hypnotic tale of a witch whose search for love leaves a deadly wake is showing in cinemas throughout the United States this month in a limited theatrical run, starting November 11. Filmed in glorious 35mm, the big-screen cinematic experience is the way to see this one.

In my review for Gruesome Magazine (which you can read here), I wrote: “For daring filmmaking that is outside of the mainstream, and for a sumptuous looking occult-themed horror film that will remind you of Hollywood classics and international fare while standing on its own modern merits, seek out The Love Witch.” Samantha Robinson plays the beautiful young witch Elaine in what I consider to be a star-making turn, and the rest of the cast is marvelous, as well.

The film’s distributor, Oscilloscope Laboratories, gives this synopsis: “Elaine, a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, and then picks up men and seduces them. However, her spells work too well, leaving her with a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved will drive her to the brink of insanity and murder. With a visual style that pays tribute to Technicolor thrillers of the ‘60s, The Love Witch explores female fantasy and the repercussions of pathological narcissism.”

The film’s official website, http://thelovewitch.oscilloscope.net/#, has screening date and location information. Some cinemas offer advance ticket purchase. If The Love Witch isn’t scheduled in your area, take heart: you can preorder the video, which has a release date of April 1, 2017, for $14.99 on the film’s official website, too.

Joseph Perry

Joseph Perry fell in love with horror films as a preschooler when he first saw the Gill-Man swim across the TV screen in "The Creature from The Black Lagoon" and Mothra battle Godzilla in "Godzilla Vs. The Thing.” His education in fright fare continued with TV series such as "The Twilight Zone" and "Outer Limits," along with legendary northern California horror host Bob Wilkins’ "Creature Features." His love for silver age and golden age comic books, including horror titles from Gold Key, Dell, and Marvel started around age 5.

He is a contributing writer for the "Phantom of the Movies VideoScope" and “Drive-In Asylum” print magazines and the websites Horror Fuel, Diabolique Magazine, The Scariest Things, B&S About Movies, and When It Was Cool. He is a co-host of the "Uphill Both Ways" pop culture nostalgia podcast and also writes for its website. Joseph occasionally proudly co-writes articles with his son Cohen Perry, who is a film critic in his own right.

A former northern Californian and Oregonian, Joseph has been teaching, writing, and living in South Korea since 2008.