The Love Witch (2016)

The Love Witch is the rare film that feels like a spell in itself: a deliriously beautiful, candy-colored Technicolor dream that looks like a lost ’60s melodrama, yet speaks with a sharp modern voice. Anna Biller controls every inch of the frame, turning romance, horror, and comedy into one intoxicating cocktail—seductive one moment, wickedly funny the next, and quietly unsettling all the while. Samantha Robinson’s Elaine is mesmerizing to watch, a character who can make you laugh at the performance of desire even as the film invites you to consider what love, fantasy, and power do to people when they’re taken literally. If you want straightforward scares, it may feel too stylized and slow-burn, but if you’re on the fence and crave something singular, thoughtful, and gorgeously made, this is the kind of movie you’ll remember like a vivid dream.

The Love Witch is clearly trying to be a candy-colored, retro fever dream that satirizes romance, gender roles, and the dark comedy of getting what you wish for. And to be fair, the handcrafted 60s-style look is gorgeous, Samantha Robinson is hypnotic, and the mood is so committed it’s almost a magic trick. But it’s also a slow, talky two hours where the story can feel secondary to the aesthetic, so if you’re expecting a punchy horror-comedy or a plot that escalates quickly, you may find yourself checking the time. See it if you love stylized, arty cult cinema and can enjoy atmosphere over momentum; skip it if you need tight pacing, big scares, or emotional urgency.