Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.0

The Love Witch Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 17, 2017

Anna Biller's "The Love Witch" (2016) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Icon Home Distribution. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; video interview with cinematographer M. David Mullen; extended, deleted and alternate scenes; audio commentary with writer/director Anna Biller, cinematographer M. David Mullen, and actors Samantha Robinson and Jared Sanford; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The witch with the broken heart

There is no doubt in my mind that Anna Biller truly loves cinema. She is also very knowledgeable. I can tell by the way she describes some of her favorite films that she sees and values the little things that can make or break them. She understands how the right chemistry can create the right vibe and then give an entire film its identity. If I had to guess, I would also say that she is incredibly well organized and prepared and usually has in her head detailed mental images of entire segments long before she begins shooting.

It is why I found The Love Witch to be such a disappointing film. It is beautifully photographed and has a very interesting vibe running through it, but it feels like one of those frustrating projects that get done by a group of talented people that, for whatever reason, have a horrible time communicating their ideas but never admit it and keep working until they finish their jobs. So eventually all of the right ingredients end up where they need to be, but the final result just does not feel right.

The film tells the story of a young woman named Elaine (Samantha Robinson) who has lost the man of her dreams but has recovered and is now back on the road looking for the Special One. This time, however, she’s got a whole new arsenal of tricks to keep the Special One and make sure that she never gets her heart broken again. You see, she has been transformed into a witch, and she can mix all these exotic potions that can make the object(s) of her desire go completely crazy for her -- even the ones that are already in a relationship with someone else, or married to another woman who has the same dreams that she does. So Elaine can basically choose anyone she likes, and it does not matter one bit whether her future Special One is single or not.

After moving into an old Victorian house in a small town somewhere in California -- it does make perfect sense that a witch would want to settle down in California, doesn’t it? -- Elaine then goes shopping for the Special One, but after a few quick disappointments concludes that the world is full of imperfect men who have only one thing on their mind. Then while working on her strategy and the quality of her potions, Elaine decides to try her luck with a handsome detective (Gian Keys) who has been investigating the puzzling death of a local teacher (Jeffrey Vincent Parise) who might have had a short rendezvous with her just days before he disappeared without a trace.

I would say that for approximately half an hour I was under the impression that I was viewing one of those slightly over-the-top dark comedies that you can expect from guys like Fred Olen Ray. Then the film gradually shifted in a different direction and Biller started replacing the ridiculous with well-thought-out observations about the different types of identities women choose to achieve their goals and please their men, the many awful compromises they make that can permanently scar their lives, and even the strange games they play with each other to justify their flawed choices. (The sole purpose of Laura Waddell’s character, Trish, is precisely to be a counter ‘sane’ voice and create the contrasts that ought to make you ponder the main points that Biller channels via Elaine’s experiences). In the meantime, not a single one of the actors actually changes styles.

What emerges from this colorful mish-mash of trashy acting and misplaced pseudo-intellectual gibberish can only impress folks that would argue that Plan 9 from Outer Space is some sort of a misunderstood masterpiece. What a bomb.

The Love Witch Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Anna Biller's The Love Witch arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Icon Home Entertainment.

There is a very informative interview with cinematographer M. David Mullen on this release in which he confirms that The Love Witch was shot on 35mm stock, but even if he did not, I think that plenty of people would have instantly recognized the various special qualities that film stock has while viewing it. Regardless, this is a stunningly lensed project with some astonishingly beautiful colors and light/shadow nuances that are wonderfully reproduced on the Blu-ray. A lot of the footage from the Elaine's home, in particular, looks fabulous. My only complaint here is the emergence of some light black crush, which should have been avoided when the final master was prepared (see screencaptures #11, 17, 18, and 21). Also, it would appear that some digital work was done to improve image balance, as some sporadic flatness can be seen all over the transfer, though the film has a unique stylistic appearance that tends to hide the effects quite well. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Love Witch Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and did some random comparisons with the LPCM 2.0 track, but I could not hear any meaningful gap in quality between the two. It is possible that there are a few areas in the film where some discrepancies exists, but if they do, I definitely missed them. Anyway, the dialog and the narration are crystal clear and balance is outstanding; depth is also as good as it can possibly be. Anna Biller also composed the music for the film, but it has a supportive role and overall dynamic movement is pretty modest.

The Love Witch Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for The Love Witch. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Audition - presented here is a taped audio that Samantha Robinson did during the pre-production process. With music (3 min).

• Behind the Scenes with Anna Biller - this featurette provides some raw footage from the shooting of various scenes from The Love Witch with technical commentary by writer/director Anna Biller. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Interview with M. David Mullen - in this video interview, cinematographer M. David Mullen discusses the visual style of The Love Witch and its carefully crafted period appearance. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Extended Scenes - a collection of extended scenes. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).
  
  1. Ritual One
  2. Ritual Two
  3. Ritual Three
  4. Trish Dressing
  5. Magic Bottles
  6. Elaine Cooking
  7. Tea Room
  8. Police Investigation

• Deleted Scenes - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Elaine and Jerry (2 min).
  2. Trish on the Phone (2 min).

• Alternate Scenes - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Renaissance Tears (3 min).
  2. Gemini Twins (1 min).

• Audio Commentary - presented here is an audio commentary with writer/director Anna Biller, cinematographer M. David Mullen, and actors Samantha Robinson and Jared Sanford. I found the commentary to be quite illuminating because there is a wealth of information about the film's visual style, the blending of horror and comedy/dark satire, some of the feminist overtones in the second half, the symbolism behind Elaine's triumphs and disappointments, etc.

The Love Witch Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Love Witch did not work for me. The early promotional materials I had seen let me to believe that it would be a quirky and very dark period comedy with the type of attitude some of Fred Olen Ray's films like to promote. It turned out to be a very colorful but unbearably trashy dramedy that actually wants to be taken very seriously. Basically, the film has the right look, but the script is a complete mess. It is a missed opportunity, really, because Samantha Robinson is gorgeous as the heartbroken witch. My advise would be to skip the film, but if you are intrigued by its premise perhaps you can find a way to RENT IT.