A Sexy Love Letter to 60s Technicolor - The Love Witch (2016)

Hello and welcome to today's edition of Frightfully Forgotten Horror Movies. Today we have a Patreon request. Shawn Martin would like us to cover 2016's The Love Witch. But before we get started, what are we drinking? >> A very fitting beer for the review. Season of the Witch, October Fest. >> There we go. This movie is written and directed by Anna Biller, and she also did the music as well. She's pretty much a jack of all trades. Kind of like the female John Carpenter in a [laughter] way. a Jill of all trades. She's done a lot of shorts, you know, short movies. One that looks really cool, I haven't seen called Visit from the Incubis, which is like a western. She also has a movie coming out soon. It's due out this year, called The Face of Horror, which sounds really cool. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Really interested to see that. Samantha Robinson is in this and she was in Hauntology, just to mention one movie, >> whatever the [ __ ] that is. [laughter] And Laura Wadell is in this and she was in Crimson Peak just to name one movie that she's in. >> Love Witch starts off with our main character here, Elaine. And she's driving down like the highway 60s looking car and she's dressed all 60s. Got that rear projection. >> The screen. Yeah. She's all super smoking too. Like the ashtray is all full. >> [laughter] >> You can hear her thinking right as she's driving and she's having these kind of flashbacks about her ex-husband. Poor Jerry shows him drinking his drink and poisoned and dying. And she's moving to a new place. She's kind of starting over. Of course, she gets pulled over by a cop, right? You got a tail light out. You're not going to write me up, are you, officer? [laughter] Of course, she's super charming. And of course, he doesn't write her up. Beautiful women. They get away with murder. So she gets to her new abode, beautiful looking like Victorian house. She meets this girl Trish there who is kind of the person in charge of setting this all up for her and decorating the the apartment. And she gets in all this occult stuff, all these pentagrams [laughter] and just to her liking. So she goes out with Trish that day to some sick weird like tea house, this [laughter] tea room. She's wearing some ridiculous hat and everything. You have to you go to some sick Victorian t- room. >> You need your special t- room hat. [laughter] >> Yep. >> Elaine has all the answers about men and well, you have to please your man. Make sure he doesn't love you too much. Trish is kind of falling for him, right? She's like, "Oh, yeah. Well, maybe I don't please my husband enough." And starts kind of questioning things, making all these potions and concoctions and stuff, rituals on the rug. the pentagram rug. She ends up selling these kind of bottles, these witch bottles to the local like occult store. She's sitting on a park bench one day having a sandwich. This guy walks by, right? And she kind of takes a liking to him and he comes over and they start talking and I have a cottage out in the woods. You know, I'm going there right now. Would you like to join me? [laughter] Moves pretty fast. Moving quick. She just hops in his car right then and there and they drive out. Yeah. >> They get there and before they get in, it's night time at this point. First, I want you to to drink this. And she takes out a flask. And he's like, "Okay." Like, [laughter] "Oo, that's strong stuff." >> And she makes him finish it, right? Drink the whole flask. He kind of wants to get like busy right away, right? Get hot and heavy. But she's like, "Oh, no. First I have to cook you dinner." [laughter] She takes out these great looking steaks, right? Wonderful looking steaks and cooking in these steaks and >> they have wine and everything and they're kind of chatting and he's drinking the wine and suddenly he starts getting all like weird and seeing these weird kaleidoscope colors and stuff and she starts doing like this strip tease for him and he's like, "WOW, [laughter] >> got him made in the shade." >> Yeah. And of course they go to bed and they have sex and all that kind of stuff. And like instantly when they're done he's depressed and like >> needy and like pouty and kind of turns into like a sniveling child, right? A bag of [ __ ] basically. >> He's like, I'm going to be sick. [laughter] >> He ends up actually dying from whatever the hell she gave him. She ends up burying him in the backyard and she makes one of those witch bottle things out of her own piss [laughter] and like a used tampon and like all these herbs and [ __ ] and puts it on the grave. She goes and meets her uh coven members too at the bar. Burlesque sort of bar. It's all red and everything and >> there's all these dancers and >> Yeah. Yeah. Like the women doing that [laughter] >> and of course all the grumpy old men at the bar. Ah, look at those witches [laughter] over there. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, it's kind of known that these people are witches and it's kind of accepted by some and others are kind of, you know, they blame them for things and >> damn witches out in the woods or out in like this, >> it's not really the woods. It's like this nice manicured lawn and everything. [laughter] >> They kind of do their ritual dancing around the fire naked and everything. That guy's wang is all hanging. Wang's always hanging [laughter] out. >> That weird old guy is Wang's all hanging. >> The cops get wind of this teacher that's been missing. So, they go start looking into it and they go to that cottage. They start digging and they find his body and they also find that witch bottle. They start investigating where this witch bottle originated from and it takes them to that Wiccan store. Trish tells Elaine that she's leaving for a convention that she's got to go to and Richard's going to be home by himself. Gets her potion all ready. So Elaine and uh Richard get together. He's got that [laughter] big huge giant glass, that big goblet wine. He starts coming under her spell and like she does the strip tease for him and he's, you know, and again afterwards he starts becoming like obsessive with her to the point where he's breaking down and crying and sobbing. He's all drinking and everything. [laughter] And he ends up taking a bath and Trish opens the door to the tub and finds that he's slid his wrists in the tub. So, Detective Griff tracks that bottle down to Elaine and he ends up confronting Elaine about this bottle and what she's up to in this town. And that's where we're going to end the story. There's a lot more that happens with the Love Witch. So, keep watching. It's actually not even really a horror movie. It's definely definitely has horror movie tropes, of course, with the witches and the occult and all that kind of stuff, but it's more of like a drama thriller with >> horror >> horror tropes. Well, the first things first, I mean, what you notice straight off is the look of the movie, right? I mean, it's an homage to the 60s and 70s Technicolor movies. I mean, [ __ ] And they do a spot-on job. Like, >> [ __ ] nailed it. >> Yeah, it's beautiful. It's like watching a movie like this takes you back to like the Hammer movies and stuff. And it's like I want them to make movies like this all the time. Now, >> you and your technicol are always obsessed with technical. Remember at one point you wouldn't even watch a black and white movie. >> Yeah, >> you actually preferred the psycho remake over the original. >> Have dinner with me? I was just about to myself. You know, nothing special, just sandwiches and milk, but I'd like it very much if you'd come up to the house. >> Yeah, let's let's not get into that. And one of the reasons this movie does look as good as it does is it was shot on 35 mm film and it shows. Yeah. Like it's got something that digital is missing like texture, depth. Like you can chew on it, right? Like you chew on the scenery when you're watching it. It's like you feel it. You can tell that >> I don't know. There's something about film just is better than digital. I know it's more expensive, which is why a lot of people don't use it so much anymore. The proof is in the pudding, right? Exactly. This movie is the proof. Of course, shooting on the 35 millimeter helps, but it's everything else that went into it that that makes it as as special as it as it is. And that's of course like the sets, the costumes, all that kind of stuff are fantastic. All the glasses that they use, right? Like at the bar it's all those old glasses with the beads in them and [ __ ] and like just stuff like down to the minute details. >> Yeah. Yeah. The attention to detail in this movie is is spectacular. Apparently, it took him like a year to get just all the costumes and props and sets and all that stuff ready before they even shot the movie. >> Now, all this old shit's starting to come back. So, people want all that stuff. So, if you're trying to make a movie like this, you can't even find any of this stuff anymore. You got to make it. >> Well, apparently that rug, the pentagram rug, that was handmade. They made that by hand for the movie. Like that, that's love. you can see the love, you know, >> in the film. >> And the settings too are cool. Like her apartment is neat with all those cool paintings and everything. And like there's that one painting of guys lying on the ground with his heart ripped out. You know, >> those paintings actually kind of foreshadow things that happen later on in the movie. It's all kind of tied in. It's It's not there just cuz it looks cool. That painting is there for a reason. It means something. >> You got the bar, which is, you know, it's so good. I want to drink there >> so bad. >> Yeah. >> I want to be the grumpy old man at [laughter] the bar. Damn witches. >> Yeah. >> But like just the way all the shots are composed and put together like it's every frame is like it's it's so perfectly put together and staged and structured. Richard kills himself and you see the red from his blood and then it cuts to them pouring like that red syrup on the cake. Right. >> Cherry syrup. >> Yeah. So like those transitions that they use is like a total homage to the the old movies, right? >> But it also works build their own little world here where like witches are common place. Some people are okay with it, some people don't like them and actually does later on in the movie turn into an actual witch hunt, right? Yeah. >> Which is kind of neat. But I kind of like how it doesn't really take place in the real world, alternate reality almost. And the acting for this movie is great. Like all the actors are spot on. I mean, >> [ __ ] And they all get the point across. Teacher guy is a great, you know, when he starts crying and breaking down like he's really good. >> He's really good. >> Richard too, like when she casts her spell on him and he like turns into like this giddy, >> you know, idiot too, you know. Yeah. He's like this [ __ ] and then after when he >> starts to devolve. >> Yeah. >> It's like, you know, just great. chocked full of all sorts of themes and metaphors. Movie is saying a lot about a lot of things, but mostly about men and women in love, of course, right? >> And it's kind of really all about like looking for love in the wrong places, right? And like you don't force, you can't force someone to like you. >> And that's kind of what she does. That's her whole MMO. >> Except she thinks she knows everything, right? She even comes out and tells like that Trish, I know men how to get them and I know how to keep them and stuff. And it's like this movie shows that you really don't know a damn thing. >> Yeah. And that and that you can't force it. >> Elaine's basically looking for that quick fix, >> right? >> She's looking for a man, but she doesn't want to put the work in and the effort. wants the, you know, happy home and everything and but >> you don't know, you don't know how to keep the man because it takes work. Exactly. And she doesn't want to put the work in. The magic is also like a metaphor for women's sexual power over men. But what's interesting about this movie is like she doesn't need that. Like like look at her. She's gorgeous. She doesn't need magic for men to fall in love with her. like she just she has it lazy and doesn't want to do do it the real way. She uses them as like one night stands and all this kind of stuff and tosses them away. Their reaction to that is of course overkill because they've been, you know, drugged or whatever, but it's like, yeah, it doesn't feel good to be used, right? That's kind of what it kind of enhances all that kind of like ah these poor guys, right? >> Of course they feel like [ __ ] >> That sort of idea with men is taken for granted. It is. Oh, they're fine with that. >> Yeah, exactly. It's like, oh, well, they're, you know, cuz they're men and they're staunch and we're still human beings for [ __ ] sake. Like, >> it's like, you know, Yeah, of nobody likes to be used and abused, >> right? Yeah. So, it's definitely commenting on that like men are, you know, men are human too and they >> like we like things and we get hurt. It's neat how the main character is really a awful person and a really dislikable, despicable person with like no empathy, super selfish. It's like it's not too often you see the main character in a movie being this kind of despicable, >> right? And right from the onset, too, cuz they don't pull any punches. >> They right from the very beginning, you know what she's all about. >> Yeah. with the love witch and you know women trying to get men. You think it's going to be kind of like a feminist type movie where it's really pro-women and they paint women in this amazing light and the all the men are idiots. It's not really like that at all actually. >> Yeah. >> Actually, everyone is painted in a bad light. It shows the dark side of all these people. >> Yeah. >> You know, the the men, they're not idiots, but they're gullible. >> Mhm. And they're turned into idiots. The women are strong and you know independent and all that stuff so power hungry that it's like their downfall. >> And this movie has a lot of comedy in it too actually. Richard drinking out of that giant glass, right? A lot of it's dialogue driven. A lot of interactions between the investigator Griff >> and his partner too. Their interactions are really funny. >> Feeds into that whole world that they're trying to get across too. Right. >> As good as this movie is cuz it's a damn good film. There are some things that we didn't like. The pacing and the run time. >> Yeah, >> this movie is 2 hours long and I don't think it needed to be. >> Feels repetitive after a while. Yeah, they could have cut it probably a half an hour 20 minutes to half an hour out, right? It tends to drag medieval festival thing like >> Oh, I would that was totally you didn't need that at all. >> Totally useless. >> I know every 60s type movie needs it there. The musical number or whatever. kind of like I think that's kind of like a heart back to that but it's like oh man like that scene is it was like oh we don't need this out of place too like it was like what the [ __ ] medieval fair like just in the middle of the woods >> yeah [laughter] that they happened upon like come on stupid and then yeah it's like I I would have liked to have seen a little more with like the coven a little more of that world you don't really get too much of that >> right and and more kills cut out 20 minutes and added another one or two kills like this movie would have been much tighter. >> Mhm. >> Uh but yeah, it's it's kind of it it drags. It's it's you know like those ' 60s movies kind of tend to do, but >> it didn't need to be that long. I was kind of doing one of these. Uh you know, you don't want you don't want someone to be doing that. >> A little more action, too. >> Yeah, >> cuz like it's extremely dialogue driven, which is fine, >> but just this movie kind of needed things to ramp up. >> Yeah. more than what it did. You know, >> looks super 60s, but yeah, what time period does this take place? You're not really sure. >> Great at first. Picks up that teacher guy and then they drive off. He's got that old car, >> right? >> But all the cars around are modern cars, right? >> And then there's that other scene where Trish is like talking on her cell phone. It almost spoils the idea that the movie is in technicolor and done in the '60s. Oh, it's modern. preferred it to be more ambiguous. Like it didn't need to take place in the 60s per se, but be a bit more like tongue and cheek. Oh, does it or doesn't it? You know, but as soon as she pulls out the cell phone, it's like, well, obviously the movie does have a great finale. When you get past all that slow stuff and then it kind of kicks up at the end at the finale, the finale is [ __ ] great. >> Yeah. >> Really good finale. And the movie is good. It's a great movie and there's nothing really like it right now. Even though it's a hark back to something old, it's still a fresh >> Exactly. You know, breath of fresh air. >> Yeah. Cuz I mean that well with all the crap floating around nowadays, right? >> Uh and then a movie like this hasn't been done in 50 years or whatever, right? So it's Yeah, it's it's it's an it's a great film. Not a movie, a film. >> Yeah, it's a great film. Totally recommend it. Make sure to set aside 2 hours. put aside some distractions because you will want to look at your phone and stuff like that at parts because it's a little drag, >> right? But other than that, it's [ __ ] fantastic. Like I'm glad something like this exists, you know, and I'm glad filmmakers are making movies like this >> so passionately, you know? >> Exactly. >> Like [ __ ] Like you can see the passion in in the work here. Like uh and I'm really excited to see what she does after this cuz like you can only get better, you know? >> Yeah. Yeah, for sure. that that new one that she's got coming out. That face of horror, man. >> Ooh. >> Yeah. I'm excited for that. Like if it's like this, it's going to be basically a hammer movie. >> Yeah. An old hammer movie, which they don't make anymore. >> Yeah. So, yeah, definitely check out the Love Witch, you know. >> Oh, yeah. >> If if you're a fan of old movies and Technicolor and stuff like that and witches and covens, guys with their wangs hanging out, well, then you'll love you'll love this movie. And until next time, keep drinking. Heat. Heat. >> [music]