The Wytch Files Ep. 15: The Love Witch

7.0 / 7.0


SHE'S DETERMINED TO FIND TRUE LOVE WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MAGICK!

Hail and welcome! We are back from our winter hibernation with a Valentine treat for you! Did you miss us? We certainly missed all of you and are VERY excited to bring you our latest episode on "The Love Witch," written, directed and produced by the brilliant and creative superhero Anna Biller.  The film had a limited release in 2016 and we had the pleasure of catching it in November, right here, in good ole Brooklyn, New York.

The Love Witch is the story of a young and beautiful witch named Elaine (played by the immensely talented Samantha Robinson) who is looking for the love of a good man.  As a witch, she uses potions and love magick to attract the right man.  Her love magick, however, works just a little to well and causes a series of mishaps and even deaths for her would be suitors.  She finally meets the man of her dreams but this too leads to tragedy!

Please check out the movie's website to watch the trailer, view a gallery of photos and to see the schedule of screenings.

During her promotion of the film, Anna Biller wrote some fantastic blog posts and gave some wonderful interviews here and here that provided some illuminating insight into the film and it's pre-production.  In an interview with Refigural, Ms. Biller  talks about some of her influences for the film.  Be sure to check out Ms. Biller's website where you can read her blog and find out about her other film work.

Edwige Fenech

Anna Biller noted in one of her interviews that the character Elaine was modeled after the 1970's Italian film star Edwige Fenech and on beautiful witches on pulp novel covers.  You can also see in Elaine elements of Britain's first lady of horror, actress Barbara Steele. Some of Ms. Biller's film influences included George Romero's "Hungry Wives" a/k/a "Season of the Witch, "La Strega in Amore", "Mantis in Lace", "The Wicker Man", "Secret Ceremony", "Medea" by Pasolini, "Day of Wrath" by Dreyer, "Baba Yaga" starring Carroll Baker and Kenneth Anger's "Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome". See the YouTube playlist below for hours of period films!

Alex and Maxine Sanders

The Love Witch is steeped in the magic of the 1960's and 1970's pagan scene and personalities.  Ms. Biller talks about how she was inspired by Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca and Wiccan Elders such as Alex and Maxine Sanders and Janet and Stewart Farrar.  She was also deeply inspired by Aleister Crowley's Thelema and Anton LaVey's "The Satanic Bible".

Morgan-Greer and Thoth tarot cards

Witch bottles feature prominently in the film and Jason Mankey wrote a wonderful blog post on Patheos titled "All About Witch Bottles".  Marshal J. Becker wrote a historical piece about witch bottles in colonial Pennsylvania for Archaeology magazine called "An American Witch Bottle".  Also check out Kerry Sullivan's article ""For Good and Evil: Witch Bottles as Countermagical Devices Through History".  The great Sybil Leek also wrote on Magic Fluid Condensers which are designed to expand or release the forces behind a spell.

In the episode, we mention how the tarot particularly the Morgan-Greer deck by Bill Greer and the Thoth deck by Aleister Crowley influence the aesthetics of some of the film's costumes and Elaine's home. We discuss magical crafts and the importance of costumes and wardrobe in glamour magic. We also mention the Gunne Sax dresses of the 1970's worn by Elaine in the film which were truly gorgeous!

We talk feminism, cake, the female arts, and how burlesque became a mode of modern female empowerment. The art of burlesque performance is beautifully showcased in the film! The infinitely sexy burlesque dancer April Showers is featured in the film. We also discuss the overlap in the performing arts with pagan and occult subcultures as well as the pagan scene of the 1970's.

Theme music X-Files Theme Parody by Mallon Khan. 

If you have any feedback or review suggestions, please contact us! 

If you're liking the show, please follow us on social media and review us on iTunes.