With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, what will love drive you to do? That’s the question that Elaine, The Love Witch, takes to new levels as she searches for her perfect mate in the hilarious over-the-top pastiche horror film. The Love Witch screens at the Onyx Downtown at the Nevada Theatre on Sunday, February 12, at 7 pm. Stay for an after performance conversation with actor Jeffrey Vincent Parise, who plays one of the Love Witch’s beaus in the film, (you might recognize Parise from Mad Men or CSI: New York).
Elaine, played by Samantha Robinson, is determined to find her true love, but her dating technique leaves something to be desired as all her dates seem to tragically end in the same way—with a series of once-attractive dead bodies. Will she be able to break her habits and find the right potion? This offbeat charmer has some uniquely entertaining skills.
Writer and director Anna Biller offers audiences a new take on horror with campy renditions, scary plots, and room for laughs. Drawing from formula films, Biller then takes the audience for some unexpected turns. Biller picks up on popular Wiccan themes while making a few deft feminist footnotes, playing the cliche with humor and meaning.
The Love Witch is a mix of comedy and horror: think satire, horror homage, plus lots of blood and style. There are good laughs and sexy plot lines. The battle of the sexes gets a new spin—or maybe revisits an old one with a bit of extra flair. If you like modern horror, keep an eye out for these other women who are breaking through in this genre:
Revenge (2017) Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat
The Lure (2015) Directed by Agnieszka Smoczyńska
Raw (2016) Written and directed by Julia Ducournau
Jennifer’s Body (2009) Written by Diablo Cody, Directed by Karyn Kusama
The Love Witch, 2016, run time 2 hours
Not rated, includes suggestive themes, sex, and, nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
Get tickets at theonyxtheatre.com. The Onyx Downtown at the Nevada Theatre is an all-ages venue located at 401 Broad Street, Nevada City, CA