![]() The feeling of having to bottle up emotions and not being allowed to show vulnerability. While poking fun at toxic masculinity, the film also portrays the ugly truth of it. Male characters were overwhelmed from confronting their emotions about themselves and others in relationships. One of the aspects of the film that spoke to me was the ever-present theme of men dying. The film was written, directed, edited, produced and scored by Anna Biller, whose work questions contemporary gender roles and inequality. Shot on 35 mm film, everything from its Hitchcockian score to the psychedelic setpieces are throwbacks to ‘50s and ‘60s cinema. The story follows a modern-day witch named Elaine who uses her love, looks and magic to allure men who end up falling in too deep, resulting in deadly consequences. In this homage to the golden age of Technicolor horror, “The Love Witch” is a feminist take on an outdated era in film history. Fox.Rodrigo Hernandez, Arts & Entertainment Editor Midnight’s Children, Journey to the End of the Night, Lost Illusions, The Essex Serpent, Divine Comedy, My Sweet Audrina, Mr. What’s on your nightstand/what are you reading next? I think perhaps it was the combination of an iconic anti-heroine, a meaningful theme, a realistic depiction of modern witches, and dramatic visuals and score. What do you think allowed the film to resonate so well with audiences? We’re also more sensitive to emotional pain, so we make better spirit mediums and of course, we’re witches. So for a woman, just living one’s life can be like living in a Gothic horror novel. This is why Bluebeard in particular interests me-because it’s about the monster and the man you love being one and the same person. Men often write horror stories about home invaders or supernatural monsters or aliens, none of which actually plague them in real life, whereas for women, the monster is often right in the house. I feel that being a woman exposes one to multiple daily horrors that most men could never dream of, unless they have had an unusually rough life or have been to war. What makes gothic fiction and horror so perfect for exploring women’s stories? While I was editing the novel, Gothic literature such as Jane Eyre, Dracula, Frankenstein, Rebecca, Wuthering Heights different literary iterations of the “Bluebeard” tale, especially Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories and female writers such as Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Shirley Jackson, and Jean Rhys. While I was writing the screenplay, the women in peril pictures I mentioned, and mid-century crime fiction featuring female protagonists. What are some of the other influences on the novel? Girls are meeting Bluebeards all the time, and it’s seriously scary. It’s a cautionary tale to girls and women that not every rich, attractive man who woos you is going to be a Prince Charming, or even remotely safe, and it’s always felt very real to me. Also, “Bluebeard” was one of my favorite fairy tales as a child. ![]() So I wanted to write a movie like that, and the screenplay ended up becoming a novel. When I was coming up for the idea for my next film, I realized that I’m incredibly drawn to classic women’s pictures where a woman has to navigate a terrifying husband or boyfriend, who may be a Bluebeard-movies like Gaslight, Rebecca, Sudden Fear, Rosemary’s Baby. Anna Biller, director of The Love Witch, has a new book coming out this October!! We were offered the opportunity to run a cover reveal for the new book, and we also asked her a few questions about the new story, her cult classic, and what she’s reading. ![]()
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