Review: Stylish feminism of ‘The Love Witch’ recalls ‘70s sexploitation

Again using early ’70s-era sexploitation flicks as her aesthetic template, filmmaker Anna Biller transforms female objectification into empowerment with her slyly campy sophomore effort, “The Love Witch.”

Moving into a small town Northern California Victorian apartment thoughtfully decked out in tarot card colors, a coolly beautiful enchantress (newcomer Samantha Robinson, simultaneously channeling Tippi Hedren and ’60s scream queen Barbara Steele) picks up where she left off back in San Francisco, making potions that turn men into smitten, needy messes.

They also have a habit of dying, which eventually arouses the suspicions of a square-jawed police detective (Gian Keys), who also succumbs to her persuasive charms.

Although the beguiling spell begins to wear off before reaching its full two-hour length, the film’s got style for days thanks to Biller’s affection for classic — as well as not-so-classic — cinema.

Just as she did with “Viva,” a similarly retro-kitschy portrait of a swinging ’70s housewife that featured plentiful casual nudity, Biller maintains a firm grip on every aspect of the production, from the Technicolor-saturated art direction and costume design to the old school lighting and in-camera visual effects developed by cinematographer M. David Mullen.

Meanwhile, with her frosty demeanor matching the hue of her ample eye shadow, Robinson looks like she just stepped out of “The Stepford Wives” and into Jacqueline Susann’s “The Love Machine” with her knee-high boots not missing a beat.

Neither does the genre-splicing Biller, who emerges as a feminist Russ Meyer skilled at fetishizing archetypal images of narcissism with the exacting eye of a Douglas Sirk.

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‘The Love Witch’

Not rated

Running time: 2 hours

Playing: Landmark Nuart Theater, West L.A.

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