Lust for a Witch (4 Stars)

David Blake is a writer of romance stories. They're bad romance stories, as he himself admits, but as long as there are people out there with enough bad taste to buy his books he'll carry on writing them. His wife Justine is a model. She's often away from home for photoshoots, giving him time alone for his writing. When the film starts he's suffering from writer's block. That's to be expected. Almost all authors in films have writer's block. It's a common plot device.

One morning, after a heavy drinking session, a woman appears outside his house. She claims to be the house's former owner, a witch who has travelled from the 17th Century into the future to escape the Salem Witch Trials. After a hefty sex session the woman, who isn't named, disappears, leading David to believe he had imagined her, so he swears to never drink again. In the meantime Justine returns home with a photographer and his girlfriend. The witch, who is still hiding in the house, kills the photographer and his girlfriend, then encourages David to kill his wife. At the same time David begins to write again, this time a book about the Salem Witch Trials.

"Lust for a Witch" was made in 2004 with the name "Burn", but it wasn't released on DVD until this year. From what I've read the film's sex scenes were either removed or shortened, cutting the running time from 145 minutes to 83 minutes. That's a lot of cuts!

The film is directed by Michael Windsor, but I suspect it's a pseudonym because no other films are listed for him. I've tried without success to find out who he is. There seems to be a connection with Retromedia, the company that has released the DVD this year, because four of the main actors (Evan Stone, Alexandre Boisvert, Nicole Sheridan and Rebecca Love) were frequent participants in the Medina collection from 2003 to 2012.

I was fascinated by Evan Stone's performance as David Blake. Until now I've only seen him play comedy roles. "Lust for a Witch" proves that he's capable of playing serious roles. When he begins to write again he displays a mania that's reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in "The Shining".

The whole film is darker and grittier than any of the erotic films made by Retromedia. Nevertheless, it shares many of the leitmotifs, such as the background music. If I find out more about the film I'll inform you next time I watch it.