Directed by Melissa Vitello and written by leading actress Adriana Natale, when 3 mismatched housemates let a young film crew in to document one auspicious night, things don’t go as planned…for anyone. Scrap booking enthusiast, Frances, has pulled out all the stops to win over her new roommates and make tonight the Best Roommate Night EVA. But they have other witchy plans. Also starring: Debba Rofheart and Danni Vitorino.
There’s a whole number of references that come to mind when watching The Coven, ranging across decades with everything from The Munsters to Sabrina the Teenage Witch to What We Do in the Shadows. One thing they all have in common is pulling off that quintessential cheesy comedy vibes without feeling sickly or cringeworthy, and Melissa Vitello and Adriana Natale achieve that with The Coven. It has a very familiar mockumentary feel, with a big self-awareness as to how silly and playful it is which allows it to have fun with that.
Creating that absolutely solid tone is the foundation of making The Coven work before it’s then added to with personalities, something this cast has plenty of. While Natale’s Frances may be the Marilyn of the group, the normie who doesn’t quite realise how normal she is in comparison with her roommates. She’s perky and overtly friendly, ticking all those boxes of putting her nose and scrap books where they don’t really belong.
Then you have the devious duo of Debba Rofheart and Danni Vitorino as our siblings in sorcery, and their woeful attempts to hide their witchery are a delight to watch. Rofheart gives us a curmudgeon battleaxe who’s full of resentment and has no time for anyone’s nonsense, she’s just excellent. Then you have the flamboyant, somewhat vain Driscilla, who Vitorino brings to life with a passion that would not be misplaced on Drag Race, especially the penchant for wigs. The banter that the two of them have is a highlight, it’s very old school comedy.
Vitello then brings that all together with that simple mockumentary style, smooth cuts and talking head scenes. It hits that quintessential atmosphere of feeling naturally unnatural, everything is slightly exaggerated but not so much that it becomes full of prat falls or cliched jokes. She brings her own twist to a classic recipe.
The Coven is almost wholesome in how it creates this very cute, tongue-in-cheek comedy. It’s a great mix of past and present, bringing through a lot of different influences but never feeling like it’s stealing from them. The trio of actors are a lot of fun, each bringing extremely different personalities to the table and doing it with style. The direction is simple but effective, the writing is entertaining, the pacing is well done and it’s a sweetly sinister mix.
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