The Coven: Witchcraft, Campy Fun, and the Nicest Roommate Ever

Melissa Vitello’s The Coven, an 8-minute horror-comedy written by Adriana Natale, is queer, campy, and hilarious. The story of an overenthusiastic roommate who cannot read the room if the written notice thwacked her in the face—is overtaken by the story of her ancient roommates so compellingly, no one remembers the scrapbooks they came for. 

Natale plays Frances, a bright, chipper, endearingly obtuse bird, surprisingly at home with a pair of financially broke witches, Hazel (Debba Rofheart) and Driscilla (Danni Vitorino), their carefully cultivated maggots, attack bat, and the neatest witch’s broom you ever saw. But it is less Friends or New Girl as Frances would like, and more The Office, witchcraft version. Hazel likes no one, Driscilla likes no one but does not show it, and Frances thinks her love for the two is reciprocated. To add insult to injury, the documentary crew that has come to film Frances’ scrapbooking hobby quickly widens its scope to the cantankerous Hazel and coquettish Driscilla. 

Frances is there too. 

Though it is easy to discount the character, it is her naive sincerity that is the backbone of the film’s humour: the sweet contrast to Driscilla’s sharp hollows and Hazel’s pulverising bluntness. It takes the funny duo and turns it into a thrillingly campy trio. Hazel and Driscilla certainly have never looked better than in Frances’ bedazzled scrapbook. 

On the topic of looks, the witches are brewing their de-aging potion, for it to not only not turn out quite right, but they also get pulled in for interviews. Hilarious together and individually (it is hard to pick a favourite), they go into their background as the camera does its little zooms, pauses and shakes. The tickling harmony comes together beautifully, especially in the final few moments when the camera changes hands. Roommate night might be open to debate after all.

Watch The Coven Mockumentary Film