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Movies / On DVD / The Haunting of Molly Hartley
The Haunting of Molly Hartley

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The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008)

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Reviews Counted:35

Fresh:1

Rotten:34

Average Rating:2.8/10

Consensus: The Haunting of Molly Hartley is a rather lifeless horror endeavor, with a pedestrian plot and few scares.

Runtime: 86 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: After surviving a near-fatal stab wound inflicted by her religious-zealot mother, Molly (Haley Bennett, MUSIC & LYRICS) and her father attempt to make a fresh start in a new town. Unfortunately, on... After surviving a near-fatal stab wound inflicted by her religious-zealot mother, Molly (Haley Bennett, MUSIC & LYRICS) and her father attempt to make a fresh start in a new town. Unfortunately, on top of making new friends and studying calculus, poor Molly also has to contend with horrific nightmares, chronic nosebleeds, and mysterious voices. Has she inherited her mother's insanity, or are there more sinister forces at work? It turns out that Molly's parents made a deal with the devil when she was born, and they price that they paid was her immortal soul. Faustian bargains are a tried and true motif of the horror genre. They tap into audience fears and offer up the guilty pleasure of dancing with the devil. While THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY dwells on gloom and doom, there are great moments when Molly explores her impending wicked side, flirting with the devilishly handsome Joseph Young (GOSSIP GIRL's Chace Crawford) and giving Suzie (90210's AnnaLynne McCord), the residential mean girl, some bone-breaking comeuppance. Director Mickey Lidell could've used a lighter tough with the film, but in an era when every other horror film is a remake, seeing somebody even attempt to try something original is a nice change of pace. It's equally refreshing to see a filmmaker rely on some good old-fashioned suspense to spook the audience, rather than succumbing to the overwrought torture scenarios that make up the bulk of modern-day horror movies. [More]

Starring: Haley Bennett, Chace Crawford, Annalynne McCord, Shannon Woodward

Starring: Haley Bennett, Chace Crawford, Annalynne McCord, Shannon Woodward, Shanna Collins, Ron Canada, Jake Weber

Director: Mickey Liddell

Director: Mickey Liddell
Screenwriter: John Travis, Rebecca Sonnenshine
Producer: Jennifer Hilton, Mickey Liddell
Composer: James T. Sale
Studio: Freestyle Releasing

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1 - 4 of 9

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Reviews for The Haunting of Molly Hartley

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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If you get past the retro Nancy Drew title, this is a worthwhile effort.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment 11 Comments
11/03/08
Tony Wong
Tony Wong
Toronto Star

The story's a snooze, so the filmmakers punch it up with smash cuts and thunderclaps that turn the most laughably banal items into cheap jack-in-the-box shocks. They'll make you flinch -- but then again, so will most of the dialogue.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
10/31/08
Adam Markovitz
Adam Markovitz
Entertainment Weekly

Unfortunately, the performances are so slack and the filmmaking so clunky that any intentional humour gets lost in a sea of inadvertent giggles.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
10/31/08
Adam Nayman
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY

The Haunting of Molly Hartley flirts with having something to say about budding female sexuality and evangelical religion, but it winds up being a pale copy of several of Roman Polanski's more chilling films.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
10/31/08
Alonso Duralde
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

I can't believe that Freestyle actually got this movie to be released in the theaters. It's dull, boring, and at best, laughably bad.

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
11/07/08
Austin Kennedy
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

'The Haunting of Molly Hartley' left me as disappointed as a youngster who receives a box of raisins at every house on his/her trick-or-treat route.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/01/08
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

When it comes to excruciating Halloween activities, I think I'd prefer a Milky Way/razor blade surprise to this asinine, pathetic motion picture.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
10/31/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

It's no Rosemary's Baby, but for teens looking for a quick fix on All Hallow's Day, it will do.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment 1 Comment
11/03/08
Chelsea Bain
Chelsea Bain
Boston Globe

As it races from one unlikely trauma to the next for poor Molly, the movie forgets one key thing: The devil is in the details.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
11/01/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Why do filmmakers bother? Are they crazy? Are we crazy? And if not, why do we keep paying $8 to see the same movie again?

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/07/08
David Bezanson
David Bezanson
Filmcritic.com

...an entirely forgettable (and utterly lightweight) horror endeavor.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
02/25/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

A more accurate title would have been The Annoying Flashbacks of Molly Hartley, or Molly Hartley's Possibly Genetic Mental Disorder or even Molly Hartley's Series of Super-Sucky Unfortunate Events.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
11/03/08
David Schmeichel
David Schmeichel
Jam! Movies

I've read fortune cookies that were scarier, not to mention smarter and more interesting.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment 2 Comments
10/31/08
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
Cinematical

The cinematic equivalent of a razor blade hidden in an apple.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
10/31/08
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even for the holiday, this stinker is a maladroit trick rather than any kind of Halloween treat.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
10/31/08
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Story about the devil's daughter that is poorly written but well acted

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
11/04/08
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

High school horror flick more dreary than spooky.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
10/31/08
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Common Sense Media

This is a prime example of horror conceived by people who don't know the genre, for people who don't like horror films. Practically nothing here is interesting, involving, or new, and, worst of all, it isn't even entertaining as pure kitsch.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
10/31/08
Jason Buchanan
Jason Buchanan
TV Guide's Movie Guide

God and Satan duke it out for the soul of a young girl in The Haunting of Molly Hartley, an unexpectedly cynical addition to the teen-scream genre.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
11/03/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Parental Content Review

Full Review Source: Screen It! | comment Comment
10/31/08
Jim Judy
Jim Judy
Screen It!
 
 
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