The Haunting of Molly Hartley
The Haunting of Molly Hartley | |
---|---|
Directed by | Mickey Liddell |
Written by |
|
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Sharone Meir |
Edited by | Zene Baker |
Music by | James T. Sale |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Freestyle Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $5 million |
Box office | $15.4 million[1] |
The Haunting of Molly Hartleyis a 2008 Americansupernaturalhorror filmwritten by John Travis and Rebecca Sonnenshine and directed by Mickey Liddell. The film, starringHaley Bennett,Chace Crawford,AnnaLynne McCord,andJake Weber,[2]was panned by critics but was a mild commercial success, grossing $15.4 million against a $5 million budget.
Plot
[edit]The film begins with a teenage girl, Laurel Miller, going into the woods to meet her boyfriend Michael. He gives her an early birthday present, but her father shows up and demands she leave with him. As they drive home, Laurel tells him she will be marrying Michael as soon as she turns eighteen. He breaks down and apologizes to her, telling her he can't let her turn 18, then purposely crashes their car. Seeing that she is not dead, he kills her with a broken piece of mirror, saying he couldn't let the darkness take her.
In the present day, 17-year-old Molly Hartley is stabbed in the chest by her deranged mother Jane with a pair of scissors. Although she survives, she is haunted in her dreams by the experience. She lives with her father Robert, and her mother is locked up in a mental ward. Her father enrolls Molly in a new school to help with the trauma and start a new life. However, as her eighteenth birthday approaches, Molly has continuing nightmares of her mother's attack. Joseph Young, one of her classmates, attempts to help her; however, she begins to display symptoms of the same psychosis that took control of her mother's life. Molly attends a party at Joseph's house, where his jealous ex-girlfriend tries to attack her. She breaks the girl's arm and leaves the party. She has another hallucination of her mother attacking her and has a panic attack. The next morning she apologizes to Joseph's ex, who says she knows what Molly is.
At home, Molly is cornered by her mother and discovers that she and others want to kill her in order to save her from a preordained life as a servant toSatan.It is revealed that Molly had died as the result of a miscarriage and her parents made apact with the Devilto save her life. The terms of the agreement were such that the Hartleys would only have Molly until her eighteenth birthday, then she would belong to the Devil. After Jane is accidentally killed, and upon knocking her father out, Molly runs to seek salvation by accepting a baptism by Alexis, who tries to drown her. Alexis accidentally is knocked on her head, which kills her and Molly turns to Joseph for help, only to discover that he is one of them and has set her up.
Dr. Emerson arrives at Joseph's house and tells Molly she is also to be a servant of the devil. She says Molly can either kill her father to break the pact or submit. She tries to let her father live and avoid her fate by attempting suicide with a kitchen knife. This attempt is in vain because the clock has already struck midnight.
The film switches to a mental institution, where a doctor is talking to a woman dressed in black, later revealed to be a cold-hearted Molly. Molly's father has now been admitted to the institution; Molly smiles and says she will not speak to him, choosing to move on. She becomes valedictorian of her high school and dates Joseph. She is seen leaving her high school graduation with Joseph in a limousine, after being told by Dr. Emerson (disguised as the school guidance counselor) that they'll "see her soon."
Cast
[edit]- Haley Bennettas Molly Hartley
- Jake Weberas Robert Hartley
- Chace Crawfordas Joseph Young
- Shannon Woodwardas Leah
- Shanna Collinsas Alexis White
- AnnaLynne McCordas Suzie Woods
- Marin Hinkleas Jane Hartley
- Nina Siemaszkoas Dr. Amelia Emerson
- Josh Stewartas Mr. Draper
- Jessica Lowndesas Laurel Miller
- Randy Wayneas Michael
- Jamie McShaneas Mr. Miller
- Ron Canadaas Mr. Bennett
- Kevin Cooneyas Dr. Donaldson
- Ross Thomasas Jock
- Charles Chunas Doctor
- John Newtonas Mr. Young
Release
[edit]Box office
[edit]The Haunting of Molly Hartleyopened theatrically on October 31, 2008, in 2,652 venues, earning $5,423,315 in its opening weekend, ranking number five and second among the weekend's new releases.[3]The film ended its run on February 5, 2009, having grossed $13,559,812 in the domestic box office and $1,858,937 overseas for a worldwide total of $15,418,749.[1]Based on an estimated $5 million budget, the film was a minor box office success.
Critical reception
[edit]The film was widely panned and currently holds a 28/100 rating onMetacritic,based on 10 reviews[4]and a 2% "Rotten" score onRotten Tomatoesbased on 41 reviews, with the site's critical consensus being "The Haunting of Molly Hartleyis a rather lifeless horror endeavor, with a pedestrian plot and few scares. "[5]Its best review came from theToronto Starwhich said "If you get past the retroNancy Drewtitle, this is a worthwhile effort. "TheLA Weeklywrote "From Freestyle Releasing, the self-service distributor that brought youD-WarandIn the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,comes a movie even worse than those two combined. "
Frank Scheck forThe Hollywood Reportercalled the film "a teen-oriented horror opus that wouldn't pass muster onthe CW network."[6]Keith Phipps forThe A.V. Clubgave the film a D+ and said "It's a horror film better suited for skittish cats than humans."[7]
Home media
[edit]Originally independently released byFreestyle Releasing,all ancillary rights reverted to20th Century Foxupon its DVD release on February 24, 2009, viaFox's home video division,since Fox holds rights to release Freestyle films on DVD. The film was released in Mexico on June 4, 2010, via Quality Films.[8]The UK DVD was released on June 14, 2010.[9]
Soundtrack
[edit]Although a formal soundtrack was never released, the following songs were used in the film:
- "Preparedness" byThe Bird and the Bee
- "I Don't Wanna" byAnna Waronker
- "Rain" byBishop Allen
- "Post Man" by The Sammies
- "17" byX-Press 2
- "Falling Out" by The Sammies
- "U a Freak (Nasty Girl)" byChingy
- "Mad Scientist" byMadison
- "Untouched and Intact" byThe Honorary Title
- "Overwhelmed" by Keren DeBerg
Sequel
[edit]Asequel,The Exorcism of Molly Hartley,was releaseddirect-to-DVDon October 9, 2015. The film, directed bySteven R. Monroe,starsSarah Lindas Molly with a supporting cast ofDevon Sawa,Gina Holden,andPeter MacNeill.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ab"The Haunting of Molly Hartley (2008)".Box Office Mojo.Internet Movie Database.February 6, 2009.RetrievedAugust 20,2015.
- ^Review: The Haunting of Molly Hartley
- ^"Weekend Box Office Results for October 31-November 2, 2008".Box Office Mojo.Internet Movie Database.November 3, 2008.RetrievedAugust 20,2015.
- ^The Haunting of Molly HartleyatMetacritic
- ^"Rotten Tomatoes".Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^Scheck, Frank (October 31, 2008)."Film Review: The Haunting of Molly Hartley".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedOctober 5,2018.
- ^Phipps, Keith (October 31, 2008)."The Haunting Of Molly Hartley".The A.V. Club.RetrievedOctober 5,2018.
- ^Molly Hartley Comes Home This March
- ^UK to Witness The Haunting of Molly Hartley in June
- ^Bloody Disgusting:The Exorcism of Molly Hartley, which arrives on Digital HD October 9
External links
[edit]- 2008 films
- 2008 horror films
- 2008 independent films
- 2008 psychological thriller films
- 2000s American films
- 2000s English-language films
- 2000s horror thriller films
- 2000s psychological horror films
- 2000s supernatural films
- 2000s teen horror films
- American horror thriller films
- American independent films
- American psychological horror films
- American psychological thriller films
- American supernatural horror films
- American supernatural thriller films
- American teen horror films
- Films set in 2008
- Films set in the 1990s
- Films shot in Los Angeles
- Religious horror films
- Freestyle Releasing films