Teenage horror films are really becoming one half dozen of the other. And here is another one to add to the pile. while the film did more than double it’s budget in the box office and catered to the teenage crowd with it’s PG-13 rating. It is by no means a scary horror film, and it has a real hard time getting it’s story across.
The Haunting of Molly Hartley is about a girl named Molly who was almost killed by her mother at the beginning of the film. With her mother now put away, Her father and her move to a new area and Molly starts attending Catholic School. While there Molly starts to see things and experience things that scare her. At a party she exhibits some bizarre strengths and her experiences intensify. Its though these bizarre powers and hallucinations that she finds she has a higher purpose. But with this power she will have no choice but to choose a side that will best suit her needs or will she chose the side that is pure and good.
Right off the bat this is not a movie for fans of true horror films. This is one of those movies that is made to scare the pants off of young teenage kids with the use of a lot of suspense while trying to pull off a smart supernatural story. The problem is that it’s storyline is a bit confusing, and is one that is sure to loose the interest of the intended party rather than attract them. While I do think the plot is one that can be promising the way in which the story was excited within the script made the movie look like a mess. You never really were able to grasp the concept of the movie while the story moved along. The script tries to be innovative and bring us a new kid of supernatural thriller. the problem is that it just simply falls to get it’s point across. The character development is there, and the dialogue although nothing special is decently written. But it’s the overall story that just falls apart from the get go.
The production value is simple and plan. A few scenes in a school, and a house. Nothing really special to look at. It’s your basic lighting set-up and sets dressings. Nothing special. The acting is decent, I can’t take anything away from the performances no matter how one dimensional and generic the characters are. The kids in this film did a decent job at least trying to give the character some kind of personality. But with a script like this there is really nothing you can do to have a standout performance.
The DVD does not have a lot of features at all, but does include interviews with the cast and crew of the movie. It’s pretty much a bare bones disc to say the least. It is presented in wide screen (1.85:1 aspect ratio) format with English 5.1 Dolby Surround sound with English and Spanish subtitles as well.
Overall, THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY is like one of those women shows you see on the Lifetime network. You can even go as far as saying it is THE OMEN for young teenage girls. It’s a movie that is geared towards the teenage female and I’m sure they might get some kind of kick out it’s story and maybe be able to relate to the characters. But for the horror fans this is one your going to want to avoid. Your little sister might like it, but you sure as hell won’t
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
