The Haunting of Molly Hartley
Like so many horror movies of its’ kind (typically of the teen variety), this film has an interesting premise blown by predictable writing and weak acting. Actually, more than anything, this film appears to strive for the intrigue and provocation of 2005’s underrated “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” but this film lacks any of that one’s intelligence and genre-blending imagination, making a film that was equal parts “The Exorcist” and “A Few Good Men.” Even the title is similar in construction.
The story- by John Travis and Rebecca Sonnenshine- starts off well enough. Molly Hartley (Haley Bennett, from “Music and Lyrics”) and her father Robert (Jake Weber) have moved to a new town after Molly’s mother tried to kill her. She’s now in a mental institution not far away, and Molly is getting started at a new prep school (which means, for guys, rather comely girls in school uniforms…make your own decisions as to whether that’s important for you or not). Her father is worried, rightfully so, as Molly has been plagued with visions (of not just her mother but other more supernatural forces, voices in her head, and an acute sense of paranoia. But is it all in her head? Is she just as crazy as her mother? And will the new environment- with new possibilities- be a comfort for Molly.
The trailers have made this film seem somewhat interesting…at least, as interesting as these teen horror movies get. So why can’t we ever get a half-way decent one? Well, for one thing, standards have changed. In recent years, even the most pedestrian horror films sell tickets, and if they carry a PG-13 rating (as this one does), they’re all the more likely to turn a small profit (and let’s face it, while there have been good PG-13 horror movies, they’re few and far between- this is a genre where a more visceral approach benefits). Part of the problem? Hollywood’s found that the best way to turn a profit on these things is to lower the budget. But this isn’t the same kind of low-budget filmmaking that brought us the classic horror films of the Val Lewton productions of the ’40s or the slasher films of the ’70s and ’80s (like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or “Halloween”)- here the intention is to deliberately lower the cost, usually by hiring unknown talent on the cheap (like director Mickey Liddell, best known for producing “Go” and the likes of “Deadwood” and “Jack and Bobby”) and cutting corners on effects, not to effectively let the audience use their imagination or employ any level of creativity on their own. The result is yet another teen horror movie that sells out for the same-old same-old.
But “Molly Hartley’s” problems don’t stop there. The script is a by-the-numbers affair that follows all the cliches of the genre- right down to the potential boyfriend (played by “Gossip Girl’s” Chase Crawford) who may not be so dreamy, the secret past that gets out, the distant but concerned father, and the school counselor who may know more than they’re letting on. All three plot points masquerading as “characters” have their pitfalls- the dreamboat love interest and Molly (both played rather flatly throughout by Bennett and Crawford) share some particularly cringe-worthy flirting scenes, one can see where the father is headed pretty quickly, and the counselor is barely in it enough to worth mentioning- but they do serve their purpose, as do the aggressively nice Jesus-freak Alexis (Shanna Collins) and the bad girl Leah (Shannon Marie Woodward)- although the latter two aren’t as simply cliche as you may think. And the “Stepford Wives”-esque ending? Really folks? This could have been a smartly timed, and simply smart, treat for Halloween night moviegoers; instead, it’s just another Hollywood trick to make some opportunistic bank. At least it has cute schoolgirls in cuter uniforms…
