Subscribers Only Content Area

Home

New Movies

All Movies

New DVDs

All DVDs

Newsletter

Search

Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY" (2008) (Haley Bennett, Jake Weber) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Moderate Extreme *Heavy Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Heavy Extreme *None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Minor Extreme Heavy Heavy QUICK TAKE: Horror: A teen must not only contend with her troubled past and being the new student at school, but also a horrific development that awaits her upon her eighteenth birthday. PLOT: It's bad enough having to switch schools your senior year in high school, but it's been even worse for 17-year-old Molly Hartley (HALEY BENNETT). For not only does she suffer headaches and nosebleeds, but she also has disturbing visions and thinks she hears voices calling her name, all likely stemming from the fact that her mom, Jane (MARIN HINKLE), is now incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital for trying to murder her with a pair of scissors. Accordingly, Molly's dad, Robert (JAKE WEBER), has moved them to a new town, where she's the new kid in class at Huntington Prep. There, she's instantly befriended by born again Christian Alexis (SHANNA COLLINS), but also draws the attention of hunky Joseph Young (CHACE CRAWFORD), much to the chagrin of his snooty girlfriend, Suzie (ANNALYNNE McCORD). She also finds something of a kindred spirit in school rebel Leah (SHANNON MARIE WOODWARD), while guidance counselor Dr. Emerson (NINA SIEMASZKO) tries to help the troubled teen through her problems. Chief among them is the worry that she's going crazy like her mom before her, a notion her dad as well as Joseph try to dispel. Yet, with her 18th birthday quickly approaching, little does she realize what's in store for her, what with a pact her parents figuratively and apparently literally signed with the Devil back when she was prematurely born. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Unless they're fans of someone in the cast and/or supernatural thrillers, it doesn't seem too likely. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For strong thematic material, violence and terror, brief strong language and some teen drinking. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: To avoid spoilers, final character revelations are not listed below: HALEY BENNETT plays a teenager troubled not only by her past (where her mom tried to kill her), but also odd visions, voices calling her name, headaches and nosebleeds. Accordingly, she's confused and scared that she might have inherited her mom's mental illness. She lies to her father a few times, briefly drinks, and briefly uses strong profanity. JAKE WEBER plays her father who's concerned about her well-being. CHACE CRAWFORD plays a classmate who befriends and then seems to have taken a romantic liking to Molly, including inviting her to a big party at his house (where alcohol is served) while his parents are out of town. He uses some profanity. SHANNON MARIE WOODWARD plays the school's rebel with self-proclaimed anger issues. She befriends Molly, puts out a cigarette in one scene, drinks in another (and states she's too "wasted" to drive), and uses some profanity. SHANNA COLLINS plays the first girl to befriend Molly, a born-again Christian who's supportive of her and wants to save her (religiously). ANNALYNNE McCORD plays Joseph's snooty girlfriend who isn't happy that his focus has shifted to Molly, and thus she acts meanly toward her. MARIN HINKLE plays Molly's mom, seen in visions, flashbacks and/or reality where she repeatedly tries to kill her daughter regarding her pending satanic future. NINA SIEMASZKO plays the school's guidance counselor who tries to help Molly through her issues. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a quick look at the content found in this horror film. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Brief and non-explicit, sexually related talk is present, as is some cleavage and a brief view of a teen in her bra, while there's also brief teen kissing. Violence consists of a father apparently murdering his teen daughter, a woman falling to her apparent death, attempted deadly attacks on others (including via stabbing and drowning), an attempted suicide, and some lesser physical contact. Those moments, various supernatural ones, the late to be revealed satanic elements, and various jump scenes might be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary to some viewers. Some of that violence has bloody results, while various nosebleeds are also present. Various bad attitudes are present, as is tense family material (much revolving around a mother previously trying to murder her teenage daughter), while teens drink at an un-chaperoned party and we see the motion of one teen putting out her cigarette. Other behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from emergency lights. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some handheld camerawork from time to time in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE As her father acts irrationally, a teen asks if he's been drinking (there's no answer). Teens drink at an un-chaperoned party, including Molly and Joseph who have mixed drinks he makes for them. We also see Leah drinking, and when Molly says she wants to go home, Leah says she's too wasted to drive. BLOOD/GORE A father and daughter are a bit bloody after their truck is hit by a larger truck. We see Molly looking freaked out and trying to make a call with her bloody hand, but she then wakes up from her nightmare (and has a bloody nose). We see a small, red scar on Molly's chest (from where her mom tried to kill her with some scissors). Molly gets a bloody nose, with some of that dripping down onto a book in front of her. We then see some on her shirt while she's in the bathroom. Molly suddenly sees the image of a girl with what looks like a burned face. Molly has another bloody nose. We see a flashback to Molly's mom having some blood on her clothes following Molly's premature birth in a bathroom. Molly's mom is a little bloody after falling over a stairwell railing to the atrium floor below. Realizing Molly's destiny, Alexis tries to drown Molly while baptizing her. Struggling ensues, with Alexis being knocked back and banging her head (with blood on her hand after touching the back of her head). Molly's dad has some blood on his face and shirt while he's held down by another man. We see a little blood on the tip of a knife used in a suicide attempt. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE A father apparently murders his teenage daughter (to prevent her from joining Satan's forces). Molly asks her dad, "What is wrong with you?" when he tries to assure her that things will be okay. We then hear that her mom is locked away forever in a mental hospital for previously having tried to kill Molly. Leah refuses her English teacher's instruction to read the Bible to get some knowledge about what other writers are referring to in their works. Suzie refers to Alexis as a "Jesus freak." Molly lies to her dad about seeing Dr. Emerson. Suzie acts like a mean bully toward Molly, prompting Leah to bump her out of the way to stop it. Leah appears to shoplift in the school cafeteria. She then plunks down a lot of change to buy what she's carrying, telling the cashier, "You can count, right?" About Alexis, Leah tells Molly, "Dump the Bible thumper." Molly lies to her dad about going to a study session when she's really going to Joseph's party. Joseph has a big party (with drinking) at his parents' house while they're out of town. When Molly wants to leave that party, Leah (who drove) doesn't want to go, and says she's too wasted to drive. At a party, Suzie picks on Molly, both physically (pushing her from behind) and emotionally, telling her, "You're a mental case, just like your mother." A person uses the term "religious nutcase." Realizing Molly's destiny, Alexis tries to drown Molly while baptizing her. All of those involved in manipulating Molly's life to serve the Devil obviously have bad attitudes. After she's turned over to the dark side, Molly sees her father who's been institutionalized. When a worker there says her seeing him might help since Robert is her father, Molly coldly says, "Not anymore." FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. A teenage girl hears voices in the wind as she follows a string with various notes ("Almost there," etc.) that lead her to a cabin. She slowly goes inside where she's grabbed from behind, but it's her boyfriend. Her father then shows up, is mad, and drives off with her, increasing his speed as he goes. He ends up driving through a fence and toward a garage, but she grabs the steering wheel and they swerve and veer off, eventually coming to a stop. Just then, a large truck strikes their smaller truck from the side, turning it over. Both are injured, but the father grabs a shard of glass, saying he can't let them take her, and apparently murders her with that (not seen). We see Molly looking freaked out and trying to make a call with her bloody hand, but she then wakes up from her nightmare (and has a bloody nose). Molly hears supernatural voices inside a convenience store, and then again once she's outside. Molly sees a light come on under her bathroom door, and the movement of a shadow under it, and slowly goes to investigate. There, she finds her mom praying on the floor. Her mom then goes to stab her, but Molly then wakes up from her nightmare. A supernatural voice calls out Molly's name in the school bathroom, with her slowly looking in each stall to see who's there (no one is, but she has various flash images that upset her). Molly hears the sound of running water coming from her bathroom, slowly goes in to look around, and hears supernatural voices calling her name. She then sees the sudden image of a girl with what looks like a burned face, and then finds herself locked in the bathroom where she passes out. Molly and her father are told by a doctor that he has a nasal tumor that's causing her nose bleeds, hallucinations and more. We then briefly see a long scope being put up her nose to remove that (we only see the very beginning). Molly has a nightmare where her mom is the nurse in her hospital room who turns and tries to stab her. As Molly walks home alone at night from a party, she hears supernatural voices, encounters a barking/lunging dog at a fence, and then has a vision of encountering her mom who grabs at and struggles with her. In a vision, Molly's mom suddenly tries to attack her, grabbing at and struggling with her. Molly hears a thump at the door, but then sees it was just the mail being delivered through the slot. She then hears sounds upstairs, slowly goes to investigate, and finds her mom who first talks with and then tries to attack her. Molly avoids being stabbed, blocks that again, and then ends up causing her mom to fall over a stairwell railing and down several floors to the atrium floor below her. Molly then goes down there, and finds the blade stuck in the somewhat bloody mom who suddenly comes to and tries to attack her one last time before dying. The late to be detailed satanic details (where Molly is to go over to the dark side upon reaching her 18th birthday) might be unsettling to those sensitive to such matters. Realizing Molly's destiny, Alexis tries to drown Molly while baptizing her. Struggling ensues, with Alexis being knocked back and banging her head (with blood on her hand after touching the back of her head). Molly slowly walks through Joseph's house, finds him but he's then acting oddly, as is the case with Dr. Emerson who shows up. We then see various figures standing behind the frosted glass windows/doors surrounding them. Her father is then brought in, bloodied, and held down, with Dr. Emerson telling Molly she can break the pact with the Devil if she kills her father. Realizing her satanic future, Molly instead tries killing herself by stabbing herself in the chest with a large knife, but beyond drawing a little blood, that does her no harm. GUNS/WEAPONS Knives: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or attempt to kill others. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Tomorrow's my f*cking birthday," "You scared the sh*t out of me," "You look like sh*t" (written), "Sh*t-load," "You're looking up sh*t in books?" "Jerk," "I'm freezing my ass off," "Jesus freak," "Freaked out," "What the hell /happened/are you doing here/is wrong with you?," "You're a bitch," "Ditch the Bible thumper," "You're screwing with me," "You're a mental case just like your mother," "Go to hell," "You bitch," "Where the hell are you?" and "The darkness is coming for you." Some kids might be inspired to try to scare others via methods employed by the film (scaring people suddenly from behind, etc.). When Suzie eyes Joseph looking at Molly, Leah coughs out "jealous" about her. Leah appears to shoplift in the school cafeteria. She then plunks down a lot of change to buy what she's carrying, telling the cashier, "You can count, right?" A teen tries to kill herself by stabbing herself in the chest. JUMP SCENES Some birds suddenly take flight, startling a teen (accompanied by sudden music on the soundtrack, as is the case with some of the entries below). A teen's boyfriend suddenly grabs her from behind. A truck suddenly slams into a smaller truck. Leah suddenly comes out of a bathroom stall, startling Molly. Molly turns and Joseph is suddenly there. In a nightmare, Molly's mom suddenly tries to stab her. Molly's alarm clock goes off right after that nightmare. Molly turns and Joseph is suddenly there behind her in the library. Molly suddenly sees the image of a girl with what looks like a burned face. A dog suddenly lunges and barks at Molly from the other side of a fence. In a vision, Molly's mom suddenly tries to attack her, grabbing at and struggling with her. Molly hears a thump at the door, but then sees it was just the mail being delivered through the slot. Molly turns and suddenly encounters her mom. Thinking she's dead, Molly goes over to her mom's motionless body on the floor when the mom suddenly tries to attack her. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None that we heard, but one song had lyrics that we couldn't fully hear and/or understand, thus presenting the possibility of it potentially containing something objectionable. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 6 "s" words, 6 hells, 1 ass, 1 damn and 1 use each of "For God's sakes," "God," "My God" and "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY A teen shows some cleavage in her dress, and when she meets her boyfriend, they do some clothed, standing and passionate kissing, but then stop when she gets another headache. We briefly see Molly in her bra as she changes clothes. Leah tries to guess what's wrong with Molly, playfully asking if she has some weird psycho-sexual disorder. Suzie shows some cleavage. We see the shape of Molly's nipples under her top that she wears to a party. Dr. Emerson shows some cleavage. SMOKING We see Leah putting out a cigarette. TENSE FAMILY SCENES An upset father drives his teen, increasing his speed as he goes. He ends up driving through a fence and toward a garage, but she grabs the steering wheel and they swerve and veer off, eventually coming to a stop. Just then, a large truck strikes their smaller truck from the side, turning it over. Both are injured, but the father grabs a shard of glass, saying he can't let them take her, and apparently murders her with that (not seen). Molly briefly looks at a photo of her and her mom, and then throws that and other such family memories into the trash. Molly asks her dad, "What is wrong with you?" when he tries to assure her that things will be okay. We then hear that her mom is locked away forever in a mental hospital for previously having tried to kill Molly. Molly is worried that she's going crazy as her mom did before her. Molly complains to her dad that he never paid attention to her before her mom tried to kill her, and now is all concerned about Molly's well-being. Molly has various nightmares, visions, and what may be one real scene where her mom tries to kill her (listed under "Frightening/Tense Scenes). Leah states that her dad died last year of cancer, and that's when she learned she was adopted. Molly then tells her story of her mom trying to kill her. Molly's mom recounts Molly's premature birth, talks of having lost other babies that way, and that she and her husband made a deal with the Devil where the baby would live and they'd have her for the next 18 years, at which time she'd go over to the dark side. No longer sure about her father who approaches her to help, Molly suddenly hits him on the head with a vase or something similarly heavy, knocking him down and out. After she's turned over to the dark side, Molly sees her father who's been institutionalized. When a worker there says her seeing him might help since Robert is her father, Molly coldly says, "Not anymore." TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Molly being worried that she's going crazy as her mom did before her. Family traumas and how they affect both parents and kids. The supernatural elements included in the film. Teenage drinking. VIOLENCE An upset father drives his teen, increasing his speed as he goes. He ends up driving through a fence and toward a garage, but she grabs the steering wheel and they swerve and veer off, eventually coming to a stop. Just then, a large truck strikes their smaller truck from the side, turning it over. Both are injured, but the father grabs a shard of glass, saying he can't let them take her, and apparently murders her with that (not seen). Molly sees a light come on under her bathroom door, and the movement of a shadow under it, and slowly goes to investigate. There, she finds her mom praying on the floor. Her mom then goes to stab her, but Molly then wakes up from her nightmare. Molly has a nightmare where her mom is the nurse in her hospital room who turns and tries to stab her. Suzie acts like a mean bully toward Molly, prompting Leah to bump her out of the way to stop it. At a party, Suzie pushes Molly from behind. She then tries again, but Molly blocks that attempt. When she tries one more time, Molly grabs her by the wrist and breaks or injures that, causing Suzie a great deal of pain (and she's later seen with her arm in a sling). In a vision, Molly's mom suddenly tries to attack her, grabbing at and struggling with her. Molly hears a thump at the door, but then sees it was just the mail being delivered through the slot. She then hears sounds upstairs, slowly goes to investigate, and finds her mom who first talks with and then tries to attack her. Molly avoids being stabbed, blocks that again, and then ends up causing her mom to fall over a stairwell railing and down several floors to the atrium floor below her. Molly then goes down there, and finds the blade stuck in the somewhat bloody mom who suddenly comes to and tries to attack her one last time before dying. No longer sure about her father who approaches her to help, Molly suddenly hits him on the head with a vase or something similarly heavy, knocking him down and out. Realizing Molly's destiny, Alexis tries to drown Molly while baptizing her. Struggling ensues, with Alexis being knocked back and banging her head (with blood on her hand after touching the back of her head). Molly's father is brought in, bloodied, and held down, with Dr. Emerson telling Molly she can break the pact with the Devil if she kills her father. Realizing her satanic future, Molly instead tries killing herself by stabbing herself in the chest with a large knife, but beyond drawing a little blood, that does her no harm. Reviewed October 31, 2008 / Posted October 31, 2008

Advertising Info

Info/FAQ

Mail

Sneak Previews

Parenting Food Health Home Pregnancy Beauty News

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2009 Screen It, Inc.