"THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY" (2008) (Haley Bennett, Jake Weber) (PG-13)
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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.
OUR TAKE: 3 out of 10
Our new reviewing policy for films that aren't shown in advance to critics is that we'll only provide a paragraph or two about the film's artistic merits or, more accurately, lack thereof. After all, life is too short to spend any more effort than that on a movie that even the releasing studio knows isn't any good (which is why they hid it from reviewers before its release).
Horror movies featuring younger kids afflicted by the Devil or just supernatural events can truly be unnerving, creepy and/or frightening (see "The Exorcist," the original "The Omen," etc.), but when it involves teens, the scare factor often drops off proportionally to the age (since stereotypical teens are terrors in their own right, what with their moodiness, anger, etc. that make parents think their kids are already possessed).
Throw in a lackluster plot, bland direction, blasé performances, recycled jump scenes, and the offering here is about as boring and fright-free as they come. "The Haunting of Molly Hartley" rates as a tepid 3 out of 10.
Reviewed October 31, 2008 / Posted October 31, 2008
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