Watch The Haunting of Molly Hartley

The Haunting of Molly Hartley is a 2008 supernatural horror film directed by Mickey Liddell and starring Haley Bennett as the titular character, Chace Crawford as her love interest, and Jake Weber as her father. The film is about a teenage girl named Molly Hartley, who moves to a new town and enrolls in a new school after her father tries to kill her on her 18th birthday. As Molly tries to start a new life, she begins to experience supernatural phenomena that suggest her father's demonic influence is still present.

The film begins with a prologue that sets up the premise. On the night of her 18th birthday, Molly's father tries to kill her, claiming that she is "marked" and that he has to sacrifice her to Satan. Molly manages to escape and her father is institutionalized. As the film proper starts, Molly and her mother have moved to a new town, and Molly is starting at a new school. At first, everything seems to be going well for Molly. She is attractive, smart, and quickly makes friends with a group of popular girls, including one named Alexis (played by Shanna Collins). She also attracts the attention of a boy named Joseph (played by Crawford), whom she becomes romantically involved with.

However, as the days go by, Molly begins to experience strange occurrences. She hears voices, sees apparitions, and sometimes finds herself in a trance-like state with no memory of what happened. She also gets increasingly paranoid and starts to suspect that her father's demonic influence is still present. Meanwhile, she learns that her 18th birthday marks her as part of a sinister prophecy involving a soul pact with the devil. As Molly delves deeper into the mystery of her past, she discovers a shocking secret about her mother and her father's true intentions.

The Haunting of Molly Hartley is a well-crafted horror film that relies more on atmosphere and tension than gore and violence. The cinematography by Sharone Meir is beautiful, with plenty of natural lighting and muted colors that add to the film's moody tone. The score by James T. Sale is also effective, with haunting piano melodies that enhance the emotional resonance of certain scenes. The acting is solid across the board, with Haley Bennett giving a standout performance as Molly. She manages to convey both vulnerability and strength, making the audience care about her character's plight.

The film is not without its flaws, however. The plot is sometimes confusing, with certain twists and turns feeling forced or convoluted. The pacing is also uneven, with some scenes feeling extraneous or repetitive. Additionally, some of the characters are underdeveloped, making it hard to care about their fates. Despite these issues, however, The Haunting of Molly Hartley is a decent horror film that will satisfy fans of the genre. It is not groundbreaking or particularly original, but it is well-made and entertaining.

In conclusion, The Haunting of Molly Hartley is a solid horror film that delivers on atmosphere and tension. Its reliance on supernatural phenomena rather than gore or violence may not appeal to all horror fans, but those who appreciate a good old-fashioned ghost story will not be disappointed. Haley Bennett's performance is the highlight of the film, and the cinematography and score are also noteworthy. While the plot and pacing may be uneven at times, the film is still worth a watch for genre aficionados.

The Haunting of Molly Hartley is a 2008 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 3.9 and a MetaScore of 28.