The Haunting of Molly Hartley with Haley Bennett and Chace Crawford: DVD Review

The Haunting of Molly Hartley Synopsis

The Haunting of Molly Hartley begins with the 1997 murder of a 17-year-old girl right before her 18th birthday by her father who is ranting, "I don't want them to get you. I don't want them to get you."

Cut to present day when 17-year-old Molly Hartley arrives at her new school. Viewers of The Haunting of Molly Hartley quickly learn that Molly hears things and has flashbacks to the time her mother tried to stab her. Molly is shy and withdrawn, definitely a loner. The one person who tries to help Molly is the school outcast, a "weird" Christian girl who hums hymns in class, and it outspoken about her faith. We discover later that the Christian girl's aunt is a nurse in the mental institution where Molly Hartley's mother is an inmate.

A couple of unknown elements in Molly Hartley's new life are Joseph Young, the incredibly handsome rich boy in town who takes an instant intense interest in Molly, as well as the school psychiatrist who tells Molly she can call on her if she ever needs help.

When Molly ultimately turns to her Christian friend for help and asks for salvation in a terrified, panicked and confused moment, the resulting baptismal scene is shocking and disturbing and begs the question: what would you do if you found something about to become the equivalent of the antichrist in your hands in a baptistry?

The Haunting of Molly Hartley ends with an apparent "happy ending" as a radiantly popular Molly Hartley is about to graduate with honors, with the boy of her dreams and everything she could possibly want waiting for her. This scene is subtly disturbing as it is never made clear exactly what Molly Hartley might have become.

The Haunting of Molly Critique

Full of false scares and flashbacks, The Haunting of Molly Hartley is somewhat disjointed to follow. Molly not only has flashbacks of her mother, but also present-day visions of her mother returning to stab her. Although I did not find The Haunting of Molly Hartley too difficult to follow, I read on several movie boards that many viewers had difficulty jumping from flashbacks to the present to Molly's visions, back and forth, and found The Haunting of Molly Hartley very confusing.

The Haunting of Molly Hartley stars Haley Bennett (Music and Lyrics, Marley and Me, "Outlaw Country") as Molly Hartley and Chace Crawford ("Gossip Girl") as Joseph Young. Although I can't quite recommend The Haunting of Molly Hartley, I will say I was drawn in by the story, in spite of the movie's disjointed style. Fans of the horror genre or of somewhat provocative movies with spiritual twists may find The Haunting of Molly Hartley intriguing.

The Haunting of Molly Spiritual Elements

The Haunting of Molly Hartley does incorporate some spiritual elements in the form of Molly's Christian friend. It is unclear to me if the character was meant to be sympathetic or not. All the other reviews I have read referred to the Christian as "weird" and other unflattering monikers. I had a different reaction and am not sure what the producers had in mind. There is also the spiritual element of good vs.evil in The Haunting of Molly Hartley as well as the disturbing baptismal scene to lend food for thought to those who enjoy the spiritual elements of movies.