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The Haunting of Molly Hartley Review

Release Date: Oct 31, 2008
Rated: strong thematic material, violence and terror, brief strong language and some teen drinking
Runtime: 1 hr. 27 min.
Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller
Director:Mickey Liddell
Cast:Haley Bennett, Chace Crawford, Shannon Marie Woodward, Jake Weber, Annalynne McCord. Full cast + crew

Movies.com Critics

0.5

Dave White Profile <h3>Dave White</h3> <p><strong>Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex</strong></p> <br /> <p>Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/dave-white">Read full profile</a></p>

...PG-13 shocker for 11 year-olds Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

2.0

28

out of 100

Metascore^®
Generally unfavorable reviews
based on a weighted average of all
critic review scores.
30

out of 100

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
Playing somewhat like a juvenile version of "Rosemary's Baby," this inept, incoherent attempt to cash in on young girls who can't buy a ticket to the R-rated "Saw V" (or are too lazy to sneak in) will be out of theaters long before the Halloween pumpkins start to rot.

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40

out of 100

Los Angeles Times
A dead-on-arrival thriller that resolutely fails to come to life.

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42

out of 100

Entertainment Weekly
The story's a snooze, so the filmmakers punch it up with smash cuts and thunderclaps that turn the most laughably banal items -- birds, mail, an alarm clock -- into cheap jack-in-the-box shocks.

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50

out of 100

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
Tame and inoffensive, The Haunting of Molly Hartley is no more than a big-screen lasso for the "Gossip Girl" and "Supernatural" demographic.

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50

out of 100

Variety
This softcore thriller runs strictly by the numbers.

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See all The Haunting of Molly Hartley reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 14+

High school horror flick more dreary than spooky.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that teens may be drawn to this horror movie by co-star Chace Crawford, who's part of the cast of Gossip Girl. There's some violent, scary stuff, but it's also mostly bloodless (particularly when compared to movies like the Saw franchise) -- more blood is seen from the lead character's stress-induced nosebleeds than from any of the movie's stabbings, assaults, and murders. The film includes a lot of religious imagery and plot points -- characters read Paradise Lost and the Bible, the lead character is baptized in an effort to remove the diabolical influences she's experiencing, and more.

Families can talk about some of the philosophical and belief-related points suggested by the film. What do you believe in? Do you have to believe the same things that movie and TV characters do in order to empathize with them? Why or why not? Families can also discuss the film's subplot, in which the lead character was pledged to Satan by her parents at birth in order to save her life. Do children have to pay for the mistakes their parents make?

The good stuff

Messages: The lead character is unknowingly part of a Satanist plot to find a host body for the Devil. A supporting character speaks of her own relationship with Jesus Christ, and the lead character goes to her for salvation when the plans for her life become known to her. Some discussion of the nature of madness.

What to watch for

Violence: A man drives dangerously as part of a suicide attempt (with another passenger in the car); scuffling and fights; a girl's arm is sprained in a fight; a woman falls over a railing to her death, landing on a knife she was brandishing. An attempted murder by drowning. Multiple stabbings, with some blood -- including some self-inflicted wounds. A scary, mutilated ghoul is on screen for a split-second. Some hospital/surgical imagery.
Sex: Some kissing; cleavage is revealed; the lead character strips down to her bra while changing.
Language: Some harsh language, including multiple uses of "s--t," "hell," "damn," and one non-sexual use of "f--king."
Consumerism: Only one brand (Ford, on a car's hood) visible on screen.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: A character is seen extinguishing a cigarette, but not smoking it; teens drink what is presumably alcohol at a party, despite being underage.

Common Sense Media

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.