“There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” — Alfred Hitchcock
The master of horror and suspense has it right. A moment isn’t scary because there is suddenly a loud noise and someone opens the shower curtain and stabs you, but because of the terrifying buildup to the moment.
Mickey Liddell, in his directorial debut of “The Haunting of Molly Hartley,” forgets the anticipation factor and skips straight to the bang. Every time the movie has a “gotcha!” moment — and there are far too many — the audience is not jumping but confused and, by the end of the movie, angry. In the end, “why should we care?” seemed to be the overlying question while watching this movie.
After her mom stabs her, Molly (Haley Bennett, “Music and Lyrics”) and her father (Jake Weber, “Dawn of the Dead”) move to a new school to start their lives over again. Molly begins to have hallucinations about her mother escaping the mental asylum she has been locked in. Conveniently, Molly makes a friend who is extremely Christian, adding to the religious element of the story. She also catches the attention of the school hunk Joseph (Chase Crawford, “Gossip Girl”). Eventually, Molly learns about a prophecy regarding her 18th birthday, which is quickly approaching. Once she discovers her fate, Molly pulls out all stops to prevent it.
Everything in this movie deserves half a star as it consistently delivers on this level: the writing, acting, directing, scares — everything. The scares make you flinch as much as the dialogue, which couldn’t possibly be more forced. This movie tried to be edgy but was just as innocent as “High School Musical 3,” sans this particular movie’s one party scene. Still, Molly and Joseph are no different from Gabriella and Troy — it’s surprising they didn’t break into song.
Likewise, the acting is unforgivable; contrary to popular belief, just because someone is good-looking does not mean they can act. Both Crawford and Bennett use their good looks as their motivation in scene work. Bennett has two faces: closed mouth while staring straight ahead and screaming staring straight ahead. Saying these two individuals have promising careers ahead of them would be a lie — neither can act.
Director Mickey Liddell tried to create a snobby teenage version of “Rosemary’s Baby,” but he ended up with demonic results. As one of two horror movies opening around Halloween, audiences are sure to be bored rather then scared. The only benefit to “The Haunting of Molly Hartley” is there will not be six chapters like the “Saw” series. Liddell presents a story that attempts to be complex and weave a twisted tale, but very few movies are this straightforward. There is never a question that the audience must ask, because the answer is given immediately. For example, the movie constantly asks, “Is Molly just a normal teen, or is she something else?” The entire movie deals with her hearing voices and re-imagining her mother trying to kill her from the beginning. Ultimately, the answer is given before the question is asked.
What this movie reflects, along with the entries in the “Saw” series, is Hollywood’s opinion of terror these days. A scary movie is either a loud noise after a minute of silence or disgusting blood and torture porn. The silence idea can be effective, but not if it is used for every shocking moment, as this movie does.
The Hitchcockian philosophy is absent in horror today. Audiences do not need to shriek through the whole movie, but moviegoers should feel tense constantly while waiting for the climax. The classic “The Silence of the Lambs” is essentially one big buildup to the final scene, but it still sets the audience on edge throughout. “The Haunting of Molly Hartley” isn’t just another example of a poor movie with untalented people but a disappointing recollection of what horror movies used to be and what they’ve become.
1/2 star out of 5
