20130921: Horror Review--Lovely Molly

Lovely Molly

1. Fundamentals
1. American live action feature length film, 2011, rated R, 100 minutes, horror, drama.
2. IMDB: 5.3/10.0 from 6,697 users.
3. Rotten Tomatoes: 41% on the meter; 32% from 4,840 audience ratings.
4. Directed by: Eduardo Sanchez; screenplay by Jamie Nash and Eduardo Sanchez.
5. Starring: Johnny Lewis as Tim Reynolds, Alexandra Holden as Hannah, Gretchen Lodge as Molly Reynolds.
6. Watched streaming on Netflix.  Currently available on Netflix DVD.
7. Estimated budget, one million USD.
8. (Box Office Mojo) Estimated revenues: States, 18,424 USD.  It was in release for 11 days in 5 theatres.  Overseas revenue, zero.


2. Setup and Plot
1. Molly and new husband Tim move into an older home from her side of the family.  Tim is a truck driver who is away a lot on work.
2. First up, their security system gets tripped and they cannot explain to the sheriff what did it.  They get to know the sheriff, who remembers when Molly's father died in the house.


3. Molly starts hearing voices on Tim's next trip, the day after her birthday.  Then the bumps in the night, the sobs Molly hears when she is alone at night, and lights turned on but not my Molly.


4. Great, handheld camera footage at night with light that is about 5% sufficient.  I had thought that this was at least not Blair Witch level bovine scatology.


5. When Tim returns, Molly is alone naked in one of their bedrooms, staring at the wall.  Tim soon segues to 'do you want to see a doctor?' and 'are you using again?' So, is the film psychological drama (denies the supernatural, and she's insane) or horror (embraces the supernatural, it's not just Molly) ?


6. Christian rock concert, followed by church.  Her sister asks where she's been, as in not at work.  The next time Tim is gone, Molly gets out her teddy bear, and opens up a photo album that clearly makes her sad. The bear is where she keeps her stash.  She gets more reclusive at work, asking to work where no one will see her.  She starts hearing voices at work.  Some CCTV footage her boss shows her that something is seriously wrong.  She goes off on her boss, claiming things happened that are not in the footage.


7. Looks like drug-induced hallucinations with unresolved underlying psychological problems.  I'm still waiting for the horror part of the movie, 49 minutes in.


8. She consults with her pastor while wearing a black negligee.  Great. The seduction fails.  Well, the first time.  She seeks help from her sister.


9. Tim returns to the house being filled with a horrible smell.  He finds Molly's drug paraphernalia in open sight.


10. At 59 minutes in, Tim hears Molly making a video.  She introduces Tim to her father, who's dead.  Oh, goodness.  Molly insists that she is not crazy.  Next stop, medical tests, to be followed by psychiatric tests if the sleeping aids do not do the job.


11. Molly kisses Tim, then bites him badly, causing a great deal of bleeding.


12. Things go downhill from there.  No signs of the supernatural, just one psychotic drug addict.


3. Conclusions
1. One line summary: Even worse than American Mary.
2. Final Rating: 2/10.


4. Scores
1. Cinematography: 4/10 Poor.  The interior shots and night shots tend to look bad.  Focus, camera jump, panning that is too rapid.  Tungsten yellow prevalent.  Segments of night filming from low end hand held camera.  Lots of footage where there is not enough light to capture enough information to prevent pixelation at the user end.


2. Sound: 8/10 Actors seem adequately miked.  Creaky doors.  Irritating incidental music.


3. Acting: 0/10 Terrible.  I did not believe a single player.


4. Screenplay: 2/10 Merely poor as a psychological drama where the protagonist is crushed instead of defeating the trauma.  This is a complete bust as horror.