Review: "Lovely Molly"

I'm not a huge horror fan and don't devour everything in the genre. I usually wait until I hear great buzz on a horror film before seeing something because there's so much out there (especially in this genre) that's just poorly made and exploitative. This film was recommended by a friend who was close to the production and saw an early cut. When the Maryland Film Festival included it as part of their late night programming, I couldn't resist checking it out. Did it live up to my friend's hype? Absolutely. I'm glad he's beating the drum for this little film because it's smart, stylish, and scary.

Lovely Molly was directed by Eduardo Sanchez, one half of the creative team that began the found footage horror craze with The Blair Witch Project back in 1999. While this film isn't bound by the same stylistic conventions, it does playfully acknowledge them by beginning the film the same way "Blair Witch" did - with the videotaped confession of a terrified young girl - in this case, Molly.

Molly (Gretchen Lodge) and her husband, Tim (Johnny Lewis,) are newlyweds who have just moved into her family's old country home after years of vacancy. What would normally be a place of comfort and fond memories for most people begins to stir something darker within Molly and unusual things start to occur immediately after they've settled in. Once it begins to go beyond the typical strange noises and open doors, Molly is convinced that the house is haunted. Since she has had mental health issues and problems with drug abuse in the past, neither Tim nor her sister, Hannah (Alexandra Holden,) believe that she is being tormented by a malicious spirit; they think she's either using again or ready for the looney bin.

Gretchen Lodge as Molly

The filmmakers are careful not to let the film be dragged down by over-explaining things. They allow Molly's backstory to come into focus gradually by doling out the exposition sparingly, and using plenty of visual cues in place of it where they can. It's an effective, intelligent approach that works by giving characters and the audience time to react to what's happening with each new revelation.

The film has drawn comparisons to last year's creepy hit Insidious, but while both films strive to make you squirm rather than squeal, Lovely Molly has a grittier, more independent feel. It also recalls the supernatural horror of the seventies - films like Rosemary's Baby and The Entity - where the female victims were usually dismissed as being crazy.

Like those films, the success of Lovely Molly hinges on the performance of a young female lead and Gretchen Lodge delivers a strong performance. The story begins with Molly as the picturesque young bride; a woman with a wonderful new life ahead of her. As the evil asserts itself, however, she slowly transforms into a deeply disturbed, possibly possessed, degenerate - capable of unspeakable deeds - and Lodge is game for everything the film requires of her.

The lighting, camerawork, sound, and pacing are solid. It's pretty lean filmmaking, actually. What the film lacks is that striking imagery that really sticks with you. Ultimately, that's a minor complaint though; I felt it was hitting the right notes and pushing the right buttons. The film is a slow burn, more focused on creating uneasiness and keeping you off-balance than making you jump out of your seat. It's confident, moody, and features a fearless performance by its young lead. Fans who prefer tons of gore and loads of laughter in their horror may find that Lovely Molly isn't their thing, but for those who enjoy a nice, tense, supernatural yarn with a little heft . . . it may be just the ticket.


"Setting the Frame" Film Grade = B